Practicing? How long is enough?

I would occasionally being asked "How long should I be practicing?"; "How much time should I set for my children to practice daily?"...

There are certainly no set answer...Some students would take initiative to practice because they want to do well. Some students need to be pushed. Some students would give up being pushed...

Therefore, as a teacher, we need to know our students well and find the balance; as a parents, we also need to keep motivating and make practicing not a "job".

Of course, you would want an answer, don't you? so how long is enough?

Usually when I got asked that question, I would say students should be practicing the same length as the piano lesson DAILY.

There are 2 main things for parents to help.

1) Create the atmosphere: Set a time everyday, at a quiet atmosphere, so that your little one will only play the piano, not other toys or entertainment. (Turn off TV, ipad, video game, etc...). Make it like breakfast daily, so that they are not surprised and will treat it as a routine.

2) Set a goal: for younger ones, you help them to set the goal. For example, by tomorrow, you would need to play this phrase without any mistakes. Be realistic and set something that is measurable.

In the next article I would tell you what's effective practicing. Stay tuned!

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