It’s been a few years since we started piano lessons, but there’s no sign of improvement… Even though we play the piano every day, we’re not getting any better… Maybe we’re not practicing enough? Many mothers probably have these worries.
How much practice time do children actually need for the piano?
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Know the limits of children's concentration!
Do you know the maximum amount of time children can stay focused?
Those who don't know might be surprised. (Up to around the early years of elementary school)
Parents who have children sometimes watch TV anime together, right?
Most children's anime programs are composed of two or three stories within a 30-minute slot.。
Why do you think this is?
Yes, the structure takes into account the amount of time children can stay focused.
It’s said that a child’s maximum attention span is about 10 minutes.
Each story is designed to be completed within 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, commercials come on, giving you a chance to relax your mind, and then you continue watching.
The television industry must raise the ratings of each program.
I think it’s a smart strategy that makes good use of children’s limited attention span.
Effective piano practice
The same can be said for piano practice as for TV anime, right?
I can stay focused for 10 minutes.It is.
It’s only ten minutes.
How can we make the most of these 10 minutes?
I think that will be the key to practice.
What you can do in 10 minutes!
- Confirm what was pointed out in the lesson
- Practice only that part (do it divided into the noted sections)
- Once you can do the parts, connect them and play through the whole piece.
If it's for a child's practice, they should be able to practice up to this point within 10 minutes.
I will repeat this over and over!
If you can’t do 3, repeat 1 and 2.
Even if each practice session is short, three 10-minute sessions add up to a total of 30 minutes of practice.
Of course. Just like with TV anime, please take a break after 10 minutes.
By taking breaks, you can rest your body and mind, and your concentration will return.
Like thisIt’s important to keep repeating 30 minutes of practice every day.！
I will memorize it through repetition.
You’ll be able to play it by memorizing it.
It’s important to repeat 10-minute practice sessions.
Children might be delighted and say things like, "Only ten minutes? Yay!"
But by no means will you be able to play it with just ten minutes of practice.
The important thing is to repeat this.
The human brain has an organ called the hippocampus, which is involved in memory and learning ability. (It is part of the limbic system)
It’s the hippocampus that stores newly learned information.
The content of the 10-minute practice is temporarily stored in this hippocampus.
This is called short-term memory.
However, unfortunately, with information given only once, you will forget it as time passes.
By repeating something many times, the hippocampus recognizes it as important, and it becomes stored as a long-term memory in the prefrontal cortex of the neocortex.
If we reframe this in terms of practicing the piano,By repeating 10-minute practice sessions, good practice becomes encoded in the brain.It is (that).
If it sticks in your memory, you’ll stop making the same mistakes, and your performance will improve as well.
The fact that you keep getting the same warning and still don’t fix it means you’re not retaining it!
How much piano practice time do children need?
It varies depending on age and how well they can maintain concentration, but practice in repeated 10-minute sessions tailored to each child.
- According to the child’s condition
- According to the time you can practice on that day
- According to the number of pieces you practice
It’s a good idea to decide on “10 minutes × ○ sets.”
This is a decision to be made by the parents or guardians who share the child’s daily life.
However, practice without focus is not very effective.
As mentioned earlier, because I can’t retain it, I end up repeating the same thing over and over.
Even if it’s brief, we need to repeat practices that take advantage of children’s ability to concentrate.
Summary
Memorizing through repetition is not just about how you move your fingers.
It even remembers the fine details taught in the lessons—what to pay attention to and how to practice.
Practice methods that were consolidated into long-term memory during childhood can be utilized in various situations even after entering society.
For that reason, we should make a point of practicing correctly—practice that truly helps us improve!