Wouldnt it be nice to know where youll be in 90 days? Wouldnt it be nice to have something to say about that? Beginning piano students feel the same way and have more control over their progress than they often realize. Because they are just starting in piano and everything theyre learning is completely new to them students can at times feel overwhelmed and discouraged. To overcome their learning anxiety students need to focus on what they can learn over a specific period of time and then keep doing this. Over time this process multiplies students piano knowledge and achieves big results.

Students can start with the basics and make a list of knowledge that can be memorized over the next 90 days. If youre a parent of a beginning piano student, help your child by making copies of this list and keep it handy. Purchase music theory or note-reading workbooks to help your child study this information. All work doesnt have to be done at the piano. Beginners can take advantage of their time riding around in the car or waiting for dinner in a restaurant to memorize important music facts that will make playing easier. Your student can add to this a list of songs they want to learn to play over the next 90 days.

The goal is to check everything off the 90-Day List as having been accomplished over this period of time. At the end of the 90 days students should take time to celebrate their progress in a special way they can look forward to. After taking this breath and appreciating all they have achieved in just 90 days, student feel good about setting new goals for the next 90 days. This keeps beginners from falling into the There is so much to know, How will I ever learn it all! trap and instead focuses and redirects their attention to a plan for piano success that they have control over.

Cynthia VanLandingham

Cynthia VanLandingham's Piano Adventure Bears Music Education Resources create an exciting musical adventure for children ages 5 to 11. Visit PianoAdventureBears.com for free samples of her Piano Adventure Story Books and piano resources for children. She is also the author of The Wonder Guide to Creativity.

Cynthia has been teaching piano in Tallahassee, Florida for 20 years and is the owner of TallyPiano & Keyboard Studios. She is a member of the American College of Musicians National Guild of Piano Teachers, the President of TallyPiano Enterprises, LLC, and a graduate of the Florida State University College of Education. Visit her website at TallyPiano.com to download her original, uplifting piano compositions, including "The Potter's Wheel." While you're there subscribe to her free internet newsletter, Piano Matters, and read the Wonder Guide to Creativity Online.

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