| The Law of Focus - What we focus on gets our | | | | To do this, remember that your child is a different |
| attention. | | | | character than you are! View him or her as an |
| At the beginning of the piano journey, like any new and | | | | individual, and give them the resources needed to |
| exciting adventure, our energy and enthusiasm levels | | | | develop their musical potential. |
| are high. As parents, our focus is solely on helping our | | | | The Law of Perspective - Not all complaining is |
| children achieve their piano dreams. Writing down the | | | | meaningful. |
| goals and dreams that first motivated you to give your | | | | Just because your child whines about practicing, |
| child the gift of piano lessons provides a reminder that | | | | doesn't necessarily mean that they don't like piano or |
| will keep your energy focused over the long term. | | | | want to learn to play. It just means they're human, like |
| The Law of Commitment - Commitment is the glue | | | | the rest of us. Sometimes I don't feel like cooking, but I |
| that holds our priorities in tact. | | | | like to be creative in the kitchen. By redirecting my |
| Start by committing to provide the financial resources | | | | focus to what's important to me - my family and the |
| necessary to ensure your child's piano efforts are not | | | | value of sitting down to a meal together - I gather |
| in vain. In addition to lessons, this includes the purchase | | | | energy to accomplish my goal and enjoy the reward. |
| of an adequate piano or keyboard to learn on. | | | | When your child complains about practicing, redirect |
| The Law of Encouragement - Follow the Rule of | | | | their focus to their goals - why they wanted to learn to |
| "Seven to One." | | | | play the piano in the first place! Was it the pianist they |
| Give your child seven encouragements to every | | | | listened to with delight at a concert? Or was it a friend |
| critique. And remember, if you use the word "but" in | | | | or relative who plays piano well and inspired them to |
| your sentence, it doesn't count. Here are a few | | | | want to learn? This will help your child find motivation |
| examples you shouldn't try to follow. "She practices, | | | | and redirect their energy to piano again. |
| but not enough!" "He plays, but only what he enjoys!" | | | | The Law of Fun! - It's fun to keep your sense of |
| "She likes music, but she can't sing a note!" Statements | | | | humor :-D! |
| like they aren't effective. Here's the message piano | | | | The point of music is to lift the spirit. My students often |
| students need to hear -- "Your effort matters and it | | | | want to be a little silly at their lessons and let some of |
| makes a difference." This is accomplished better with | | | | their creativity out. I can't even count the number of silly |
| pure encouragement. For example, "Cool! I like the way | | | | songs I've made up during lessons. Use piano as a |
| you..... (Period, end of sentence.)" Use and instead of | | | | way to connect with your child and have more fun |
| but. For example, "I really like listening to you play, and I | | | | together! Over the long run, adding creative fun into the |
| never get tired of hearing you practice!" "Wow! That | | | | mix of hard work, courage and persistence is the best |
| piece is sounding really spiffy, and it just keeps getting | | | | way for students to achieve piano success. |
| better! By the recital it's going to be awesome!" | | | | There you have it, Piano Parents - The keys to the |
| The Law of Character - The best way to love | | | | Piano Kingdom. Now go out and support your child in |
| children is with character. | | | | piano! |