Music is an important factor in the life and upbringing of every child, but more importantly is the playing of a musical instrument. Research has shown that the piano benefits the child more than any other instrument.
The piano stimulates the brain, it enhances memory, it boosts confidence, it gives better brain power, it drives creativity in children, and it teaches children the virtue of patience. These among many other benefits are what make playing the piano essential to the growth and development of every child.
When we think of all these benefits, a thought comes to mind. How can we ensure that children enjoy the full benefits of playing the piano? What can be done in keeping them interested and connected to this instrument especially when they are losing interest?
In a series of videos that shows children between the ages of 3-7 years practising the piano it became vividly clear that the number one problem that causes a child to lose interest in playing the piano is DISTRACTIONS.
Children are distracted by anything, even a moving shadow. This can throw them off balance and make them lose concentration of playing. If the distractions are consistent then they will lose interest in playing or practising altogether.
Another issue observed is the teacher; a teacher must be able to connect with the child. These issues raised can also be avoided and resolved. Once a child begins to lose interest in playing you quickly know that if it is not the teacher, then that child is distracted. This means that there is something more fun and mysterious in the lesson environment that the child is trying to figure out.
How do we deal with this?
Remove all forms of distractions and let the primary source of interest be the teacher and the piano. This way the child is concentrated. Once you have a child’s attention, you have to ensure the process is not boring. Based on observations from the videos, children tend to lose focus when the lesson becomes boring.
How do we deal with this?
Involve them in the teaching process, sing with them, play and sing the songs they know. Make the lesson fun and adventurous. Once fun and adventure is added to the learning process, children are able to connect to the music at their own level of understanding. With this done learning is then a source of fun. Remember the teacher is key. A piano teacher has to show passion for music and also exhibit the benefits of loving and learning music through his/her way of life. This gives a child something to connect with and look up to when learning the piano.
Also, the teacher has to be able to interact and connect with the children. By knowing the things they love, like their super heroes, their role models, their best movies, their best songs, their best cartoon character etc.
