Parents' Responsibilities Policy

Parents are expected to maintain a keen awareness in their child’s lessons.  Every parent should: (a) know what the student is responsible for each week; (b) supervise home practice; and (c) read all materials. 

Students may lose interest soon if parents are not coaching often, or sitting down to listen right next to the student (young beginner yes, but not necessarily students above 5th grade), just the way the piano teacher does. That is so very important for parents to do at home. No piano teacher can prevent a "piano drop-out" better than an attentive, encouraging parent who realizes that self-discipline has to be developed in every child. 

It is VITAL to make sure that a minimum of 5-6 days of concentrated practice for 30-45 minutes takes place between lessons.  Try not to skip practice on the day before the piano lesson or the day after. If the day after is skipped, the student's memory of the lesson will be lost for the rest of the week. 

If your child is younger than 4th grade, you may need to help with attention span so that mindless practicing does not happen. Set a timer for 10 minutes of practice, then a 2-minute break. These breaks allow the mind to rest, since careful practice demands extreme concentration. (Minimum: 3 sets of 10 min.) 

Post a written daily practice schedule on your refrigerator, allowing at least 30 minutes of practice for students ages 5-6, 45 minutes for students ages 7-12, and any student older than 12 should practice one hour everyday.  This makes time-management possible, so that practice is not skipped.

To be prepared for a piano lesson, a student should not skip practice more than two days a week.