Put Yourself in the Shoes of the Parents Over my many years working with piano students, I've observed how certain approaches parents take to music lessons can lead to effective practicing and steady progress in their children — and how other approaches can have the opposite effect. Here is a brief summary of what I've learned, along with some tips for parents. “There's bad news and good news. Which do you want first?” 1. As a parent of a beginner student (5–8 years old), can

Tips on Practicing For Students, Parents, and Teachers — Part 1 “I love playing piano, I just don’t like practicing.” If this sounds familiar, you're not alone — piano teachers hear this sentiment quite often. Many students enjoy their lessons, playing for friends, or sitting down at the piano spontaneously to play familiar tunes. But as soon as you mention “practicing,” the piano becomes a burden — a chore that many dread and put off. Many things can affect a student's abili

Both musical and medical communities have continued to claim that musicians are underrepresenting the use of the body as a whole.