How To Get Your Child To Practice Without Nagging
Do you find yourself nagging at your child and say things like…
“Boy… did you practice piano today?”
“Go practice your piano before your dinner”
“If you don’t practice, then I’ll (insert punishment here)”
We all know practice is part of music learning.
But do you know nagging at them to practice is also the fastest way to make your child lose interest in music?
Watch this video below to find out more.
We can all agree that no ones like nagging.
But if we nag too much at our child, they will associate learning music with nagging, and that is a negative association.
So the child may think that the only way to stop the nagging, is to stop learning music.
So what’s the better way?
Encourage them. Praise them.
Most children start learning piano full of excitement and enthusiasm. They may go to the piano a few times a day, playing the songs they learn in class, or doing the exercises in their theory workbooks.
When they do that, encourage and praise them.
Don’t take it for granted that it is something that happens naturally.
Everyone likes praises, so give them more!
“You’re learning well!”
“That’s a very nice piece you’re playing!”
And if you like what they play, you can clap for them, for playing for you!
Your child will feel appreciated.
But, what if your child plays wrongly? Don’t you want to point out their mistakes?
Surely, you’ll want to highlight any mistakes your child made while playing.
And here’s how you can do it positively.
For every criticism, find a praise.
Start with a praise, then your criticism. Then encourage them to do better.
“You played well for that part. It’s very musical. I think there may be a note you played wrongly there. Keep up with your practice, and I’m sure you’ll do it right!”
Beginners, especially children, have low confidence in themselves, and they are always thinking “Am I doing it right?”, “Why do I keep making mistakes?”, “Why can’t I play as well as others?”.
They are at a learning stage where they need the most encouragement from people closest to them.
So do encourage them more (and criticise less)!
Learning And Playing The Piano Should Be Fun!
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