Since we started Lance in piano lesson last August, getting Lance to practice the piano over the past few months has been a small challenge. We are sticking with it, but it is just a fight sometimes. I have two other test subjects that show that the small fights are worth it and “sticking with it” does eventually pay off. It is just the “in the meantime” that is rough.
Our piano teacher, Cristina McClane, really is good with Lance, but sometimes he can be a total pushover. He knows how to manipulate people to get what he wants. This is not necessarily a bad trait to have when you look at it in some ways, but when it comes to teachers and sometimes parents, this is not good. He thinks he gets away with it but his mother is onto him. While I think that he is cute, he can really be two hands full.
This afternoon was no exception to the struggle to get him to practice the piano. I had to tell him more than once. I will be honest with you, I do not know exactly how many times he actually practiced the piano this week. I know that we can count it on one hand. Since there are seven days in a week and there are only five fingers (okay four fingers and one thumb) on a hand, there is a distinct lack of practice there. Anyone who can count fingers and compare them to days of the week can see that. It is not rocket science after all. No crazy math skills needed.
We try. For some reason taking the lessons is so much fun. Practicing the piano is so boring. We are lucky if we can get him to play five notes during practice sessions.
I call it good if I get him to at least do a good practice session on Friday right after school – right before his piano lesson that afternoon. For some reason today, he did not fight me on that. He actually did the practice without too much complaint or stalling.
Today, I even caught Lance actually doing his theory work…before his teacher got here. He was sitting there dutifully reading it out loud and working diligently to get it done.
Granted, I caught him feverishly trying to get it done before his lesson this afternoon, but at least he did it, right? The fact that he actually seemed to understand what he was doing should count for something. At the very least it means his teacher has taught him something even if we have not instilled a good practice regimen yet.
I am waiting for the day when it just clicks and he will actually enjoy the concept of practice. Actually I am still waiting on that with Kyle too. One day it will click. It does. The fight is worth it. They do start to like it if it is something that they want to do. He claims he wants to. We will see.
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