For those who are taking piano lessons with a teacher, it is essential to come in weekly and work one on one with your instructor. While it is possible to learn quite a bit during your lessons, the work does not stop there. There are many benefits to practicing between piano lessons.
Practicing may not be fun at first. You can make it more enjoyable by really focusing on the task and being passionate about learning. If you are working with a child through the process, it is important to have patience! Remember that playing a musical instrument is a special skill. It only comes with hard work – for children and adults alike.
There are many benefits of regularly practicing your skills when your piano instructor is not around. In fact, you will find that piano becomes very enjoyable after you work through those first, hard lessons and practice what you have learned the rest of the week.
Why should you practice in between your piano lessons?
You’ll Gain Muscle Memory
One of the biggest advantages of practicing is because you’ll gain muscle memory. In short, you are training your body’s muscles to react in the right manner. Over time, the process of playing a song or creating a piece of music becomes easier because your muscles “remember” the actions. This cannot happen without repetition. It generally takes a lot of repetition for that to happen. For those who practice piano every day – or at least a few times a week – this can be one of the best investments in your skill.
You’ll feel more at ease
For many people, the problem with learning a new skill such as a musical instrument is that it does not feel comfortable. It doesn’t “feel right” initially. The only path to enjoying it is to work through the process through practice. The sooner you get through a problem, the sooner you can begin to enjoy the process of learning piano. The more you practice, the more you will be comfortable playing.
Practice teaches important lessons that go beyond music
Piano practice provides valuable skills that anyone can benefit from well beyond their first classes. Enforce an appropriate level of practice from the beginning of your piano lessons. It will make a big difference in your success.
You cannot practice for your child. If they are struggling with yet another hour’s worth of piano practice, you may feel that it is easier to just give in and let them stop. Don’t give into this temptation. You are doing your child a disservice if you don’t encourage them to practice daily!
Practice teaches your child to be responsible, be disciplined through hard work, time management, and to focus. These are qualities that will prove useful to them many times over throughout their life. They will learn to be creative, self-reliant, and they will learn to pay attention to detail.
When it comes to piano lessons near you in NYC, our professional teachers can help you to gain the information and resources you need to do well. Just remember that it is up to you to work through practicing outside of your piano lesson so you can benefit from it in the long term.