We all want our children to associate practising the piano with happy memories and it all starts with sitting in the correct position.
As adults, we already know that maintaining good posture is generally good for your health.
What we may not know is that good piano posture goes beyond maintaining good health and preventing injury, it gives your child the best chance of playing well, increasing the level of reward their brain is receiving from the experience.
When written in words, good piano posture sounds complicated, but its actually just getting your body into the most natural position that it could be to play well and to play with ease:
Feet slightly apart and centred flat onto the floor or an adjustable footstool.
Sit tall with back your back straight and your neck aligned with your back.
Eyes forward and onto the music.
Shoulders relaxed and down.
Elbows should also be relaxed, slightly forward from your body and slightly higher than the keyboard.
Wrists and forearms parallel to the keyboard and also slightly higher than the keyboard.
Fingers should be curved as though you’re holding a tennis ball (see image below).
Check in with your child from time to time to help them develop good piano posture. The effort for undoing bad habits is far greater! Simple prompts like "sit up tall", "keep your feet on the floor" and "curl your fingers" are low-level investments in making playing so much simpler and therefore a lot more fun.
If your child is sitting too high, too low or unsteadily on a soft surface, their fingers won’t be able to move along the keyboard as easily or as quickly as they could. Ultimately, it's increasing the chance of them wanting to give it all up because their progress will slow down as the music they learn becomes harder.
For more information about piano performance injuries and preventions, read here.
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