5 tips on how to stay focused during practice

Struggling with procrastination? Here's our professional advice on how to stay focused during practise.

As a pianist, one of the biggest challenges you will come across is your ability to stay focused and to keep your eyes on the prize. In a world where procrastination has stolen many a person's dreams, we refuse to let you lose sight of what you're working towards.

So, here are Pianist's 5 key tips on how to stay focused during practice. 

Scoring 101: How to make your sheet music more readable

The ultimate guide to a neat and tidy piece of sheet music.

If you are currently composing or arranging a piece of music, you will know that tidying up your score before completion is a challenge! Our quest for perfection can drive us to tweak, change and edit more than we need to, with no real system in place.

The checklist below is going to be absolutely invaluable for when you are approaching the finishing stages of your compositional process. Work your way through each point at your own pace, and you’ll finish up with a beautifully neat and tidy score.

Struggling to structure your piano practice? Here’s our advice

Our top tips on what to include in your practice, how long to practise for, and how to maximise your time spent at the piano

By the time you have finished reading this article, you are going to walk away with a practice structure all set-out and ready for your next session. You will know:

• what you are going to practise
• how long you’ll practise for
• how to maximise that time spent at the piano

What is the best age to start learning the piano?

RCM graduate Alec Coles-Aldridge argues that starting early may be your best bet

In 2013, the Beijing Normal University released the results of a study which concluded that individuals who started learning the piano before the age of seven benefited from advanced cognitive skills later in life. The benefits remained even for those who stopped practising in their teenage years. 

On the contrary, Linda Lorenzo - Director for Learning and Engagement with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra - is a believer that there is no real ideal age. Instead, she advises that the physical nature and interests of the child should be considered. A child who is physically strong might suit a brass instrument. A child with large hands might suit the piano. A child who enjoys the sound of the double bass should begin on the cello before progressing to the double bass when their physique can cope with such a large instrument. 

On the other hand, the Peterson Family Foundation provides a comprehensive list for which instruments suit specific age ranges. The piano is deemed an instrument suitable for the earliest of children; age three-four is considered a good time to begin these lessons. With such diverse and contradicting answers from studies, teachers and education experts, what really is the best age for learning the piano? Does age even matter? 

There are two important topics need to be considered...

5 tips on maximising efficiency in your piano practice

Pianist and writer Frank Huang dishes out his advice on how to streamline the practice process

Many of you will have asked yourself: How am I supposed to practise? How can I maximize my time and efficiency on my own? How can I make practice fun and enjoyable? How can I track the progress that I have made throughout the week?

It can be a huge challenge trying to figure out how to practise efficiently and effectively at the same time. Take a look at our 5 tips to streamlining your practice process below…

It's never too late to learn...everyone's a winner!

Classical pianist & columnist Daniel Johnson suggests ways of learning piano later in life

Coming to the piano later in life or picking it back up after a break, there will always be a sense of what you want to achieve, and the sudden realisation that it is going to be a long journey. But, with the right experiences and lead from your teacher, you will soon find that it’s the sheer enjoyment that is the most important part of all.

Mozart’s Diary Where He Composed His Final Masterpieces Is Now Digitized and Available Online

We have a tendency to regard Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's music as having emerged fully formed into the world, not least because we hear it performed almost exclusively in a highly polished state of near-perfection. That makes any glimpse into the process of its creation all the more valuable, and the British Library has now provided us with much more than such a glimpse: at its site you can now read Mozart's own thirty-page musical diary, a record of "his compositions in the last seven years of his life" and thus "a uniquely important document" in the history of classical music.

How ‘America’s Got Talent’ contestant Kodi Lee shattered stereotypes about disability

If you haven’t seen Kodi Lee’s May 28 performance on “America’s Got Talent,” it’s worth a watch.


The 22-year-old Lee is blind and has autism. His rendition of Leon Russell’s “A Song for You” brought the crowd to its feet – and thrilled viewers at home.


“Loved this moment so much! Stood up and cheered in my living room!” Oprah tweeted.


Much of the media coverage portrayed Lee as someone who, in developing his musical ability to such a high level, overcame all odds – a common though sometimes troublesome trope used to describe people with disabilities who achieve any measure of success.


Lee is certainly an exciting talent. But as someone who teaches a course on the intersection of disability and music, I was moved by other aspects of Lee’s performance as well.

The Benefits of Playing Music Help Your Brain More Than Any Other Activity

Learning an instrument increases resilience to any age-related decline in hearing.

Brain training is big business. Companies like BrainHQ, Lumosity, and Cogmed are part of a multimillion-dollar business that is expected to surpass $3 billion by 2020. But does what they offer actually benefit your brain?


Researchers don't believe so. In fact, the University of Illinois determined that there's little or no evidence that these games improve anything more than the specific tasks being trained. Lumosity's maker was even fined $2 million for false claims.


So, if these brain games don't work, then what will keep your brain sharp? The answer? Learning to play a musical instrument.

4 ways Dads can support their piano-playing kids

If your child has taken a liking to the piano, here are 4 ways that you can support them along their journey.


Watching your kids excel in various hobbies really is one of the biggest joys a father can feel. Not many feelings beat it. It’s really important that fathers support them in their passions in the right way. So, if your child has taken a liking to the piano, here are 4 ways that you can support them along their journey.

2019柴科夫斯基鋼琴大賽傳重大失誤！

2019年柴科夫斯基鋼琴決賽於昨日展開，原本就飽受爭議的賽事又傳出重大失誤。

中國參賽者安天旭（An Tianxu）演出時，曲目順序報錯，原訂的柴科夫斯基第一號鋼琴協奏曲變成拉赫曼尼諾夫帕格尼尼主題狂想曲，而不懂俄語的安天旭在播報員播報時渾然不知，直到指揮開始時才慌亂地跟上——熟悉兩首曲目的人都知道，柴的鋼協至少有四小節的前奏，而拉赫曼尼諾夫的帕格尼尼則是在第一小節就必須演奏。

What are Hanon exercises and how can they help me improve?

Hanon exercises help drastically improve THREE key areas of your playing...


Hanon exercises feature in households all around the globe, and for good reason. These piano exercises, which have been in existence for over 150 years, are proven to massively improve THREE key areas of your piano playing. In this article, we’re going to tell you what Hanon exercises are, how they can help you improve, and we’re also going to give you some of your own to try out.

This is why Hanon exercises are a waste of time (and possibly dangerous)

An interesting article and continuous debate about Hanon's studies.

A Whole New World – Claire & Dave Crosby

Dad sings with his 4 year's old. Another sweetie one. 😍😍

#Disney #WholeNewWorld #Aladdin #CarolNgsMusic #Music 

Doctors Now Prescribing Music Therapy for Heart Ailments, Brain Dysfunction, Learning Disabilities, Depression, PTSD, Alzheimers, Childhood Development and More

I just came across this article this morning. Music has been known for beneficial for our brain. But another article further advocated that music has positive impact for therapeutic use as well.

Written by Didge Project director AJ Block and guest author Gracy Liura.


By AJ Block (March 10, 2016)

Music has proven time and again to be an important component of human culture. From its ceremonial origin to modern medical usage for personal motivation, concentration, and shifting mood, music is a powerful balm for the human soul. Though traditional “music therapy” encompasses a specific set of practices, the broader use of music as a therapeutic tool can be seen nowadays as doctors are found recommending music for a wide variety of conditions.