In this article, we speak with Yumi Sasada on the practicalities of home practicing and parent involvement. What are the advantages of regular practice and should my child practice piano everyday?

“For young children, piano lessons will not involve things that place a huge burden on them. While we hope that children practice every day, this is not an absolute must. We think that it’s important to expose children to music in a way that’s fun.”

Contributed by Yumi Sasada for the Roland Japan Blog

How Often Should My Child Practice Piano?

One thought that comes to mind when we hear about piano lessons, is that practicing may be a challenge. Parents may be unsure if their children can practice every day, or if they can encourage their children to practice properly every day.

There are a variety of learning activities out there. Some may require daily practice and some may not. In essence however, all learning activities are about practicing regularly. The key is having your teacher provide guidance, based on the results of your practice.

We understand that children may have time constraints that make it difficult for them to practice. Many parents may have also taken piano lessons when they were young, only to quit because practicing was too hard. Ultimately, you won’t become a good player unless you practice, but none of that will matter if you do not enjoy music!

What goes on in piano lessons for very young children?

From preschool age to about their first year of kindergarten, we use the keyboard by playing the black keys with a rounded fist, or play a particular note with just one finger. This stage will typically not involve actually playing the piano.

In an earlier article, What age can my child start piano lessons?, we touched on how our lessons are based on the child’s physical and brain development. Children in this age group have not yet developed the physique needed to play the piano. So, we start out with a well-balanced mix of musical studies, to learn the basics that they will need when they begin playing.

two children playing musical games with the piano

Your child will learn notation and rhythm through activities such as singing, or singing out loud along with what the teacher is playing on the piano, or tapping out the rhythm and moving their body along to music.

The piano has 88 keys and its size was designed for adults. So the first thing we do before we get young children to play, is to familiarize them with the keyboard. We go over how the black and white keys are placed and count them out as we play them.

Keeping things playful

We also have the children hit the black keys with their fists on a sheet with a keyboard illustration. This gets them more familiar with the keyboard. This is all done in a playful way! We also do finger exercises, movements using finger puppets and other movements that help them to learn how to use all of their five fingers in a balanced way and to use their whole body.

These are just a few examples of what we do in the lessons. None of the exercises are too difficult or challenging and most are designed for your child to engage in them with the teacher, in a fun way.

When your children practice piano at home, our main focus is to encourage parents to go over the games and exercises with them. We think that this is fun to do together and reinforces everything learnt in the lessons.

We ask parents not to pressure themselves too much about making sure that their child practices. You might just gently ask your child “What did you do at your lesson today?” and sing, tap rhythms, or do finger exercises in the textbook together so that they stay in touch with music.

Learning exercise songs

For children who begin lessons for the first time in their later kindergarten or early primary school years, in addition to the exercises we describe above, we may start out by adding lessons that involve playing exercise songs or other short pieces.

At this stage, it will be easy to figure out what they need to practice. This may include practicing the songs that they learned in the lesson, or practicing new songs for the next lesson.

For these practices, parents do not need to be at their child’s side, watching them practice. Rather, we recommend that you suggest something to them like, “Let me hear it when you think you’ve got it right” and leave the room so that practicing alone becomes a habit.

Relax and have fun!

Some children may feel pressured if their parent is constantly by their side, overbearingly watching what they are doing. We think it would be better if you were to give them praise when they are playing the notes cleanly and carefully, even if their practice time is short.

Listening to what other piano teachers say at some of our meetings, it seems that the number of children who are practicing daily is coming down. While this can be a bit discouraging from the teacher’s point of view, it’s still a joy to see how children are coming to know the fun of engaging in music and continuing their lessons.

Should My Child Practice Piano Every Day

That said, practice is THE shortcut to getting better. Practicing the piano is an ongoing, step-by-step process, which involves tackling the small challenges that happen to be in front of you. We believe that it is a great benefit to have your child accustomed to this kind of practice, while they are still young.

The key is to relax and make practicing a habit, within the bounds of your child’s abilities. Since there are many musical events and live performances happening in our communities, we now have access to a wider range of opportunities to listen to live music from a variety of genres. Listening, observing and feeling the groove of musicians playing live is another important aspect of studying music.

We hope that parents will enjoy these opportunities together with their children. With a relaxed attitude it will be an enjoyable experience watching their children’s progress while practicing the piano.

About the author

Yumi SasadaYumi Sasada

Graduated from the Kunitachi College of Music (Department of Music Cultures & Education, Faculty of Music Studies). Studied piano with Yoshiko Koizumi and vocal training with Emiko Akiyama. While still in school, she became a demonstrator for Roland. After graduation, she taught music at a high school, and then became teacher of classical and popular piano for junior teachers. She is currently director of the MUSIC OASIS VERDE school at her home.

In addition to giving lessons and writing on this topic, she is also actively engaged in developing preschool learning materials, course coordination, and giving instructive seminars in many parts of the country. She is also featured as a live DJ at a community FM station, and involved with program planning and production, as well as serving as navigator in musical events.

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Dangdut, Koplo, Pop Sunda, Melayu, and more for the GO:KEYS 5 and GO:KEYS 3 Music Creation Keyboards

Roland GO:KEYS 3 and GO:KEYS 5 portable keyboards in multiple colors

Included in the Indonesian Styles Download

As requested by many Roland GO:KEYS 5 and GO:KEYS 3 users, we have produced today’s popular Dangdut and Nusantara styles, these styles are suitable for use at events and ceremonies.

* When using Indonesian scene / style packs, make sure to update to the latest version of the system program.

Dangdut Klasik

Generally used to accompany general dangdut songs with 4/4 rhythm and 120-180 tempo.

Dangdut BAND

General Dangdut rhythm with modern western instruments.

Slow Dangdut

Used to accompany dangdut songs with a slow tempo.

Fast Dangdut

Used to accompany dangdut songs with a fast tempo of 200-240, for example Goyang Senggol and Reynold Pangabean’s song.

Dangdut 3-4

Dangdut rhythm with 3/4 time signature.

Dangdut Kroncong

A sub-genre of campursari which is a combination of dangdut and keroncong.

Koplo Basic

Sub-genre of Dangdut that developed in Java’s north coast, known for its distinctive rapid drum pattern.

Koplo Jaranan

This is a Koplo music rhythm with elements of ethnic blends from Jawa Timur and Jawa Tengah but played freely without the standard Slendro or Pelog scales.

Koplo Kempul

Koplo music with elements of the Kempul instrument.

Koplo Pargoy

Koplo music to accompany Pargoy dance, made famous on Tiktok.

Koplo Reggae

Koplo music mixed with Reggae music.

Pop Sunda Klasik

Sundanese music combines traditional instruments such as the kecapi (harp), flute, etc., with western instruments such as bass and drums.

Pop Sunda Modern

Sundanese music with traditional instruments with more western instrument sound elements.

Jaipong Rampak

Jaipong dance music with Rampak instrument nuances.

Gambang Kromong

Gambang Kromong (or written Gambang Komong) is a kind of orchestra that combines gamelan with Chinese musical instruments, such as Sukong, Tehyan and Kongahyan. The name Gambang Kromong is taken from the names of two percussion instruments, namely Gambang and Kromong. Gambang Kromong is Betawi music which is most evenly distributed in the Betawi cultural area, both in DKI Jakarta itself and in the surrounding area (greater Jakarta). In general, musical performances of Gambang Kromong are presented at folk festivals, weddings, Chinese New Year parties, welcoming guests, as well as at Tapekong events 

Tarling

Tarling originally appeared in 1931 in Indramayu, at that time a Dutch commissioner asked a local resident named Mang Sakim to repair a guitar. This opportunity was used by Mang Sakim and his son named Sugra to learn guitar tones and compare them with gamelan pentatonic tones. The beauty is even more complete when the strings of the guitar are accompanied by a luscious bamboo flute.

Pop Melayu

Pop music genre with the influence of Malay rhythms. It became popular in the 2000s through bands such as ST12 and Kangen Band.

Pop Minang

The development of this music originated from various Minang regions. Influenced by western music culture from colonial era and became popular in 1970-1980 by immigrants. Minang pop music contains poetry about love for the motherland, ethnicity, the struggle to live abroad, homesickness, etc. 

Zapin Melayu

Zapin is a dance music originating from the country of Yaman, which is popular among the Melayu community in Indonesia. Zapin is believed to have entered the archipelago under the influence of Persians and Arabs who acculturated the local Malay culture while spreading Islamic teachings from the Middle East around the fourteenth century. The accompanying music is composed of two main instruments, the Gambus string instrument and three Marwas/Marawis percussion instruments.

Kroncong Klasik

Traditional music with Portuguese influences using instruments such as bass, guitar, violin, ukulele and flute. Its distinctive rhythm can be heard in the bassline and guitar strumming.

 

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This is a legal agreement between you (an individual or a corporation) and Roland Corporation (herein referred to as "Roland") regarding the usage of this software product (herein referred to as "SOFTWARE"). Please read carefully the terms of this License Agreement before installing or using the SOFTWARE. By installing, copying, or starting the use of the SOFTWARE, you hereby consent to the terms of this License Agreement.

1. GRANT OF LICENSE
Roland grants you the following non-exclusive rights to use the SOFTWARE in accordance with the terms of this License Agreement.

(a) You may only use the SOFTWARE on a specific single computer at one time. Use of the SOFTWARE shall include loading the SOFTWARE into temporary memory (i.e., RAM) or installing the SOFTWARE into storage media (i.e., hard disk) of the computer on which you will use the SOFTWARE.

(b) You may make one copy of the SOFTWARE for backup purposes only (on floppy disk, magneto optical disk, DAT or the similar media), but you are prohibited to make any other copy.

2. COPYRIGHT
The SOFTWARE and its copyrights are the property of Roland and are protected by all international copyright laws and treaties.

Therefore, you must treat the SOFTWARE like any other copyrighted material (i.e., a book or a CD). All rights that are not provided for herein are reserved by Roland.

3. OTHER RESTRICTIONS
(a) You shall not modify, change, reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the SOFTWARE and the copyright notice and copyrighted logo.

Unauthorized copying, uploading to another network, distributing, modifying and/or attaching this software to other media or any other sales item is expressly forbidden.

(b) You shall not loan, rent, lease, sublicense or transfer the SOFTWARE, either in whole or in part, to any third party. But you may permanently transfer the SOFTWARE and accompanying printed materials provided you retain no copies of the Software and recipient agrees to the terms of this License Agreement. If the SOFTWARE has been updated or upgraded, any transfer of the SOFTWARE must include the most recent update and all prior versions.

(c) If this SOFTWARE contains multiple templates of media (such as floppy disks and CD-ROM) and these media contain the same software, you may use only the one form of media that is appropriate for your computer. You shall not use the remaining form(s) of media on another computer.

(d) You may not use the Software from multiple locations of a multi-user or networked system at any time.

4. NO WARRANTY
Roland makes no warranty, either expressed or implied, with respect to any of the software, including, without limitation, any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

5. NO LIABILITY
Roland can not reply to inquiries regarding this system software updater. Please read the instructions completely, and please note that you should use the SOFTWARE AT YOUR OWN RISK.

In no event shall Roland be liable to end-users for any damages whatsoever, including but not limited to financial damages for any loss of profits or information arising from the use of, or inability to use this product. The foregoing provision is effective even if Roland has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Even if the SOFTWARE has any material, verifiable, and reproducible program errors, Roland shall have no liability to modify such errors.

6. TERMINATION OF THE LICENSE
Roland reserves the right to terminate this License Agreement if you fail to comply with any of the terms of this License Agreement. Upon such termination, you shall immediately stop using the SOFTWARE.

7. GENERAL
(a) Any provision of this Agreement which is prohibited or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or unenforceability without affecting, impairing or invalidating the remaining provisions hereof.

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