Dear teachers,

Is anyone aware of any book written for beginning young piano students (elementary school) that covers basic issues of pracitisng and playing? Such as how to plan practice time, why practise separate hands, why breaking down a piece into short sections and practising one at the time, why curved fingers, etc., etc.. Basically a kid's version of, say, Lhevinne or Hofmann's books on piano playing.

Given what I know about my kid, I think he will benefit a lot from reading such a book, to get a "big picture", rather than waiting for his teacher to give him tips gradually. But I couldn't find anything at amazon.com. There is a Faber book called "Young person's guide to playing the piano" but it's old and there is no sample so I have no idea what it's about. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Have you seen "Practicing for Young Musicians" by Harvey R. Snitkin? I bought mine at Barnes and Noble a few years ago.

Then again, maybe not. The Snitkin book is general . . . practicing ideas for musicians of all instruments, rather than piano specifically.

Have you checked out www.practicespot.com? I have not personally ordered and read any of their books yet, although I am thinking about it, but they have many online articles directed towards kids that you might find helpful. Lots of different ideas for how to practice effectively and efficiently. Hope this helps!

Thanks, you two. I checked out the website, it's indeed very useful. Given this I will probably not be so eager to buy any book at least for now...

Glad to share! I thought I'd hit a gold mine when I found practicespot... but I never would have without a tip from a fellow teacher. Happy practicing!