“We become what we repeatedly do.” ~Sean Covey

Motivation, expectations, and foundational habits; all are needed in order to become a great piano player and enjoy it in the process.

Though in this case we’re talking about playing the piano, the same characteristics can be applied to any new direction you’re taking in life. Good habits lead to success, which leads to happiness. At its root is the process of forming good habits. The better you become at putting something new into your life, the more you’ll make it stick and be happy with the results.

Yet as a human, I’m sure you realize that saying (or reading) this and actually accomplishing it are two different things. Saying you want to be a great piano player, for instance, and building it into a successful habit are two different things. Life gets in the way, and before you know it, weeks have flown by with no action taken.

Its hard to make piano playing a habit under those circumstances.

If piano playing is truly important in your life, or in the life of your child’s, there are a few things you can do that will put the odds in your favor.

Be 100% Committed

If piano playing is a part of your child’s future, you have to commit to making it a part of your life. That means taking the good with the bad, the fun with the not-so-much fun. You can’t approach it with the attitude of doing it as long as its fun. Invariably your child will burn out, whine and complain. Its your job to keep them motivated, and look for ways of making it fun.

Practice. Practice. Practice.

What makes a child better at addition or multiplication tables? Practice. What makes someone a better swimmer? Practice. Piano playing is no different. You can’t sit down and play a popular tune your first time at the keyboard. It takes practice to learn the notes, and practice to learn how to combine notes into a song. The more you practice, the better it will sound, the more fun you will have.

The Ultimate Purpose

Practicing should never be overwhelming. In fact, the true purpose of practicing is simply to get it down to a routine. When you first start, the hardest part is putting it into your life. Practice should always be about establishing a healthy habit of putting it into your life. Five minutes a day every day at 3 pm is much better than playing a scale a few dozen times once per week. Practice is the health way of bringing this new talent into your life. Once it becomes a habit you enjoy, then you can build other key points into the routine – scales, playing songs a number of times, etc.

Provide Encouragement

For an 8 year old boy, 1 minute of practice may be a huge accomplishment. Recognize the effort put into practice and encourage him for what he’s accomplished. Tell him you recognize how much he’s improved. Tell him how good of a job he’s doing. Tell him you are impressed with his attitude towards playing every day. All of these can impress on your child the desire to want to take the next step, and build on skills already developed.