Your Home Piano Practice Room and what it should look like

How do you set your young pianist up for success for home practice and yet maintain family happiness? How do you encourage them to go to the piano and provide an environment that is conducive to focused activity

Take the time to think about how to welcome in this new facet of your family life. Your little musician is to be cherished not punished! You will need to be patient and the early days the progress may seem slow but if you want to learn anything complicated you have to practice it. Let's face it just learning how to tie your own shoelaces took a bit of effort and learning to piano or any other instrument is way more complicated!

Here's the good news... home practice sessions don't need to be tedious. They actually can provide your child with a space in their lives to feel a the nourishment and sense of calm whilst enjoying a quality, focussed activity. 

Choose the most suitable area in the house, set it up as a music room and create a calm, safe haven where your child and focus and concentrate.

Step 1: Choose the right space

Carefully select the space in your home where it's close to the family action but there is some privacy as well. The ideal place will be close to you and where the activity of practice doesn't interrupt the other family members. You got it, the family room where everyone wants to watch TV isn't up to the task. The bedroom isn't either. In many homes the bedroom is a place where you go for 'time out' a type of daytime punishment zone. This certainly isn't up to the task either!

As a child our formal lounge room was our "Music Room". It had a heavy glass door which provided some sound insulation from the kitchen and the rest of the house. 

Step 2: Set up your home's "Music Room"

Once you have the location sorted then go about putting all the musical equipment all together in the room. We had the sound system and 'the good furniture" in there which made it feel kind of special. Also the seating provided a place for welcome visitors to sit and listen to us practice. 

Step 3 Create the right atmosphere & visit often

Make sure there is at least one visitors chair and visit often. For young children is it is a good idea to sit with your child and direct practice activities. Even the most inexperience musical parent can provide good direction about practice order. If you are able to it's a great idea to sit in on your child's lessons so you know where the teacher would like this weeks focus to be.

A music Room is all about creating a music culture in your home so your budding musician thrive and family life is enriched.