Not Seeing Progress?

Are you frustrated because your student has been taking piano lessons for months or years and is progressing very slowly or isn't progressing at all?  Here are the 3 most likely reasons:

1.  Taking breaks from piano lessons. 

When lessons are resumed after a break, students do not pick up where they left off.  Regression happens very quickly with piano playing.  If you take lessons for 9 months and then take a 3 month break, when you start again, you will be weeks or months behind where you left off.  So if you've been taking lessons for 4 years but taking the summers off, you're probably close to the same level as someone who took lessons for only 2 years, year round. 

2.  You come when it's convenient. 

Piano lessons CANNOT be a "come when it's convenient/when there's time" activity.  Even on days off school, holiday breaks, special occasions, illnesses, etc. a lesson must be scheduled sometime during the week.  If you're going on a 2 week vacation, you should attend one extra lesson during the 2 weeks before you go, and one extra lesson in the 2 weeks after.  You should be attending at least 50 lessons a year.  Students need to see that piano is a priority, not an "if there's time" activity. 

3.  Practice is not consistent/and or meaningful.  Students should practice the piano every day.  At a very minimum, your student should be practicing 4 times a week.  Practicing 3 times a week or less will result in little to no progress, frustration, decreased motivation, and wasted time and money.  However, if students are practicing frequently but practicing incorrectly, they will see little progress.  Students are given specific instructions each week on HOW to practice their songs.  This may include learning songs one section at a time, learning hands separately, using a metronome, playing along with their CDs, counting out loud, saying notes out loud, etc.  It is very important that these instructions are followed.  If not, the student will have to spend another week on the same material, which slows progress.  

From The Hoffman Academy: The Cycle of Success

Blog post from The Hoffman Academy on why consistent, daily practice (and consistently attending lessons) is so important.  https://www.hoffmanacademy.com/blog/the-cycle-of-success/

The Cycle of Success

July 28, 2013

 Real success is the greatest motivator.  Piano students who are learning, developing, and succeeding, will want to keep going, while students who aren't making progress tend to want to quit.  This is why consistent, daily practice is so important. 

CONSISTENT PRACTICE IS THE KEY

A student who practices regularly will achieve new levels of skill almost daily. This student will be excited about his or her progress, which will, in turn, make it even easier to feel like going to the piano to practice the next day. If you want your child to stay motivated and to love playing the piano, then you must set him or her up to make steady, consistent progress. This means regular daily practice. Here is a little formula to remember:

On the other hand, a student who does not practice consistently will make very little progress. This is because every time this student does sit down to practice, most of the time is not spent developing new skills, but rather simply trying to remember what was learned last time. Whatever little progress is made is lost in the days that go by in between practice sessions. Most students who do not practice consistently will want to quit within just a few months. The reason? It is impossible to enjoy learning the piano when there is no progress or very little progress.

Be sure to make daily practice a part of your piano student’s routine. Remember, the surest way to predict success in piano studies is NOT by the student’s musical talent, but by how consistently the student practices.

Happy playing,

Joseph Hoffman