Mrs. Vee's Piano Studio

Gymnastics and Injuries

This online article discussing the problem of gymnastics and injury is worth taking note of: (Out of my “grandmotherly and piano-teacheristic” concern for my students--especially after a student's mother related to me how she broke her neck in a dismount gone badly wrong at a competition, and was just a fraction of an inch away from being a quadriplegic.)

One of the issues that appears frequently is that of Parental Involvement in the pianistic progress of a student.

    Age of the student is the main factor--the younger the student, the more the parent needs to be involved: Reminding about practice time, making sure it happens, reading the notebook with the student and making sure he/she understands what and how to practice.

 Ask any piano teacher!  Counting out loud is near and dear to our hearts!  We view it as our favorite form of torture--second only to metronome use!

Just kiddin' of course, but this is exactly what some students seem to see it as.  But let me explain the reasons why I hound, cajole, threaten and bribe students to count out loud:

1. To keep the beat steady

2. To play t...