The Power of "Magic Five": A Primer on Piano Practice for Beginners and Beyond

Practicing piano is not a natural thing to do.  Why read music - a type of foreign language in effect - and decipher it, play it clumsily with our ten fingers, following ever changing patterns and rhythms?  And after I've done it, you want me to, what?  Repeat it?  Again?  And again?  Are we setting ourselves (or our children) up for frustration and discouragement?

Absolutely not!  

While hard work goes against the grain of our microwave-now, instant gratification culture, where we want the rewards of success after putting in minimal effort - we parents know that hard work is critical to any meaningful, long-term success that adds real value.  And can you believe it, piano is a wonderful way for your children to taste the benefits of hard work in a very short amount of time!  Because while piano takes practice to master, the rewards of making great music is hugely and intrinsically motivating, even for young children!  And it really doesn't take a lot.

Enter, "Magic Five" - my proven method of mastering any difficult (within reason) song or piece, so that your children can experience the joy and rewards of making music - and experience for themselves that with a little bit of work, they can do really great things!

"Magic Five" refers to the five little numbers on your child's practice sheet each week, where students practice a given piece not once, not twice, nor three or four, but FIVE TIMES!  No, this isn't a form of torture.  It's truly a gift.  

Because while any piece your child may receive for the week may be a bit challenging at first, by practicing it FIVE TIMES IN A ROW and IN ONE SITTING, he/she/you will see the transformation that "Magic Five" brings to what was initially a difficult piece, so that it is no longer - and to release the beautiful song that awaits therein.  That awesome music is only awaiting to hatch, believe me!

I often encourage and coax your child to "take a crack" at this!  So, if you see him/her trying and repeating songs, please give them our admiration and acknowledgement for their effort and hard work!  Their music may not sound great yet - but if you encourage their efforts and repetitions, their music will start sounding pretty great, pretty fast - I guarantee it!  So the key is not how well they sound now - the key is "Magic Five"!

You should know that for your child, the first time practicing a new piece is the hardest, even painful.  But the second time usually feels a little better.  Third time, still better.  Fourth, better.  And by the time your child plays the same piece the fifth time - he/she might feel quite proud of him/herself, because s/he may start sounding quite descent.  You will see the magic enfolding right before your eyes!

You don't need to explain all this to them.  "Hearing" about this doesn't actually help, they have to "do" it in order to understand.  And I work with them during lessons and walk this process with them as often as I can. 

But there are ways you can help!  If you'd like to help your child, there are simply two things you can do:

1.  Set a practice time.  Help your child establish a time in the day when some time can be devoted to daily piano practice.  It can begin with as little as 5-10minutes a day, and it can be before or after school homework (give your child the choice, you might be surprised!)  

Even use it as an incentive - if you finish getting ready for school/bed early, you can have five extra minutes of piano time before school/bed, e.g. (This might be "free time" on the piano, anything goes!)

2.  Applaud his/her efforts.  Your child has his/her pieces for the week in his/her folder, and should know what to do on his/her own.  Your part is to simply observe when your child makes an effort to "Magic Five" a new song, then acknowledge, affirm and applaud their efforts!  That's it!  This positive reinforcement and encouragement goes a long way!
 
If your child has difficulty sitting through for a long period, encourage him/her to "Magic Five" a single song, so that s/he can experience the power of "Magic Five"!  Once they experience it, it becomes terribly empowering!  And each day's success will provide the foundation for the next day's success - so that each day's progress builds on another - until your child sounds pretty descent (amazing, actually!) after a week's end.  

And I am looking forward to it!