Q: I tell my son to practice piano, but he says that he doesn’t know what to do. I feel like I’m wasting my money because he’s playing piano only during his lessons. Why does the teacher assign him work that he doesn’t understand?
A: Most likely, if his piano teacher assigned him a piece for practice during the week, then it is because he demonstrated that he understood the material. Toward the end of a lesson, after the child has warmed up and gone through his previous pieces, he’s receptive to learning.
If he claims not to remember how to play, ask him to play old pieces. “Play whatever you like, what you enjoy.” This should be enough as a warm up and will trigger his memory of the new piece.
If he still is having trouble with his new piece, just ask him to practice the old pieces. Most teachers go over old pieces anyway. Fewer minutes of the lesson will be spent in reviewing these if he is prepared to play each perfectly.
Mrs. Marie Sleppy is a professional piano instructor and plays piano weekly for a church.
