Im my opinion, it is of paramount importance that parents whose children have expressed an interest in playing the piano completely understand the role they need to play in the process.
Firstly, the lessons should ideally be initiated by the child . If the lessons are parent led , then in my experience the child has little motivation to learn and the lessons therefore can lack enjoyment and it also can have a long term negative effect.
I would always suggest that if neither parent can play the Piano, it maybe an idea to accompany the pupil to the lessons so that they can listen and understand some of the principals taught to support there child when they practice at home .
Even better than that, it would help their child’s progress if they themselves where to book some lessons so that they have a clearer understanding of the lesson content ( and of course to learn a new skill) The most important role I feel of the pupils parents is to monitor and encourage the level of practise that I suggest each day. This is only 10 to 20 minutes , but without this supervision then there are always going to be other distractions.
Practice does not make Perfect , but it does help progress.
The courses and all the music I teach are all available to listen to on “ U Tube”. So I would suggest that if there are challenges in between my lessons, then this resource is available should it be necessary.
Finally, I would add that a positive and open attitude towards music in general would be so beneficial. I teach a wide range of music, so maybe listening to music together and exposing your child to music that they may not have heard before might be an idea.
I have 2 daughters and I always listened to music in the car whenever we travelled together. They heard music that I loved too and now they love it as much as me.
Learning to play the Piano is a way of life that can be enjoyed by all the family.
It doesn’t have to be a solo activity and if it becomes that way then it’s never as much fun.!
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