I can't believe that we're already done with August and in September! This is nuts! Our pianists are doing well, and we've got a good momentum going! Hopefully you've been able to find a pretty consistent time for them to practice regularly. If not, I would suggest sitting down with them and coming up with a time that can be just theirs for piano practice. The minimum ALL of my students should be practicing is 30 minutes, however, for intermediate to advanced students, this just barely scratches the surface of what they need to be practicing. Most kids will run through their stuff and call it practice. That's not practicing; that's performing. Practicing is ugly and slow and repetitive. It is very deliberate, with the pianist working on very specific things. Even their scales have very specific goals and assignments. If you haven't been on their Practice Space app lately, or asked them to see what they're doing in their binders, you should! Ask them about their Bulls Eyes for the week! If you're finding that your pianist has a short attention span and struggles with staying focused, read below to find out about the Pomodoro Method. I actually employ this method when I can't seem to steer my brain away from life....
Upcoming Events
Listening Assignment
There are two different listening assignments this month. One is a must-do; the other is a bonus. I will have a reward for the pianists who choose to do both listening assignments. These assignments can be found on my website in the Pianists Only Forum under Listening Assignments. I've attached a link to my website. For my younger students who aren't tech savvy, I am attaching the worksheet for them to fill out as they listen to the pieces. I will also be giving it to them at their lesson. This worksheet also has the bonus listening assignment info on it. Please let me know if you have any questions!
The Pomodoro Method
Sometimes it's hard to keep our kids focused on a task at hand. Practicing is no different. I have found that if I don't turn off my phone or choose a time when my family isn't home, my practicing gets interrupted constantly. You all may not know this, but I have found that in order for me to get at least one good practice session in, I have to wake up at 4:30 am! My family doesn't bother me then. Haha! However, even at the crack of dawn, I sometimes find my mind wandering to everything that has to be done when the sun comes up. My husband discovered this Pomodoro Method and suggested I give it a try. It's actually pretty great! You set a timer for 25 minutes and work until it goes off, then you take a five minute break. You do this four times and then take a longer break. It's wonderful because I know that during my break, I can address the things I need to, but during my session, I can focus on my practicing. Each piano student and parent can change up the time if needed; maybe two 15 minute sessions with a five minute break in between, or even three 10 minute sessions. Sometimes practicing for 30 minutes seems overwhelming, but breaking it up with a short break makes it doable. I'm attaching a good explanation of it so you can read the details. I would highly recommend trying this out with your pianist!
Comments