There's something that's always perplexed me...if an early elementary student comes in for a lesson and has marked 5 20 min. practice sessions for the week on her record, is it unreasonable to expect that when it's time to play an assigned piece, she shouldn't have to "think" so hard to find her starting position? I'd think she should hop right to the spot (since she's supposedly practiced it many times during the week). Often tho this doesn't seem to be the case.

With my 30 min. lessons, my assignments are not that heavy (a technical warm-up, a review piece or 2, 1 or 2 new pieces, and some theory). Maybe the kids aren't practicing as adequately as I'm assuming, because several of them (on new pieces) seem to take forever finding the starting spots.

What should I be expecting here for an average youngster with 5 days/20 min. practice time recorded?

Thanks, CT

I quit expecting my students or their parents to log in their practice times, because they either don't do it, or they're not completely truthful. :rolleyes: I know when I hear them play (or try to) whether or not they've practiced or not.

This past year, I had a student who's MOTHER logged in that she practiced between 30 mins. & 1.5 hours per day. This kid was assigned between 2 & 4 pieces per week (some new, some review) + a page or 2 (no more) of theory. She rarely came to lessons prepared, & many times had to review her pieces for 3-4 weeks to be able to perform them correctly. Since she wasn't having problems clapping out rhythms, naming/locating notes, etc. during her lesson time with me, I can only assume that the mother was grossly exaggerating the amount of practice time her daughter actually put in. :rolleyes:

My advice is to stop looking at students' practice logs. Instead, just work with them on whatever they need to review, & give them an assignment based on what you feel they can reasonably be expected to accomplish during the week. Your blood pressure will drop considerably. Good luck.

I too have students write in a practice log and am amazed sometimes by what they write down. I have one girl who insists she practices 2 hours every day (she's in PA Level 1 and I am not that demanding of a teacher - what in the world would practice for 2 hours?) One time on one of my less patient days, she could not find the starting position for a song and I said "Well then how did you practice it?" She said, I didn't practice this song, just the other one.

I think sometimes that is the case, they only practice one song, or sometimes practice songs they have already passed successfully just to make the 20 minutes go by. I don't know what the solution is - I struggle so much with the practice issue and I SO wish parents would get more involved. It's their money after all, wouldn't they rather see some benefit from it? But that's another topic!

I get my best practice results from requiring a performance here and there. We've started having group performance classes and that gives a little incentive toward practicing. Good luck!

Originally posted by bethann:
I too have students write in a practice log and am amazed sometimes by what they write down. I have one girl who insists she practices 2 hours every day (she's in PA Level 1 and I am not that demanding of a teacher - what in the world would practice for 2 hours?) One time on one of my less patient days, she could not find the starting position for a song and I said "Well then how did you practice it?" She said, I didn't practice this song, just the other one.

I think sometimes that is the case, they only practice one song, or sometimes practice songs they have already passed successfully just to make the 20 minutes go by. I don't know what the solution is - I struggle so much with the practice issue and I SO wish parents would get more involved. It's their money after all, wouldn't they rather see some benefit from it? But that's another topic!

Just last week, one of my piano student's parents told me that her child picks & chooses which pieces he wants to work on, & that she has to force him to practice the entire assignment. I think a lot of kids are that way.

I explain to the parents that it's completely natural for people to have favorite songs & to want to practice the favorites more than the other assigned pieces, but that I expect each child to work on each & every piece that I assign & do their best. I go on to explain that that's the primary reason why the kids have so many books per level--if they hate a certain piece & just won't practice it, or they barely learn it, then I can always by-pass that particular piece & select another one that the child likes better & is willing to practice, that will teach the same concepts. When I explain things this way, it helps everyone to keep things in perspective. Yes, I expect them to work on the entire assignment, but at the same time I'm flexible & willing to assign something different if there's a song or 2 that the child refuses to work on.

I get my best practice results from requiring a performance here and there.

Me, too.

We've started having group performance classes and that gives a little incentive toward practicing.

Good for you! I have a group performance class scheduled for this coming Friday, as a matter of fact.

I just finished teaching tonight's lessons, and thought of something else that might help. I have a lot of students who don't ever know where to put their hands for a particular song, and maybe that's part of the reason they haven't practiced it. I have started using bright colored pencils (I still have a big aversion to using pen in a book) and I write "Where do your hands go?" Then we use that same color to write the note names on the spaces that PA provides at the beginning of the song. PA does a great job of doing this, I just think sometimes it is too small and the kids miss the prompt unless they have a reminder to look at it. This has helped a lot!

That's a neat idea!

Speaking of kids reading the written prompts...I had a girl yesterday who played thru a piece newly assigned last week but stopped cold at the last measure which has a RH cross over the L to an 8va lower D. She didn't know what to do. "Well," I said, "what words are printed in the space between the staves?" She read "RH cross over LH." "Ok," I said, "now why don't you try and read the note your RH is supposed to play." She correctly said "D" and then found it with her RH. I finally asked "Now what was the problem in your figuring that all out at home?" To which she shrugged and said "I don't know." This girl is in the 5th grade!!! And fairly bright to boot! So tell me, does this sound like yet another child who lacks resourcefulness, or just one who wants to be spoon-fed? A little of both I believe.

Now, if it had been me, I would have at least tried to exhaust every possible resource available, beginning with the prompts printed right there in front of me! If I didn't see those then I'd probably try to just read the darn note and at least play it with some hand (the most available one being the intended hand). Finally, I'd ask someone: my mom, dad, even maybe call my teacher. But I doubt I would just skip it and wait til next lesson to have it explained to me.

I guess I was just a weird kid...at least by today's standards.
:rolleyes:

I know what you mean, Cecilly! It's like the student cannot read. Clearly the music will say move L.H. to middle C position (we've only talked about middle C position a thousand times in lesson). Then a little later it clearly says move L.H. back to C position (there's alot of that type of thing in Pre-time Hymns). If the student is 6 yrs. old, then maybe you would understand but some of these kids have been reading for a few years. It's like they are blind. (Maybe this should go in the Things that Bug Me thread Janice suggested).

Whew! I was beginning to worry about my students! Glad to know that they're not the only ones who look at everything BUT the page in front of them.

You don't know how many times I've had to say to a student who stops in the middle of a piece and just stares at me, "The music is not written on my forehead!!!" :rolleyes: :p :rolleyes:

[ 10-25-2001: Message edited by: Ars Nova ]

One thing I've been using lately that helps a lot is to have the student make their own markings. Discuss it, then hand them the pencil and ask them to mark it. I also have them write their own notes and exercise reminders on staff paper. One little boy even told me the notebook was his favorite part of lssons (2nd grade). Try it. Lilla