MAKE- UP LESSONS
• Wing studios offer group make-up lessons on the 2nd Saturday of every month from 10:00AM-12: 00PM for students who missed a lesson during the month.
• Missed lessons will not be prorated, except in the case of a family emergency.
• For illness, please call the evening before the lesson, or the morning before by 8:30 AM to notify me of the absence. Please email cwingstudios@gmail.com.
BOOKS
• Books for lessons will be billed to the student’s account for the following month.
• Siblings are welcome to share books with one another.
PRACTICE EXPECTATIONS
Our goal is to help music students LOVE playing their instrument from the very beginning. That means practice time should never seem like a chore. Now don’t get me wrong, piano practice requires discipline. Just like you don’t let your kids skip brushing their teeth, we don’t want kids skipping a day of practicing just because they "don’t feel like it."
• Practicing is crucial! Instruction time with each student in their lesson encompasses about 10% of the work that needs to be done to become an accomplished musician, the other 90% is accomplished at home. Improvement and advancement is a direct reflection of the amount of time a student is willing to practice.
• Parents, please help your children find at least five days out of seven dedicated to practicing their piano assignments each week. I recommend younger students practice 10-15 minutes a day and working up to 20-30 minutes (or more) a day; while advanced students practice 45 minutes to an hour each day.
• Personalized practice assignments will be given to each student. Parents, please monitor and reinforce practice. Don't hesitate to email the studio if you have any questions regarding assignments.
TRY THESE PRACTICE GAMES
To create a great piano practice game, first decide what you’d like to target, such as piano posture, or playing a song without missing any notes. Then choose a clear, specific goal that’s attainable for your child. If hand position is the issue you’d like to tackle, make the object of the game to keep fingers curved and relaxed, and don’t worry about anything else.
Practice Charts: One very common game is to use a practice chart for a piano student to mark during each practice session. Decide what you’d like to track and improve, such as cheerful attitude or how many minutes spent at the piano. For many children, just tracking their progress is reward enough, but you may want to offer a favorite activity or treat when your child has reached certain practice time goals.
Roll-the-Die: Another game I’ve started using recently involves an element of chance. The piano student rolls a six-sided die to see how many times to play a song or portion of a song. If the student plays correctly, turn the die so that the next lower number is facing up. For instance, if the piano student rolls a four, then plays correctly, the die is turned so that three is facing up, then play again, and so on down to one.
Next, decide how you’re going to give feedback. One fun way to do this is to have a small object like a toy or a coin set near one end of the keyboard, and move the object one key closer to the end every time the child succeeds. Make up a story about the object that your child will enjoy, such as a prisoner trying to escape from a dungeon, or a lost pet finding its way home.
Penalties: If a piano student’s playing is getting careless, don’t be afraid to use penalties in the game, such as moving the object on the keyboard further away from the end as a consequence for a missed note. Penalties should never be used when students are learning new songs, only when those songs have been learned and are ready to be mastered. Most students smile when I give them their first penalty, and it spurs them on to better quality of performance.
Above all, games should be positive. Don’t set objectives too high. Children will enjoy games most if they can be successful 85% of the time or more. Use your imagination, be creative, and find out what clicks for your piano student.