About ten years ago, my piano teacher, a good friend of mine, told me that she would no longer be able to teach me piano. I was confused. I'd been taking lessons for almost three years. I paid my bill every month. I never complained about having to go to lessons. As far as I knew, I was the perfect student.
“I feel too guilty taking your money,” she'd said. “You come every week, but you never practice.”
“What!” I explained confused. “I practice every week right here with you? I pay a lot of money for that practice.”
But she was right. My skill at piano had been progressing so slowly because I’d been missing that one key element which is required of anyone who wants to get better at anything: a parent who made me practice.
Piano lessons are expensive and it’s rare that a parent signs their child up for piano without understanding that they’re going to have to have daily practice sessions. Do kids like these practice sessions? If you hesitated even for a moment before shouting “Yes!”, then it’s probably likely that you’ve never had a kid in piano lessons, never had piano lessons yourself, or possibly never even been a kid.
The reality is that if you want to get better at anything, be it piano, soccer, or anything else, you’re going to have to practice. And two days a week with the team is not going to be enough. Soccer practice happens every day. 15 minutes a day if you’re in a hurry or just not feeling it. 30 minutes a day when you have a little extra time and there’s a specific skill that you really want to get down. Hours a day when you forget that you’re practicing and just start playing!
All practice is not created equal. I can sit down and pound out a pretty sick version of Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater on the piano every day for a week, and I’m not going to get better at anything other than wasting time and annoying my wife. With this in mind, I’ll be assigning homework. Each student should have individualized assignments each work to improve skills that they need to improve in order to progress. I'm not sure yet what form this homework will take. I've been exploring a few ideas and should reach a decision before next week's training.
Parents, help your player remember to practice. Make them practice when they don’t want to. Teach them what dedication and work ethic really mean when applied to something that they want to achieve.
Players, practice! Even on days when you don’t want to. Even if you’re busy. Even if you’re already so good that you could dribble laps around Ronaldo with your eyes closed. Practice!
“I feel too guilty taking your money,” she'd said. “You come every week, but you never practice.”
“What!” I explained confused. “I practice every week right here with you? I pay a lot of money for that practice.”
But she was right. My skill at piano had been progressing so slowly because I’d been missing that one key element which is required of anyone who wants to get better at anything: a parent who made me practice.
Piano lessons are expensive and it’s rare that a parent signs their child up for piano without understanding that they’re going to have to have daily practice sessions. Do kids like these practice sessions? If you hesitated even for a moment before shouting “Yes!”, then it’s probably likely that you’ve never had a kid in piano lessons, never had piano lessons yourself, or possibly never even been a kid.
The reality is that if you want to get better at anything, be it piano, soccer, or anything else, you’re going to have to practice. And two days a week with the team is not going to be enough. Soccer practice happens every day. 15 minutes a day if you’re in a hurry or just not feeling it. 30 minutes a day when you have a little extra time and there’s a specific skill that you really want to get down. Hours a day when you forget that you’re practicing and just start playing!
All practice is not created equal. I can sit down and pound out a pretty sick version of Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater on the piano every day for a week, and I’m not going to get better at anything other than wasting time and annoying my wife. With this in mind, I’ll be assigning homework. Each student should have individualized assignments each work to improve skills that they need to improve in order to progress. I'm not sure yet what form this homework will take. I've been exploring a few ideas and should reach a decision before next week's training.
Parents, help your player remember to practice. Make them practice when they don’t want to. Teach them what dedication and work ethic really mean when applied to something that they want to achieve.
Players, practice! Even on days when you don’t want to. Even if you’re busy. Even if you’re already so good that you could dribble laps around Ronaldo with your eyes closed. Practice!
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