Perfectionism is a motivation killer, and it can be hard to encourage students who struggle with it.

Signs of perfectionism may include: - Unwillingness to practice  - Reluctance to play in front of you - Getting very upset if they make a mistake - Starting the whole piece over again if they make a mistake - Playing more slowly than they need to - Reluctance to sign up for recitals or exams

Here are my best tips on creating a teaching environment that can help a student overcome perfectionism.

If your child or student is stuck in a habit of resisting their piano homework, chances are there’s a really good reason.

It’s important to be mindful of our assumptions when we hit a stress like this. Often, when a student resists practicing, they end up taking on blame for the problem, for being either lazy, unfocused, or lacking discipline.

These are unfounded fears.

Last month I started a new teenage student who wanted to learn to play piano, but didn’t really want to start with a beginner book. They knew they had to start with the basics of sight-reading and rhythm, but didn’t want to start with Old MacDonald Had A Farm. They asked, did they have to start with a beginner book? Or could they start with something else?

I think most adults are familiar with the connection between having an intrinsic source of motivation and being able to stick to a task when the going gets tough. Usually, the intrinsic motivation stems from the reward we know is ahead with just a little bit of grit and determination.

But how do you teach this idea to kids? Because kids are young, most haven’t experienced the payoff that comes with hard work. So how do we encourage them to stay motivated before they even understand its value?

In my last post, I talked about ways you can support yourself when learning a new song on piano. (If you missed that post, you can read about my 5-step process here.) One of the things I mentioned in that post is knowing when it might be a good idea to step away or hold off on learning a new song if it’s too difficult for you. But I didn’t explain how exactly you can know if a song isn’t right for you, so I thought I’d expand on that today.

Today I want to share something that I wish someone had shared with me back when I was first learning piano, and that is how to bring some structure to the way you approach a new piece of music.

By structure I don’t mean a checklist that you have to get through every time you sit at the piano! I mean seeing your practice time as a series of stages or phases that give you little goals, and little wins, throughout your playing.

A common question I get asked when parents are first starting their child in piano lessons is, how long should my child practice? It’s a great question to help you set your expectations. Aim too low, and your child may not progress quickly enough and lose motivation. Aim too high, and you risk burning them out.