piano practice how much should parents be involved?

[iamnotaprincess]

should they jump in and correct if they hear a mistake or lay off as much as
possible?

Since neither DH or i play the piano, we can't really jump in and correct mistakes. My DD realises when she's made them and will generally keep going over the piece until she's happy with it.

Was discussing this with someone at choir the other night. She gave up playing the piano because she couldn't bear the way her mother bellowed at her from the other room whenever she made a mistake!

You have to feel free to make mistakes while you're learning. No other way to get better. So I tend to lay off and let DD make mistakes, unless she asks for my advice or wants to perform something to me.

Mine will do much more practise if they feel I am listening to them, but there's ways of getting them to go over things which don't involve "bellowing at them" or "jumping in" as soon as they make a mistake. I try to make suggestions, or sometimes play ignorant and ask about a tricky bit and if it would be better to practise a bit slower, or hands together or whatever, to work on that bit. I also praise when they get it right - I think that makes a big difference.

Definitely don't jump in , never interrupt . If you really need to comment/correct , wait until DC finished playing whatever they were playing, then ask how they thought it went.If they cant find a fault, point the mistake , after all its not good for them practicing their mistakes all week until next lesson, and let them correct it in their own way. Plenty of tact and nerves made of steel are required :) . And yes, praise is really important but it has to be well deserved and meant. (My Ds gets annoyed this all this patronizing "well done!" just for the sake of it)

It is fine to point out mistakes, but don't offer the answer immediately. Instead, help your child to work out what was wrong so that they know how to find their own mistakes with time.

I never point out mistakes unless I am asked to. I read what the teacher has written and make sure they all go over every point listed, and that they do scales and arpeggios before doing pieces, but otherwise I just butt out unless I have something nice to say.

As a piano teacher, I would say encourage practice but don't interfere with it. As a parent I learnt the hard way! I couldn't resist correcting every little thing DD1 did wrong on the piano and as a result she eventually gave up. DD2 is still going strong but I am very careful not to interfere.

Interestingly, DD1 is an excellent ballet dancer and I know nothing about ballet. She said it helped her that everything she did in ballet I thought was utterly amazing - whereas nothing she did on the piano was ever quite good enough.

Do the encouraging and let the teacher do the correcting. That's what you're paying for.:)

don't think there is a hard and fast rule. What does your teacher want, do you get any feedback about your dc's practice/progress?

It depends whether you can help I suppose. I am not involved in the piano practice at all but my dd is 11 and her music knowledge is leap years ahead of mine anyway so I don't see what I could realistically do - I just encourage and buy books, that's all I do. If your dc is much younger and you feel you can monitor your dc's practice and be helpful in a way that is not going to put your child off, go ahead.