As a parent, we sign our kids up for a variety of different activities, watching for the ones they excel at. When you find the one they take to, you want to do everything you can to encourage them to do more.
If they fall in love with creating music, piano playing is one of the best activities they can take on. Piano does so much for a person including:
- Improving memory and concentration
- Helping them excel in mathematics
- Improving reading and comprehension skills
- Becoming more creative in everything they do
What’s more, piano isn’t something they will just enjoy while they are young and able; piano is something they can enjoy throughout their lives.
If you want your child to be better at playing the piano, they have to stick with their piano lessons. Together, you have to create an environment that’s perfect for playing regularly. How do you do that?
Create a “why”
People rarely stick with something if they don’t have their “why”. Work together with your child to determine why you’re pursuing piano. You understand all the benefits; a five, six, or seven year old won’t. But you can still help them discover a reason to play. If they get good enough, maybe they could play their favorite songs. Purchase the sheet music now as motivation. You can also talk about the musicians they love the most, and read stories and biographies about them to help them understand their musical journeys. It can be all the motivation they need.
Explore the musical world
For a child starting out on the piano, they might not be able to put it into perspective of how the piano can be a part of their world. We overemphasize sports in our society; kids can watch games on television and associate their own practice to these games. Seek out the same for musical talent. You can watch concerts on TV or on YouTube. Find local music halls in your own community. Every major city will have a symphony you can bring them to and show them how piano contributes to a performance. Don’t ignore free concerts in the parks in the summertime. This can be a new hobby your entire family enjoys.
Work to keep your child interested
A lot of playing the piano is self motivation. You have to take on that responsibility, especially when your child is young. Work to find a piano teacher who engages your child and makes them want more. Motivate them with rewards to concerts or a trip to the music store to pick out their favorite music. Listen to piano players and talk about them with your child. Look for games that help them become better pianists. While some kids naturally gravitate to wanting more, others need the occasional push in the right direction.
If you see both love and talent, pushing your kids just a little bit more to stick with piano lessons is the best gift you can give your kids.
