Doing new things can be challenging for all of us. Piano students are asked to do new things constantly. Once they master one concept, another is given to them without pause.

Faced with something new, in this case a new musical concept to master or a new song to play, students have to exert a lot of conscious effort. They have to intentionally think about what they want their hands to do. That is hard work! 

Piano kids will often resist and not even try because they don’t feel they will be successful. Rather than try and fail, they choose to give up. They feel like the music is too hard. Parents can help their kids look at music and their abilities differently. It’s not too hard; it’s too new.

As students practice and put in multiple, slow repetitions, their hands and muscles “learn” how to do the movement and play the notes and rhythm patterns. The effort becomes less mental and more automatic.

Automaticity definition: The condition of being automatic. The ability to do things without occupying the mind with the low level details required. (i.e. tying your shoes, driving a car [highway hypnosis], multiplication facts)

Listen to the full episode here Isolate the Problem

• This is a lot of what takes place during the piano lesson
  • Teachers know common problems with the songs they assign
  • Teachers have a plan to help students overcome those problems
  • Follow your teacher’s advice and plan
• If you’re working on something independently, make note of these things
  • Passages where you make mistakes
  • Places where you have to slow down a lot to process all the information

Break it Down

• Focus on one specific task
  • One hand at a time
  • One measure or small group of notes
• Practice the maneuver before you go to the piano
  • Clap rhythm pattern and count
    • Get a “feel” for the rhythm first
    • Apply that feel to the music as you play
  • Captain Hook’s Rockin’ Party in Piano Adventures 2B

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat

• Get to the piano
  • Spending short amounts of time at the piano on multiple days is far better than spending a long period of time on one day.
  • These past episodes offer more tips for regular practice
    • Build Practice Habits
    • Establishing Good Practice Habits
    • Let’s Talk About Practice - This One’s for the Piano Kids
• Put in the reps
  • Slow, intentional playing
  • Not fast, mindless repetition

Final thoughts

When you first attempt something new you will rely heavily on the mental aspects and the physical elements will be sluggish (More brain/less body). The new concept is external. As you study and practice and put in lots of repetitions, the activity becomes more internal and you’re able to do the task with less thought and more ease of movement with the physical. (Less brain/more body). Eventually, and if you repeat the activity enough, it becomes automatic and you can perform the activity with like focused thought at all. Congratulations, you’ve achieved automaticity!

Thanks for listening!

To share your thoughts:

• Leave a note in the comment section below
• Ask a question at [email protected]
• Share this show on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest

To help out the show:

• leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews help other piano parents and teachers find the show.
• Subscribe on Spotify, iTunes, Podbean, or your favorite podcast player.