As my daughter gets older, it’s getting harder and harder to squeeze practice time into my days.  She does really well when I teach lessons, but she isn’t too excited when I sit down at the piano myself.  You see, the piano is HER toy!  She loves to sit and play.  If I am in HER seat, she is not too happy.  Most of the time, I just practice anyway, while she pounds the keys right next to me.  And while she adds a great deal of tinkling and pounding sounds to my lovely Brahms piece, I’m not sure the end result is what Brahms had in mind when he composed!

Here are my three (and only three) tips I have for practicing with a toddler.  Please share your tips if you have any!

1.  Set a specific time you will practice each and every day.  Making it routine will be good for you, but will also eventually help your child deal with your practice time.  Eventually, your child will come to understand that this is just what Mommy or Daddy does at this time of the day. 

2.  Start early!  Put your baby next to the piano and practice while your baby is a newborn.  Your child will grow up knowing that Mommy or Daddy plays the piano.  It’s just what’s done.

3.  Practice when your spouse is at home.  I practice while Daddy does bathtime.  I get 15 minutes of practice each night.  It isn’t ideal, but it’s better than nothing!

Sadly, those are my only tips!  Do you have better ones?  Please please share!