Originally written on Medium: July 10, 2018

Clothing sizes. Politicians. Cats. What do these three things have in common? Inconsistency. No offense to cats, which I love, but they don’t exactly have a consistent way of treating people. These three unrelated objects are often annoying or even harmful when they are inconsistent. We fall under this category too. Whether it be our relationships or our commitments, we have been inconsistent at some point in our lives.

"Meow" - cat

In my students, inconsistency proves to be a fool-proof way of finding unwanted results. Everyone has those students who practice once or twice a week, and the difference between them and those who practice daily is clear.

Like learning a new language, music needs to be practiced daily if the student is to truly improve their skills. Speaking spanish once or twice a week won’t get you anywhere. The same holds true for piano.

Inconsistency causes a lack of confidence within my students. They know that they procastinated on their music and they know they are not well-prepared for what they should have completed.

When I tell my students to practice daily, I don’t expect three hours of daily practice. While it is fantastic that some do that, practicing daily for even five minutes is more valuable than practicing for three hours twice a week. For one, they don’t need to be at their 100% for every practice. There is room to fail, waste time, de-stress, and learn thoroughly through consistent practicing. If they aren’t feeling great one day, try again the next. Plus, everyone can find at least five minutes in a day to set aside for piano.

Still, that short amount of daily practice needs to be consistent in and of itself. They need to have a goal for those five minutes. For example, when learning a chromatic scale, a student might set a goal to learn the fingering for the first four measures. From there, the student needs to be consistent with their practice ethic.

This inconsistency has a deeper level to it, however. It isn’t just the kids who fall victim to inconsistency. The parents play just as big of a role in the child’s success as the child does. I once had a parent ask me why her son (around 12) was not improving at piano. At that point, I had given her son numerous tools he could use to improve his skills. I asked the mom, “Have you sat with your son when he’s practicing?” She looked at me with an embarrassed face. We can’t deny that there is a stigma around a parent having to teach their child who is a bit on the older side. I see parents who are afraid to teach their kids. At some point, the child does need to learn on his or her own. But, sometimes, the child needs company when they play — they need help too.

If the parents are not willing to be consistent with piano, then neither will the kids. Every day, the parent needs to sit with their child as they practice. At first, the parent merely observes and watches practice and lessons. Then, he or she builds up to asking constrcutive questions about how to help their child with their practice. Using this teaching advice, the parents can aid their child for nearly every music need. This continues until the child has developed their skills enough to learn independently. Learning simultaneously with the child not only helps the child find a rhythm with their practice, but it also helps the parents empathize with them.

One student of mine was extremely picky — everything had to be learned the proper way with no room for slacking — and this actually made it difficult to teach him. It was because his mother was consistent with him that we saw a drastic improvement in his playing. That extra push his mom gave him was exactly what he needed to surpass himself.

Parents help their child learn math or reading. Music should be no different. You, the parents, have this opportunity to create a deeper bond with your child and be there with them as they become better versions of themselves. Consistent students and consistent parents make for stronger music skills and stronger learning habits.

JT