Learning the piano

 Go for the Gold!

Considering the new year I decided to elaborate on last week’s post on goal setting. And I came up with a moniker that describes how I’d like to see my students invest in their musical learning. “Go for the G-O-L-D!”

As I stated in the last post, goal setting is crucial to achieving success in learning a musical instrument. And for many who are just beginning their career into music, they may wonder what kind of goals they should set. I believe, whether a beginner or a returning student, goals should be realistic and attainable. Simple and concise. I have two. 

One: Students should choose one musical piece they would like to have learned by the end of the year. For intermediate students this could include some simpler things like the first part of Fur Elise, or some simple Bach Minuets, or perhaps a simplified version of a currently popular tune from Adele or another pop icon. For beginning and really young students,  pieces like Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star or Mary had a Little Lamb could be on the list. Of course if a student achieves this goal early, another goal should be set right away to continually motivate and encourage effort and practice.

Two: Commit yourself to daily practice. Setting a piano practice routine is the best thing you can do for yourself when starting piano lessons! Its amazingly simple, and yet many people fail to do it and end up wasting a lot of time and effort. If you make a commitment to daily practice, and turn that into a habit, your piano progress will be exponential. When a student comes to every lesson with piano practiced everyday, they are set for success. 

So, just like setting resolutions at the beginning of each year, resolve to do the following:

1. Make a One Year Commitment to Daily Piano Practice
2. Set a daily time for piano practice in your schedule that won't be disrupted. 

I want my students to get in the habit of setting and completing goals. This not only helps them with their piano studies, but is beneficial in school and in life. When we make goals, we are striving to be our best. Remember that it takes about 30 days to form a new habit, so really commit. Excuses like "I'm tired, I'm busy with work, I don't have time" won't do! If you can push through this first 30 days, the rest will be easy, as piano will simply become a part of your life. 

So let’s start the new year off right and:

Go for the “G-O-L-D!”

Set Goals

Overcome difficulties

Listen to the music

Don’t give up