It’s important to check in with how practice is going periodically so that you’re not just coming to them when there’s an issue but are taking a consistent supportive role. After the third lesson is a great time to revisit this as they’ll be starting to settle into the lesson structure by this stage.
How’s practice going?
Hi [NAME],
I like to check in with all new students as we settle into the lesson routine to see if there’s anything I can do to help practice, or the lesson experience in general, run more smoothly. Are you finding a good practice groove?
One tip that many families find useful is to cultivate a habit of going over the assignment sheet together as soon as [CHILD NAME] gets home from the lesson each week. This will help [CHILD NAME] to retain what we did together and also provides a structure to discuss the lesson in general, as I know the question “How was your lesson today?” will often elicit a shrug rather than a real answer!
This “after-lesson-session” can also be a great time to trim fingernails while piano fresh on both your minds. Cutting nails once a week is best when playing an instrument because if they even go slightly past the tip of the finger they begin to go clickety clack on the keys and affect students’ technique development.
Hope you find this useful. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help.
With appreciation,
[YOUR NAME]
PS Another useful and simple habit is for students to go to the toilet at home before coming to the studio. Of course, it’s perfectly fine for students to use the facilities here! We just have such a limited time together so it’s best to resolve the jiggling legs beforehand if possible. 😊