"Music Gives Soul to the Universe, wings to the mind and life to everything" Plato
Practicing is an important part of lessons but WHEN you actually practice is also very important - not what time of day but WHICH days. In the attached “Curve of Forgetting” it is important to see reinforcement of new lesson information must be very soon after, meaning that very same evening, or at the latest the following day.
Example:
Day 1 Lesson with teacher provides new information or corrective action
Day1 Review new information at home (even if it is only 5-10 minutes)
Day 2 Review again new information at home
Day 3-7 Review 3 more times -pick your days
A “Lesson” is the acquisition of new material. It is absolutely critical to make sure that the student reviews new material learned at the lesson before they go to bed on the same day. Students should also practice the material the day after their lesson for the best retention. If the student doesn’t look at their new material until 2 or 3 days after their lesson, they will have forgotten everything that was discussed and/or needed to be corrected. There is no recovery, and we have to start all over again at the next lesson.
To help motivate students to find the minutes to practice , I have started a reward system with my “piano bucks”. If they practice their age appropriate amount of minutes they will receive 1.00 piano buck to go shopping in our MUSIC STORE. There are items priced from 1.00 -20.00 piano bucks. They can also earn a piano buck if they can read 44 flash cards in one minute. (Our 60 second club) A dollar will also be earned every time a lesson, theory or technic book will be finished. To ensure the accuracy of the minutes I ask that the parents initial them. For some of the youngest students it may be the first time they understand that the dollar has to be earned not merely given. It is fine if they cannot achieve the given minute amounts at all times, it is merely a goal.
5 and 6 year olds----------------------------80 minutes (example 20minutes x4days)
7and 8 year olds---------------------------100 minutes(example 25minutes x4days)
9 and 10year olds--------------------------150 minutes(example 30minutes x 5days)
11 and 12year olds------------------------200 minutes (example 40minutes x 5days)
13 and above -------------------------------225 minutes (example 45minutes x 5days)