An effective piano lesson structure is essential when teaching piano to kids. Today we’ll be talking about how to structure a 30 or 45-minute piano lesson to keep young students focused and motivated.
Keep in mind that a students’ attention span is equal to their age plus two minutes. This means that you should not spend more than this amount of time on any one task when teaching a piano lesson. You have to be on your toes! Even the most complacent piano student will have a lapse in concentration so to get the best results try splitting your lesson into several different parts.
Try including the following ideas when teaching a piano lesson to kids.
1) Book work – obviously you’ll want your students to spend some time learning piano pieces to practice during the week. This is time spent on the piano bench.
2) Theory – but I don’t mean theory out of a book. When teaching a piano lesson to kids get up off the bench, make use of a white board, create some fun theory games, make up some music games and have a good time.
3) Ear Training and sight-reading – make these into piano games too. Ignore those dry sight reading books and have some piano music on hand that kids will love – think pop music, Disney soundtracks or jazz. Start off on the right foot by showing them that sight-reading has a purpose.
By splitting up your time when teaching a piano lesson to kids, you’ll find that the time flies by for both you and the student. They’ll leave wanting more and you’ll find more enjoyment in your job and will find yourself with well-rounded musicians as students.
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