This list was first published by Elissa Milne at the end of 2013, It Takes Two Generations. Please take time to read through the full article.
“It takes two generations to make a musician – the first generation learns how to learn, and then the second generation has parents who know what it takes to really become a musician.”
If you're a parent who has no background in playing a musical instrument it's easy to be overwhelmed by the number of things the piano teacher accidentally takes for granted along the way. Don't be overly worried about this - the teacher won't have enough time in each lesson to fill in ALL the gaps and still keep your child engaged and enthused about their learning, but as time passes you'll become expert at supporting your child's musical education.
Here are the absolute basics that you need to know to be able to support your family's journey into profound musicianship:
1. You simply cannot miss lessons.
2. Practice has to happen every day.
3. Practice might not mean playing through a piece from beginning to end.
4. You need to have books of music at home.
5. Your beginner student child should be learning new music almost every week.
6. Writing the names of all the notes in is a total waste of time and will drive the piano teacher completely nuts.
7. The lesson time is when you should talk to the teacher, not afterwards.
8. Just because you need to remind your child to practice does not mean that they don't want to practice or that they don't want to play their instrument.
9. Think long-term education.
10. You may not realise how easy it is to play the piano, and at the same time how hard it is.
11. If you want your child to learn to play the piano, then get a piano at home for your child to practice upon.
12. Grab every chance you get to sit in on your child's piano lessons.
13. Participate in studio recitals every chance you get.
14. Don't believe everything you read on the internet.
15. Share what you know about your child with the teacher.
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