Sometimes, a small mistake is just a small mistake. It won’t impact your child’s piano playing or their ability to move forward. However, if they’re making the same minor errors repeatedly, it can have a major effect on their piano playing. Their piano instructor is likely to even comment on these things, or you may notice them yourself.
You may be surprised to find that many of these “minor” piano mistakes aren’t actually anything your child does while physically at the piano, either. Instead, there are other things that have a major impact on their piano skills.
1. Jumping Right into Playing Piano without Understanding Music Theory
A good piano teacher will start your child out with learning about music and music theory. This is important because it serves as the foundation of their music lessons in Atlanta.
They will understand how the music they’re playing is structured, why it sounds good, and how to read and understand musical notation. Without this understanding, your child will simply be repeating what they see on the sheet music. They won’t have the tools needed to improvise, easily switch instruments, work as part of a group or orchestra, or write their own music.
This is why you want to be certain your child is getting an education in music theory as well as in piano. Their teacher will likely provide them with a theory book they can work on in addition to practicing their playing.
2. Skipping Out on Practice Is a Major Mistake
Another common mistake many piano students make, especially young students, is skipping practice. Consistency is most important when learning to play any musical instrument. Even if your child only plays for 30 minutes every day, that’s better than trying to play for several hours a few times a week. The consistent repetition is what helps them truly learn.
The problem many young players have is that they find early private piano lessons to be boring. They may not enjoy hitting the same few keys over and over. It’s important that they go through this exercise, though, because it:
• builds up their dexterity and strength
• helps form the muscle memory that makes playing more complex pieces easier
• enables them to be less frustrated because they will be able to learn quicker
Again, it’s not necessarily the amount of time your child practices that’s vital. Even if they only have time to sit down at the piano for 15 minutes, that’s better than not playing at all.
3. Not Having a Great Teacher
If you think about your own experience in school, you may think of some teachers who seemed fairly apathetic or simply didn’t put much into their lessons, regardless of what subject they were teaching. This attitude or lack of interest has a major impact on students, even if neither student nor teacher realize it. For example, if you had a math teacher who didn’t seem interested in helping you learn, you may have come to hate math.
The same can be said about your child’s piano teacher. They should have a great relationship with their teacher. Otherwise, they may feel like the teacher doesn’t like them or isn’t interested in helping them improve.
If your child doesn’t feel like their piano teacher really wants to work with them, they’re not going to be interested in playing. They need a teacher who will encourage them and help them work through their problem areas.
Note that this doesn’t mean you want to look for a teacher who will always go easy on your child. A good teacher knows how to challenge and push their students, but they also know how much each student can handle and don’t overwhelm them.
Those Are the Piano Teachers We Hire
Our teachers strive to have a great relationship with their students. They learn about their students and how to motivate them to learn. They will come right to your home for every lesson, plus we virtual music lessons, too. However, our online music lessons are being taught by local music teachers with live lessons tailored to your child! If your child is ready to begin piano lessons, reach out to us today.
