Have you been taking piano lessons for some time now and feel like you haven’t made any progress? Or maybe you’ve reached a plateau and feel like you just can’t make it to the next level?
Every piano player reaches that point. That’s not the point to become frustrated and quit. Instead, it’s time to start something new. 
Calendar Your Practice Time
It’s easy to let your practice schedule fall to the wayside. Instead, concentrate on making it a bigger part of your life. Schedule the time you’ll practice and play each week. Dedicate similar time slots throughout the week – every afternoon for 20 minutes when you arrive home, for example. Stick with it as much as you can.
Create A Plan
Don’t sit down and play the same old thing. Instead, create a plan to help you move forward. What music have you wanted to learn? What would keep you motivated? The key here is to not only motivate you forward and help you learn new skills, but also to help you master old skills that may still be lacking.
Improve Your Reading Skills
How well do you read sheet music? If you have been playing mostly by sight, or still feel weak in reading music, practice and understand concepts of musical notation. Learn advanced musical notations such as dynamics, tempo, key and time signatures, clefs, etc.
Practice To Improve Finger Placement
Scales may seem a bit repetitious, but they are designed to help you find proper finger placement. Practice two or three scales as a warm up before each session, going up and down the scales at least five times. Ensure you stretch and feel each note to connect with it.
Improve Your Musical Ear
Listen to slow, simple songs and attempt to hear the notes. Give them a name and see them on the keyboard. Then transfer your knowledge to the piano and attempt to play. Don’t worry if you’re slow at first. Just do a little every day, and you’ll quickly discover how well you begin to hear sounds and learn how to recreate them yourself.
Practice Your Favorites First
Don’t stick with music you may have used during a lesson. Instead, scan the Internet or head to your favorite music store and buy sheet music that interests you. Then play these songs first to help strengthen your musicality. Steadily increase the difficulty of the pieces you select and play to help you become better at playing.
Make Use Of Modern Technology
Have you ever done a search online for piano apps? You’d be surprised at how many apps exist that reference music. From sheet music, to metronome devices, to software pianos, to complicated games, to designing music on your own, you’ll find a variety of things that can hold your interest even when you aren’t sitting in front of the computer.
