Getting Back into the Piano Practice Routine After Summer

Summer is wonderful for slowing down, travelling, spending time outdoors, and taking a break from our usual routines. We need to recharge during this time, more so for parents than for our kids! To share with you my summer highlights: - I went to Montreal at the start of the summer, and I completed another level of certification training, so I am one step further in my pursuit of Dalcroze Eurhythmics (I will share in another post about what it is! In short, it is an approach of music education that involves expressing music throough body movements and awareness) - My family and I traveled around BC, and the furthest we traveled to this summer was Portland Oregon! Cannon Beach was absolutely beautiful! Minus the hazy sky due to wildfires... - We also went to PNE for the first time. My daughter had so much fun! I hope all of you had a wonderful summer and I can't wait to hear all your summer adventures! As September approaches, the goal is not to suddenly jump back into a full practice schedule but simply to help children reconnect with the piano and rediscover the rhythm of making music regularly. As a parent with a child who is learning two instruments, this post is also a good reflection for me and hey, we are really in this together!

Start small. After a long break, even 15 minutes at the piano per day can be a great beginning (for beginners). For intermediate and advanced students, start with 30 minutes a day. Rather than worrying about how much gets accomplished, play something familiar, something you know pretty well and enjoy the feeling of making music again. A favourite old piece, an easy song, or even some playful improvisation can help make that first week back feel much more inviting.

Bring back a predictable practice time. Once school begins, life quickly fills up with homework, activities, meals, and bedtime routines. Finding a regular little window for piano—perhaps after school, before dinner, or after breakfast—can make practice feel like a natural part of the day rather than another task that needs to be squeezed in. Consistency is much more important than having a long practice session once in a while! Also, a very good trick: run to the piano right after your piano lesson and do a run through of the things we worked on in the lesson, it is extremely helpful to know what to do, for rest of the week.

Parents can help by creating the routine, without taking over the practice. A gentle reminder such as, “Can you play us something on the piano before dinner, while we are making dinner?” Keep music part of your life is often more helpful than repeatedly asking whether practice has been done. For younger children especially, having a parent nearby, listening to a piece, or simply showing interest can make a big difference. Rather than commenting, just show genuine interest in what they do. Celebrate the small things: remembering a piece from before summer, mastering a tricky measure, or simply sitting down without being reminded!

Celebrate one achievement every week. Build routine in your first month (September) of the year. A good routine is half the success in piano learning. To share my experience as teacher, students usually remember most of the things they learned, more than you think! Not touching the instrument for a while would take away some confidence but with the teacher's support, it will all come back real fast and the young students tend to have very amazing muscle memory anyway! With a little patience and regularity, the familiarity returns surprisingly quickly. Before long, piano practice will once again become part of the weekly rhythm—and hopefully, something they can enjoy along the way.