General Practice Recommendations

Try to arrange a set time every day for you or your child to practice, and insist on it being kept. Successful piano study is dependent upon consistent practice. A piano student cannot expect to progress with one or two days of hit-or-miss practice per week. I recommend at least three (3) hours of practice each week for beginning students, which averages to a thirty minute practice session six (6) days a week. Forty-five minutes to an hour will be needed for intermediate students, and advanced students should practice one and a half hours, of course. Multiple practice sessions can be used to break it up into manageable segments. If possible, try to monitor your child’s practice sessions. Ask to listen to their pieces during the week, offering encouragement and praise. If need be, offer a reward system for consistent practice.

Parents should be hearing the following in practice lessons:

1. Scales, broken chords, block chords, and chromatic scales - 20%
2. Czerny Etudes – 20%
3. New repertoire pieces (with repetitions on checked areas) – 50%
4. Old repertoire pieces from memory (one piece a day) – 10%

Students should practice with a metronome while counting aloud.

The work on theory assignments is in addition to the practice times mentioned above.