How important is it to practice playing scales when learning to play the piano?

[Mom0012]

How important do you feel it is to practice the scales in learning to play the piano? If you think it is important, what age should it be introduced and how long should they be practiced each day or is their a certain number that should be practiced?

 

My dd has been taking piano since she was 6, almost 7. She's 10 now and while she flew through the first couple of books, she's been progressing rather slowly through her Faber 2A book. Part of that is because the teacher pulls out all kinds of music for her to play other than what's in the book, but I also feel like it may be because my dd has not developed automaticity in note reading or finger placement.

 

I know nothing about playing the piano, but I'm wondering if she would be helped by playing scales on a daily basis. Her teacher has her working through a Daily Dozen book, but she only does one exercise a day in that book. I appreciate that her teacher keeps everything fun and very high interest for my dd, but I think she'd really benefit from some drill.

 

Lisa

[laundrycrisis]

It has been many years since I was a piano student, but IMO scales are essential. They should not be skipped and they should be part of daily practice. Learning scales helps you learn to play music in different keys easily without struggling to remember sharps and flats.

[Kelly1730]

Our boys are in level 2A books now and their teacher just started scales with them this past year. Maybe it depends on the level? I don't know much about it but I trust our teacher to know.

[redsquirrel]

I think that is right around when my son started as well. Daily dozen is very popular and great to work through.

 

It isn't unusual at all for a teacher to pull in other books or pieces of music for a student. Music teachers 'tweak' as much as we do do.

 

If she isn't developing fluency in her playing a note reader might help. That will help with music reading etc. Does the Farber series have a theory book? I think it does. I know my son has used a couple of them. His first teacher used a wide variety of books, the new teacher has a specific plan. Both are great teachers.

 

My son is 12 and has been playing since he was 5. I don't think he has ever had to sit and drill. He gets a scale to practice some weeks, he does it a few times in practice and moves on to other things. He has never been expected to drill and drill and drill a scale or a piece.

[chepyl]

We always had 12 dozen a day exercises asigned per week. We were supposed ro practice them all everyday.

 

Scales amd drills are important for learning fingering and developing hand muscles. If he is.struggling with note recognition, he needs a.good theory book, some flash cards, and sime sight reading practice.

[Matryoshka]

Depends on the method. The Suzuki progression is chosen very carefully so that scales are incorporated/learned in the pieces themselves rather than as separate drill. Although as my kids got older, in addition to the pieces they were playing they used traditional note-reading, theory, and technique books (from Alfred and Bastien) as well.

 

For traditional method, I'd think you'd need scales, and a theory book. And I think it's a good thing to pick books outside of those piano-learning books - they get boring.

[Mom0012]

I think that is right around when my son started as well. Daily dozen is very popular and great to work through.

 

It isn't unusual at all for a teacher to pull in other books or pieces of music for a student. Music teachers 'tweak' as much as we do do.

 

If she isn't developing fluency in her playing a note reader might help. That will help with music reading etc. Does the Farber series have a theory book? I think it does. I know my son has used a couple of them. His first teacher used a wide variety of books, the new teacher has a specific plan. Both are great teachers.

 

My son is 12 and has been playing since he was 5. I don't think he has ever had to sit and drill. He gets a scale to practice some weeks, he does it a few times in practice and moves on to other things. He has never been expected to drill and drill and drill a scale or a piece.

 

Daily Dozen is neat, but I just wonder how effective it is to work on one exercise for a week or two and then drop it and move onto the next one?

 

I'm happy she adds in other pieces. She picks things my daughter enjoys and that peak her interest in playing.

 

She does use a theory book with Faber.

 

I'm particularly interested to hear your son has not had to drill. Does he have an innate music ability, do you think? My dd is very bright, but not musical, so it is all brainpower with her. My gut is telling me she is going to need the drill to become fluent, but since I don't know much about playing the piano, I don't want to offend the teacher by questioning her method. It is helpful for me to hear that not every teacher has their student drill scales.

 

Thanks!

Lisa

[Mom0012]

We always had 12 dozen a day exercises asigned per week. We were supposed ro practice them all everyday.

 

Scales amd drills are important for learning fingering and developing hand muscles. If he is.struggling with note recognition, he needs a.good theory book, some flash cards, and sime sight reading practice.

 

This is what my gut is telling me. I got some recommendations from the board here a few weeks ago for free software that drills the notes and my dd has started doing that and has made a big improvement already in that department. Her teacher did have her use flashcards a few months ago, but then she dropped it after awhile, and I'm not sure why.

 

I feel that she needs to drill the scales for muscle memory and the reasons you stated. DD will have trouble at times figuring out where she is supposed to be on the piano and that seems a little ridiculous after so many years of playing.

 

 

Depends on the method. The Suzuki progression is chosen very carefully so that scales are incorporated/learned in the pieces themselves rather than as separate drill. Although as my kids got older, in addition to the pieces they were playing they used traditional note-reading, theory, and technique books (from Alfred and Bastien) as well.

 

For traditional method, I'd think you'd need scales, and a theory book. And I think it's a good thing to pick books outside of those piano-learning books - they get boring.

 

We're definitely not using Suzuki here. We learn to play a piece and then drop it.

 

I agree that it is a good thing that the teacher adds in extra music for her. I just mentioned that because I was trying to explain the reasons I thought it was taking her so long to get through the book.

 

I've really tried to keep out of the whole piano business since I am directing so much of my dd's learning because of the homeschooling. Recently, I've come to realize that I may need to step in to help my dd better progress. I have started to have her memorize some pieces so that she has a little repetoire she can play as well as implementing the music software. I really don't think her teacher is going to be happy with me asking to have her do scales, so I hesitate to do it, but I really suspect it would make a difference for her.

 

Thanks to both of you!

Lisa

Edited June 7, 2012 by LisaTheresa

[Greenmama2]

Yes, scales are essential. Eventually. Perhaps not yet for her though. One "Dozen a Day" style exercise would not be enough technical work for most students. That's where the dozen bit comes in ;) You could have her practice each of those exercises she has already done every day. If she has mastered them it will only add a minute or two to her practice time and it will help her gain fluency.

Why not talk to her teacher about your concerns?

[Mom0012]

It has been many years since I was a piano student, but IMO scales are essential. They should not be skipped and they should be part of daily practice. Learning scales helps you learn to play music in different keys easily without struggling to remember sharps and flats.

 

Interestingly, the first thing the few people I have expressed concern to over her piano lessons IRL have asked me is, "Does her teacher have her scales?". That's why I'm asking here. I'm getting the impression that this is pretty standard, but I need to figure when that is usually started and how often before asking her teacher about it.

 

I'm thinking of saying my dd has extra time over the summer, so would she be willing to assign her 15 minutes of scales to do each day. I'd just have my dd do it myself, but I'm afraid I'd have her do it incorrectly.

 

Lisa

[wapiti]

I honestly have no idea what "should" be done. My dd11 has been playing for four years. Her teacher uses the Alfred books. She's finishing book 4, and is working in the Alfred level 4 classical book (eta, I have no idea what levels mean in the different piano curricula). Dd has not been required to do much scales practice yet (just a little), and it does not seem to be a problem. So far, it seems to be going very well.

 

Her teacher has not strayed much from the Alfred books, though she may be planning to do so in the near future.

Edited June 7, 2012 by wapiti

[Mom0012]

Yes, scales are essential. Eventually. Perhaps not yet for her though. One "Dozen a Day" style exercise would not be enough technical work for most students. That's where the dozen bit comes in ;) You could have her practice each of those exercises she has already done every day. If she has mastered them it will only add a minute or two to her practice time and it will help her gain fluency.

Why not talk to her teacher about your concerns?

 

Thanks, I am planning on talking to the teacher. The problem is the teacher is very busy. She went back to work full-time last year and has three young children herself, so the phone doesn't seem like a great option. I don't want to talk to her in front of my dd and when I've tried to ask by e-mail how my dd is doing, she never responded. Now, she did apologize for not responding, but then she still never responded.

 

Since the teacher has returned to work, she has dropped all her other students except my dd. They have a special relationship and they really enjoy working with each other. My dd absolutely loves her. Honestly, I'm afraid if I interfere in any way, it will take the enjoyment out of it for the teacher and she may not want to continue. That may be totally off-base, but I think there may be some validity to it.

 

Lisa

[Mom0012]

I honestly have no idea what "should" be done. My dd11 has been playing for four years. Her teacher uses the Alfred books. She's finishing book 4, and is working in the Alfred level 4 classical book (eta, I have no idea what levels mean in the different piano curricula). Dd has not been required to do much scales practice yet (just a little), and it does not seem to be a problem. So far, it seems to be going very well.

 

Her teacher has not strayed much from the Alfred books, though she may be planning to do so in the near future.

 

So do you think your dd has a natural music ability? I don't think my dd does, and that's why I'm thinking the drill and scales may be important for her? Or maybe not. My dd has been playing for 3 years and will be lucky to have finished the 2nd half of the 2nd book by the end of the 4th year if we are lucky, though.

 

I don't want to be pushy about her piano learning. I just suspect that in our case, it may be something my dd needs. I wish I knew a little more about this and could make a better judgement. One of my friends had her dd's using the teacher I am using, and when she switched, she was very pleased that the new teacher had her dds doing scales and said it made a big difference right away in their playing.

 

Lisa

Edited June 7, 2012 by LisaTheresa

[Kuovonne]

My DDs started doing scales within a few months of starting piano lessons. For my younger DD, that means that she started scales at 5 years old ;-). However, their teacher takes it really slowly. Each kid has only one scale at a time, and practices that scale only once per day. It takes less than a minute a day and is very low pressure.

[Paula in MS]

The Faber Piano Adventures method introduces one octave scales and cross-hand arpeggios in book 2b. She should have already been introduced to pentascales (5 finger scales) and chords. I personally begin scales for my students before this because they like them, especially the younger students. Scales really help with technique because there are no notes to read. It is more difficult for young students to work on technique as much in a lesson piece because there are so many other things to think about like notes and rhythm. I would simply ask your teacher when she plans to introduce scales. They are an important part of being able to play fluently in every key.

[Mom0012]

The Faber Piano Adventures method introduces one octave scales and cross-hand arpeggios in book 2b. She should have already been introduced to pentascales (5 finger scales) and chords. I personally begin scales for my students before this because they like them, especially the younger students. Scales really help with technique because there are no notes to read. It is more difficult for young students to work on technique as much in a lesson piece because there are so many other things to think about like notes and rhythm. I would simply ask your teacher when she plans to introduce scales. They are an important part of being able to play fluently in every key.

 

You know, this is probably a really good way for me to ask her this. My dd loves this teacher so much, I am overly concerned about offending her.

 

Thx!

Lisa

[Roadrunner]

Scales are a must. I can't imagine playing piano for more than 6 months and not starting to work on scales. I wouldn't even consider a teacher that doesn't start teaching scales in the first year.

[Lorelai3777]

At this level, I would have her practice only the scales for the positions/keys she's learned, perhaps one ahead. Right now, it looks like C and G majors at least. She should practice them hands separate... and when she feels comfortable, contrary motion and parallel motion together. To avoid them seeming tedious.. she could do them with different technique(like legato, staccato) and also different rhythm patterns. We also have fun singing along with made up verses or just do-re-mi... For fun too... practice in the dark, or eyes closed.. For sure tell/ask the teacher about them.. but after a while, when you know many of the scales, it takes up too much of the lesson time to go over all of them except for the newest ones.. This book(if the link works) is great for her level!

http://www.kjos.com/detail.php?division=5&table=product&prod_id=GP681

[redsquirrel]

I guess it depends on what you mean by 'drill'. My son does practice his scales when they are assigned for the week. I just peeked in his music book and he is assigned "C scale 2 octaves, G scale 2 octaves". I should also mention that he is older and no longer a beginner. I asked him and he says he did each 2 or 3 times in a practice as a warm up. But, he then says he will run a scale between practicing his pieces just to break it up. So maybe he does a little more than that. But, knowing my son, not much more.

 

When he did dozen a day he not only practiced his new one, but all the ones that he had mastered.

 

He has also gone for long periods of time with no scales to practice.

 

If what you think your daughter needs is practice reading music and playing easily then theory and a note reader will also help. So does memorizing pieces. I get my own 'assignments' with my younger child (just turned 7) to do things like hold a lesson book over the keyboard so he has to play without looking at his hands. But, we do that in a very fun manner.

 

I remember my own son at that age, it was a bit of a weird place with piano. He wasn't a beginner, not advanced..just sort of floating along. I remember feeling frustrated because I was convinced he wasn't making progress. I think it is difficult to see at that age. For the first year or two it is amazing how much they learn and progress. Then, they just build on what they learned. Now, at 12 I can see real change again. I am guessing it will be followed with what looks like not much movement.

[wapiti]

So do you think your dd has a natural music ability? I don't think my dd does, and that's why I'm thinking the drill and scales may be important for her? Or maybe not. My dd has been playing for 3 years and will be lucky to have finished the 2nd half of the 2nd book by the end of the 4th year if we are lucky, though.

 

I don't want to be pushy about her piano learning. I just suspect that in our case, it may be something my dd needs. I wish I knew a little more about this and could make a better judgement. One of my friends had her dd's using the teacher I am using, and when she switched, she was very pleased that the new teacher had her dds doing scales and said it made a big difference right away in their playing.

 

Lisa

 

I don't really know if my dd has any natural ability. I made her take piano for the brain benefits :tongue_smilie: (she's a VSL with various left-brain weaknesses). The past year, she has been doing very well. In the beginning, it was a hard road (moreso for two of her siblings, who fell off the wagon along the way due to failure to practice). Her teacher did say that she (the teacher) now needs to practice a few of the difficult parts of the pieces that she is teaching to dd, something about the fingering being tricky (I think most of the other students are younger).

 

It seems obvious that, generally, more practice would mean faster advancement, and it makes sense that scales could be a part of that. Do you think your dd is struggling to learn her assigned pieces on a week to week basis? How much does she practice per day? I think you should talk with the teacher about what her long-range plan is, and I agree that asking her when she'll assign scales seems to be a fine question. I'm sorry I don't know more about piano instruction other than what I see dd doing.

[Mom0012]

I guess it depends on what you mean by 'drill'. My son does practice his scales when they are assigned for the week. I just peeked in his music book and he is assigned "C scale 2 octaves, G scale 2 octaves". I should also mention that he is older and no longer a beginner. I asked him and he says he did each 2 or 3 times in a practice as a warm up. But, he then says he will run a scale between practicing his pieces just to break it up. So maybe he does a little more than that. But, knowing my son, not much more.

 

When he did dozen a day he not only practiced his new one, but all the ones that he had mastered.

 

He has also gone for long periods of time with no scales to practice.

 

If what you think your daughter needs is practice reading music and playing easily then theory and a note reader will also help. So does memorizing pieces. I get my own 'assignments' with my younger child (just turned 7) to do things like hold a lesson book over the keyboard so he has to play without looking at his hands. But, we do that in a very fun manner.

 

I remember my own son at that age, it was a bit of a weird place with piano. He wasn't a beginner, not advanced..just sort of floating along. I remember feeling frustrated because I was convinced he wasn't making progress. I think it is difficult to see at that age. For the first year or two it is amazing how much they learn and progress. Then, they just build on what they learned. Now, at 12 I can see real change again. I am guessing it will be followed with what looks like not much movement.

 

Thanks for filling me in a little more on how your son practices. I think I'm going to take a look at my dd's theory book and see if I can pull out the scales that are in there and have her do them. Or, I may just have her do a dozen of the "Dozen A Day" exercises that she's already mastered (though I bet she's forgotten them). Thanks to advice I got here a couple of months ago, I have been having her memorize pieces.

 

And you are right. It seemed like she moved so quickly when she first started lessons and now I'm just not seeing the progress.

 

What is a note reader? Is it a chart?

 

Thanks again!

Lisa

[Mom0012]

I don't really know if my dd has any natural ability. I made her take piano for the brain benefits :tongue_smilie: (she's a VSL with various left-brain weaknesses). The past year, she has been doing very well. In the beginning, it was a hard road (moreso for two of her siblings, who fell off the wagon along the way due to failure to practice). Her teacher did say that she (the teacher) now needs to practice a few of the difficult parts of the pieces that she is teaching to dd, something about the fingering being tricky (I think most of the other students are younger).

 

It seems obvious that, generally, more practice would mean faster advancement, and it makes sense that scales could be a part of that. Do you think your dd is struggling to learn her assigned pieces on a week to week basis? How much does she practice per day? I think you should talk with the teacher about what her long-range plan is, and I agree that asking her when she'll assign scales seems to be a fine question. I'm sorry I don't know more about piano instruction other than what I see dd doing.

 

 

I keep meaning to time how long my dd is practicing, but I am sure it is 20-30 minutes. I don't think she is struggling to learn her pieces. It does take her a number of weeks to learn new ones at this point, but I'm not sure that's unusual. She is very good about practicing and does it almost every day. I guess that's another good question. How long should she be practicing each day at this point? -- She's 10 1/2 years old and in Faber 2A (if anyone has an answer to that).

 

Thanks!

Lisa

[Mom0012]

Scales are a must. I can't imagine playing piano for more than 6 months and not starting to work on scales. I wouldn't even consider a teacher that doesn't start teaching scales in the first year.

 

How long do you think a child should be practicing scales each day? Or how many scales should a child be practicing each day. I'm not sure which is the best way to word that? My dd is 10 1/2 and well into Faber 2A.

 

Thanks!

Lisa

[Roadrunner]

How long do you think a child should be practicing scales each day? Or how many scales should a child be practicing each day. I'm not sure which is the best way to word that? My dd is 10 1/2 and well into Faber 2A.

 

Thanks!

Lisa

My son is 7, so he practices about 1 hour a day. I require 15 minutes of scales. At this stage he is still learning them (he only knows 5 major scales and one minor). The demand on time increases with age, but once the fluency with scales increases, you can play through lots of them with relative ease (so in the beginning if working on 2 or 3 scales takes 15 minutes, in couple of years she could play three times as many in the same amount of time). So, right now I would concentrate on learning them and devoting about 15 minutes to it. You don't have to work on every single one of them every day. Scales should be a warm up before playing various pieces. Generally scales in combination with etudes (Cherny is excellent at this age) is more than enough for technique.

Generally I would expect a student in the third year of study (back home, I don't know how it works here) to not be working through method books. Instead the teacher should be assigning 2 etudes, 2 romantic pieces, 1 sonatina (later Sonata), one Bach piece (in time it will be a prelude and a Fugee from Well-Tempered Clavier) and spending an entire semester perfecting those pieces both technically and musically (and of course memorizing them). Again, in the beginning those would be very simple pieces, some of them no longer than half a page. I wonder if the teacher has been delaying introducing the scales until after she makes this transition. I would want to know what the teacher's plan is going forward.

I am describing what was a standard educational practice in music schools growing up.

[Paula in MS]

It sounds like to me, you are frustrated that she cannot sight-read better. Scales are really not going to help this at this level. The only way to get better at sight reading is to practice. She needs to be playing many, many pieces, maybe some level one pieces. It sounds to me that maybe she missed something early on if things are difficult now. At her age, she needs to practice 30 minutes a day. Music is just like reading in that fluency happens by playing pieces that are below your level. I actually have my own dd10 working through supplemental music at a level or two below this summer so that it becomes easy.

 

Paula

[Matryoshka]

It sounds like to me, you are frustrated that she cannot sight-read better. Scales are really not going to help this at this level. The only way to get better at sight reading is to practice. She needs to be playing many, many pieces, maybe some level one pieces. It sounds to me that maybe she missed something early on if things are difficult now. At her age, she needs to practice 30 minutes a day. Music is just like reading in that fluency happens by playing pieces that are below your level. I actually have my own dd10 working through supplemental music at a level or two below this summer so that it becomes easy.

 

 

:iagree: This is one thing I've really liked about Suzuki, is that the playing is divorced from the note-reading. The pieces they're playing are interesting and much more complex. Then they have to note-read 1-2 pieces a week in the traditional books. Then they move on to new ones the next week, so they're always reading something new. The pieces they're note-reading are well below their playing level at first, till eventually their note-reading catches up.

[redsquirrel]

A note reader is similar to a theory book. It gives a little bit more practice to identifying and writing notes. I think my son did one page a week in addition to his theory book. It wasn't a big deal. We also did flashcards for a while.

 

With my younger son, the teacher plays games with him like.... how quickly can you play all the Cs, etc. They will have competitions... my son always seems to win the last one :)

 

At 10 I was just barely starting to remove myself from ds1's practice. This year (6th grade) I am finally totally out of it. But until then I directed practice. I am heavily involved in ds2's practicing. I should add that I don't play piano..well... I play as well as a beginning child, lol.

 

So, when he was 7, 8, 9, 10, and a bit at 11 it was me telling him to review the dozen a day, going over 10 flashcards a day, or pulling out an old song to play. I did things like "this time play it very slowly, paying close attention to your fingering" or "this time I want you to concentrate on maintaining a steady beat."

 

I ask the kids to play for me while I pick up the kitchen, or fold laundry. I tell them that it makes the work feel like play. That is a total lie. I lie to my children for the sake of their musical education :lol:

[Bluegoat]

My dd is seven and this is her second year of piano. They learn one new scale at a time and they are supposed to practice it three times at every practice, and practice five times a week. During that time all the songs they learn will be using that scale. At the beginning of this year they did some review on what they learned last year.

 

It seems to have been pretty effective - she sight reads quite well, including things that aren't in the key signature they are practicing at the time.

[Guest Miss Friday]

Scales are the theoretical foundation of Western music. They are important for all instrumentalists, and I get my students started on them as soon as possible. For piano, this means concurrent with learning finger crossing. Before then, we will do five finger exercises.

 

But the nub is: Most children (and some adults) find scales boring. Really boring. So there is often no motivation to practice them. It becomes a chore to avoid at all costs, which then results in a child who loves to play but hates to practice. Down that road leads quitting.

 

Typically, I would recommend my students break down a 30 minute practice session as follows:

 

5-10 minutes: Scales and arpeggios

10-15 minutes: Lesson assignment

5 minutes: Theory (note-reading) practice

5 minutes: Play for fun (easier and/or older pieces)

 

I would definitely try to catch your piano teacher and ask about it. Since she's 10+, I (as a music teacher) would be perfectly comfortable discussing her course of study in front of her, and might ask her for her input.

[Mom0012]

My son is 7, so he practices about 1 hour a day. I require 15 minutes of scales. At this stage he is still learning them (he only knows 5 major scales and one minor). The demand on time increases with age, but once the fluency with scales increases, you can play through lots of them with relative ease (so in the beginning if working on 2 or 3 scales takes 15 minutes, in couple of years she could play three times as many in the same amount of time). So, right now I would concentrate on learning them and devoting about 15 minutes to it. You don't have to work on every single one of them every day. Scales should be a warm up before playing various pieces. Generally scales in combination with etudes (Cherny is excellent at this age) is more than enough for technique.

Generally I would expect a student in the third year of study (back home, I don't know how it works here) to not be working through method books. Instead the teacher should be assigning 2 etudes, 2 romantic pieces, 1 sonatina (later Sonata), one Bach piece (in time it will be a prelude and a Fugee from Well-Tempered Clavier) and spending an entire semester perfecting those pieces both technically and musically (and of course memorizing them). Again, in the beginning those would be very simple pieces, some of them no longer than half a page. I wonder if the teacher has been delaying introducing the scales until after she makes this transition. I would want to know what the teacher's plan is going forward.

I am describing what was a standard educational practice in music schools growing up.

 

Thanks for sharing all this. I wonder if her teacher is just delaying the scales for a bit as well, but I guess I'm going to have to discuss this with her and get a better idea about her plan.

 

Lisa

[Mom0012]

It sounds like to me, you are frustrated that she cannot sight-read better. Scales are really not going to help this at this level. The only way to get better at sight reading is to practice. She needs to be playing many, many pieces, maybe some level one pieces. It sounds to me that maybe she missed something early on if things are difficult now. At her age, she needs to practice 30 minutes a day. Music is just like reading in that fluency happens by playing pieces that are below your level. I actually have my own dd10 working through supplemental music at a level or two below this summer so that it becomes easy.

 

Paula

 

I can definitely have her practice easier pieces this summer and see if that makes a difference. You're right. I guess I do feel like she isn't developing fluency in the way that I would expect.

 

Lisa

[Mom0012]

:iagree: This is one thing I've really liked about Suzuki, is that the playing is divorced from the note-reading. The pieces they're playing are interesting and much more complex. Then they have to note-read 1-2 pieces a week in the traditional books. Then they move on to new ones the next week, so they're always reading something new. The pieces they're note-reading are well below their playing level at first, till eventually their note-reading catches up.

 

I love the idea of Suzuki. It would be a great fit for my personality, but I'm not so sure about my dd's. Anyway, I think I know what our piano teacher options are in the area and I've never heard of a teacher locally who uses that method.

 

Lisa

[Mom0012]

A note reader is similar to a theory book. It gives a little bit more practice to identifying and writing notes. I think my son did one page a week in addition to his theory book. It wasn't a big deal. We also did flashcards for a while.

 

With my younger son, the teacher plays games with him like.... how quickly can you play all the Cs, etc. They will have competitions... my son always seems to win the last one :)

 

At 10 I was just barely starting to remove myself from ds1's practice. This year (6th grade) I am finally totally out of it. But until then I directed practice. I am heavily involved in ds2's practicing. I should add that I don't play piano..well... I play as well as a beginning child, lol.

 

So, when he was 7, 8, 9, 10, and a bit at 11 it was me telling him to review the dozen a day, going over 10 flashcards a day, or pulling out an old song to play. I did things like "this time play it very slowly, paying close attention to your fingering" or "this time I want you to concentrate on maintaining a steady beat."

 

I ask the kids to play for me while I pick up the kitchen, or fold laundry. I tell them that it makes the work feel like play. That is a total lie. I lie to my children for the sake of their musical education :lol:[/QUOTE]

 

:tongue_smilie: Well, I love this idea and it's probably one I should implement.

 

I guess I should have been more involved all along. I haven't been because she always does the assignments her teacher gives her and practices without me telling her to and her teacher says she is prepared. If I wasn't so clueless about the piano, I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to resist staying out of it until recently.

 

Lisa

[Mom0012]

Scales are the theoretical foundation of Western music. They are important for all instrumentalists, and I get my students started on them as soon as possible. For piano, this means concurrent with learning finger crossing. Before then, we will do five finger exercises.

 

But the nub is: Most children (and some adults) find scales boring. Really boring. So there is often no motivation to practice them. It becomes a chore to avoid at all costs, which then results in a child who loves to play but hates to practice. Down that road leads quitting.Typically, I would recommend my students break down a 30 minute practice session as follows:

 

5-10 minutes: Scales and arpeggios

10-15 minutes: Lesson assignment

5 minutes: Theory (note-reading) practice

5 minutes: Play for fun (easier and/or older pieces)

 

I would definitely try to catch your piano teacher and ask about it. Since she's 10+, I (as a music teacher) would be perfectly comfortable discussing her course of study in front of her, and might ask her for her input.

 

And knowing her teacher, I can totally see that she would put off having her practice scales for as long as possible because of this. She seems to be more about the joy of playing at this age, and she has been very successful in developing a real love for the instrument in my dd.

 

Oh well, I'm going to ask her what her long-range plans are the next time I have the opportunity.

 

Lisa

Edited June 7, 2012 by LisaTheresa

[redsquirrel]

If I had a kid who practiced without prompting then I would thank my lucky stars! I am involved because my boys moan and groan. They need to be coddled along. Well, at first they do, then they forget to complain. ;) If they actually disliked it I would not make them play. Whatever the teacher and you are doing is working for her! 2a is still very young and is quite a beginner. There are lots more books to get through.

 

And a practice is usually expected to be about as long as their lesson. So a child who has 30 min lessons can tolerate a 30 min practice. But, it depends on age. My younger son (7 year old) has a 30 min lesson, but he wiggles an awful lot in that lesson. They also play games and play duets etc. I don't need 30 mins for him to practice at home. We get through everything the teacher send home in 20 mins. That is about enough for my little guy. My 12 year old son has a 30 min lesson and he gets in a solid practice in that 30 mins. Sometimes, he gets so engaged he goes over (but don't tell him that).

 

Lesson length also depends on method. I know my suzuki friends are having their kids do two 30 min practice sessions a day. Well, the ones who ONLY have music as an activity do that.