Focused Practice For Young Students

Photo Credit: Doug Butchy

Here at Winterhalter Music we welcome musicians of all ages to take lessons with us– including, of course, very young students. The youngest student I’ve ever given a full 30 minute lesson to has been four. However, I’ve worked with a multitude of students younger than that (ages 3, 2, and I believe I even worked with a 1 year old) for a 15 minute lesson or a short few minutes lesson borrowing lesson time from an older sibling.

Rather than turning away our youngest students like some music schools do, we encourage these young music lovers to begin their instruction with us. I personally believe that if a young child is asking for lessons, has enough attention span to sit for a lesson, and will practice (with help of course!) there’s no reason to wait until they get older to begin lessons. I share even more thoughts on how young is too young for lessons here. Also if you’re curious if your child should start lessons on the piano first even if they have another instrument in mind, I have a great article on that right here.

Since I began my blog, I’ve devoted many many posts to discussing practicing– how to do it effectively, how much time to spend doing it, how to use a practice chart, and so on. It’s a topic that quite frankly never goes away for musicians. Today I’m going to talk about practicing again, but will take a bit of a different spin on it. Instead of talking about it as it generally relates to all music students, I’m going to talk about it as it relates to our young students. For these purposes, let’s say age 6 and below.

Focused practicing can be difficult for any musician– even the most seasoned. It’s even trickier for young students, as they are not nearly as used to sitting and doing a focused activity for an extended period of time. My top tips to help young students get the most out of their practicing are as follows:

#1: Parental Involvement is Paramount

Young children need a parent or an adult to sit with them while they practice to help them. Even though the teacher goes through everything thoroughly in lessons, young children will often take a look at their music (especially if they are still working on note reading), and will be confused if they don’t have help. They will likely need help finding their hand position and sometimes playing the right notes. Having a parent or adult sitting with them, will not only ensure that the practicing gets done, but will also ensure that it gets done right. I’m always so pleased when my students practice. However, if they practice a piece incorrectly or with the wrong notes, we have to go through it again almost like it’s a brand new piece.

#2: Ruthlessly Eliminate Distractions

I don’t know a single person who focuses better while they are distracted. The human brain just functions best when distractions are gone. When it’s practice time for your daughter, make sure all distractions are eliminated. The TV should be turned off and the house should be as quiet as possible. I recommend practicing at a time when your daughter won’t have something that will personally distract her. For example, if your older daughter has a friend over and the younger one normally likes to join in the playdate, she won’t be too happy to practice then. Do keep that in mind.

#3: Practice at Regular Times/ Make it a Routine

Decide which time of day will be best for practicing. Does your son have free time everyday right after dinner? Is the morning better? Or right before bed? I suggest choosing the same time everyday, as then it can easily become a routine. Routines are wonderful because we don’t think about them. We just do them. Also, be sure to select a time when he’ll will be alert and focused. The moment he comes home from a long day at school isn’t necessarily the best time, as he’ll be tired from school and will need some time to decompress.

Besides these key tips, I suggest that your young child play through each of his songs at least 3 times per practice session. Make sure he stays focused on what he’s doing. Help him with any hard spots or problem areas. Feel free to practice more than once per day and/or turn on a stopwatch to keep track of how much time is spent practicing. Kids love timing things and showing their teacher that they put in a good deal of time for practicing.

Now I want to hear from you. Teachers, what tips do you have to help your youngest students get the most out of their practicing? Leave a comment below with your thoughts. Parents, if you have a young child, what has helped them the most with their practicing? If you haven’t already, subscribe to the newsletter and “like us” on Facebook. If you enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you are interested in getting your young child started in lessons with us.

Have a great day today!

Sincerely,

Cassie