Last September I had a great live Q&A session with Hoffman Academy parents and students. If you missed it, or if you’d like to review any of the information we shared that night, here’s the video and a list of all the questions I answered and where to find them during the session:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:28 Do you recommend one Hoffman Academy lesson per day?
00:03:15 How much time should be spent practicing every day?
00:04:12 If a child is having trouble with hand or wrist position should we work on correcting that problem, which is causing discouragement and frustration, or just let the child practice?
00:08:40 When are you coming out with more units?
00:09:05 How should a busy parent encourage quality practice time? Should I use a timer, or use a checklist?
00:11:45 What is your take on using incentives for piano practice?
00:14:25 What to do while waiting for more Hoffman Academy Lessons?
00:16:50 How can I learn to sight read and memorize notes on the staff?
00:20:10 How far will this piano course take my children?
00:21:48 What are the comparative values of memorizing, playing by ear, and sight reading?
00:26:10 What do you do if you get stuck on a lesson?
00:30:44 What comes after Hoffman Academy?
00:32:25 When should we buy an acoustic piano?
00:34:25 How long should I practice every day?
00:35:35 How should I practice scales?
00:36:18 If kids have prior experience, what Hoffman Academy lesson should they start on?
00:39:08 How do we get back to piano after a really long break, such as a year?
00:40:45 How do we create good piano habits for kids so they can achieve the long term reward of playing as an adult?
00:42:40 What brought you to music and becoming a piano teacher?
00:45:15 I am having trouble changing hand positions, how do I remember which finger goes with which key?
00:47:05 My young child is “pecking” the piano, should I allow this or correct it?
00:49:00 How can I motivate my kids to practice every day?
00:52:32 Can you play “Flight of the Bumblebee?” What is it like to learn an advanced piece?
00:53:40 Do you bounce the wrist on every note? Especially on a fast piece? How does that work?
00:56:30 Do you have an advanced class or curriculum?
00:57:25 Is it okay to let kids bang on the keyboard?
00:01:00 Thanks for being part of the exciting new world of online music learning with Hoffman Academy!
Happy playing!
Joseph Hoffman