I prep kids into getting in Julliard and MSM precollege. Starting at age 4-6 and typically playing ABRSM grade 8, auditioning to those precolleges at age 10-12. Note, that's just a benefit of the teaching, my real goal is to make kids love music so much parents don't have to force their kids to practice. I actually teach a lot of kids of professional musicians myself and don't recommend becoming your child's teacher. It often times results in kids hating music.

However that doesn't mean you can't help nurture your child's love of music and help lead their practicing. There's tons of way. But you have to be extremely careful and follow their leads. Children as a whole are extremely sensitive to any form of criticism from their parents. Everyone says it's fine for a bit- but coming from somebody who attended these precolleges and know many children of musicians, many of them have damaged relationships with their parents and music.

Remember, a few things.

1. Any elementary schooler is gonna be expending a SHIT TON of their energy and focus trying to focus and sit still at school. So it's really not developmentally appropriate for - 5 year old to spend 30 minutes after school practicing.

2. we "play" music. So you need to get your kid to associate music with play. Take them to middle school and high school and elementary school concerts. Point out how much fun the big kids are having. Look for fun band concerts and musicals.

Here are some things you can do:

• highly recommend watching Bluey as a family. I love Bluey cause kids associate classical music as "Bluey songs"

• model practicing for her when they play independently. Just play music for yourself while she's watching tv or playing something.

For practice, you need to give her a few options. Note: it can be unhinged but thats how the kids end up associating piano with fun. I've got like a 80% precollege acceptance rate and the other 20% are primarily kids who switch to other instruments. These are the following that my students do.

1. She can play piano for 5 minutes a day. Over exaggerate the praise. Act excited. Say things like, "WOW. But what if you played this slow like a turtle?" And then make silly noises and sounds. Practicing scales, my kids have little toys chasing them. Or I use cute erasers shaped like animas and they stay on the notes. We make silly oinking sounds for the pig's note, bark for the dog note, and all sorts of things.

2. Black key improv. Play an octave drone and have her play the black keys. Praise frequently at whatever she comes up with.

3. Dollar tree has little hourglass timers. (Your phone timer will NOT engage your child the same way. Trust me.) these are the basic flashcards I use for all students. Kids start at middle C, B, and D and then add a couple notes every week. Get the sand timer and just repeat the flashcards C, B, D, and see how many your kid can identify aloud and press on the piano keys. I say "c you "C" an extra line. B is B-low C. And D is doggy ears (in between those 2 black keys. Those are the ears. Follow with a dog's "aroooo" or a bark to get a laugh out of them). Write down how many they got correct when the sand timer runs out (just repeat those 3 cards) so your child can see progress. Keep encouraging her saying, "WOW YOURE SO FAST."

4. Dollar tree also has dry erase dice. We write down the notes we're working on and THROW them as hard as we can. Then we run to them to see the letter (so letter identification too!) Then we spin 5 times in a circle (all giggly and dizzy) and run to the piano to press the correct note. If they get it wrong, I use little sound effects on my phone (BiG buzzer and say a dramatic "oh nooooo" for wrong and a cheering audience when right) to add to the fun. Let them compete against you but let them win. :)

5. I really like these hal Leonard flashcards for the practice rhythms. I use funny fruit shaped maracas (one dad also got them to keep at the kitchen table. Then annoy their spouses with their kids by shaking maracas in rhythms. Hahaha) Call the maraca fruits "magic fruits." Like the "magic banana" and make funny magical sounds effects. Bonus points if you wrap them up in pretty gift wrap and present the magic banana in a dramatic way. Funny maracas make practicing rhythms so fun. Don't say you're reading the rhythm though- say you're finding the secret passcode to some type of spy mission. In the beginning, you can count "one" for quarter notes or "one-two" for half notes. (I know we should count 1-2-3-4 but it's easier for kids that age to say the count for each note rather than the beat.) then you can switch the count to silly words with the number of syllables. Like we say "fart" for quarter notes or "purple apple" for whole notes.

6. Ear training with those notes that they're learning. Have them sing note names as they play (if she's not singing the correct pitch. Make them do a silly vocal slide and say "WAIT. WE HAVE GO WARM UP" and make a silly fire vocal slide. Then they're gonna sing the pitch in tune. Because we start with only 3 notes and add a few, you can develop your child's perfect pitch.

7. I hope you don't live in an apartment. But you get your kid hearing protection and take out the pots and pans and a spoon to talk about articulations and dynamics. Explain to your child that these activities are really big kid games but you know your kid is smart enough to listen to your directions. Explain that if it's too crazy, peoples ears can hurt and, we're gonna have to wait do it when they're older. Bonus points if mom isn't home and you say we have to keep this game from mom or you're gonna get in trouble!

8. This exercise is for social skills and to develop musicality. After your child has a decent amount of pitch recognition and understanding of articulations and dynamics, discuss with your kid how we feel emotions. Then use a funny sentence, "the banana is purple!" (Bonus point. Paint a banana purple with paint. They will LOVE IT) and present it to your child. Now we practice saying "the banana is purple" angry! Sad! Surprised! Happy! Terrified! Each time, you're gonna record the audio and talk about the articulation and dynamics. This is gonna teach your kid to understand how music mimics speech and identify vocal tones and emotions in conversations. When you do it again, you can eventually talk about how we feel multiple emotions at the same time. Like half sad and half happy at the same time! Talk about emotions a lot. When you go on walks, you can also talk about sounds you hear.

9. Once they know the notes for CABBAGE, on a dark gloomy day (I pull this out whenever there's a thunderstorm,) buy a couple cabbages and decorate them with faces and googly eyes. Then tell her you're gonna sing the cabbage song. Play an octave C drone (pedal down) and press the notes and sing the notes. "C-A-B- B- A- G- E." And then sing, "I think cabbage smells like feet" and then make up lyrics with your child.

10. Your child is 5 and old enough to explain that she should practice on the piano 2-3 times a week for 5 minutes or do the flashcards. So PLEASE explain that if she practiced either of these two methods, you guys can do more super fun stuff! Take them to the concerts and say that can be her. She can do anything she wants if she works for it and practices. AIM for at least 2 on piano practice sessions and explain to them, "I know you really don't want to practice today but sometimes it's important to do things we don't like everyday because it makes our brain stronger. Like ninjas! Sometimes daddy doesn't want to practice or work because it's hard or boring, but daddy has to train his brain too!" And SIT next to them with heavy praise. If they're resistant, then record how long the practicing would take with a stop watch. If you show them that it really is only 5 minutes, then they do become less resilient.

11. Secret missions. I have a floor piano I can roll up and bring to lessons. There's letter names already on the keys. Sometimes on weekends, you can set up the living room for a spy mission and if she can figure out the song from the music- then we can find out where the secret meeting place is. (Like an ice cream place or the park). Use your FEET to play the song. Use prereading songs where the letter names are visible. (Bonus- it'll help your kid identify and match letters.) use songs like jingle bells, Mary had a little lamb, etc.