Two Measures at a Time
I recently restarted taking piano lessons. Sure, I could eke out a new song or play some old favorites, but I found myself wanting to feel more confident when playing unfamiliar pieces. So, I sought out a teacher to help me revisit the fundamentals.
What I’ve realized in these weeks of practice is that I often want to simply play the whole piece. Consciously, I know that practicing hands separately will lead to a smoother final product. My hands need time to learn and orient to their individual roles before I ask them to work together. But my mind is often focused on the whole.
Recently, my teacher pointed out a new finger placement for a tricky part of a key change in a piece I was working on. The new placement allowed my right hand to be in a position to more confidently reach the desired notes. She had me practice just two measures for several minutes. My homework was simply to drill those two measures—to retrain my muscle memory.
Two measures out of a five-page song.
I think there’s something in that experience that can benefit us as we think about back-to-school routines and rhythms.
Often, we want children to be able to manage the whole morning routine. We want them to get dressed, brush their teeth, pack their bags, eat breakfast, put on their shoes, and get out the door—without needing reminders, directions, or an adult stepping in to complete the task for them.
But what if we broke the morning (or after-school) routine down into “two measures”?
What are two tasks we’d like our children to work on mastering?
Maybe it’s getting dressed and putting dirty clothes in the hamper. Maybe it’s packing their backpack and putting their shoes by the door. Or perhaps it’s simply remembering the first two steps of the morning routine without a reminder.
They may need support or scaffolding as they begin—an adult walking through the steps with them, a visual chart outlining the order of the routine, or a reminder while the new habit is taking shape. That’s okay.
Just like my piano teacher didn’t expect me to master the entire five-page song at once, we don’t have to expect our children to master an entire routine at once.
Practice of two elements can build confidence. And confidence can build willingness to try the next thing.
So, as you think about your child’s routines this school year, what could be their “two measures”?
What are two elements of the routine you could come alongside them and help them practice, one small step at a time?
-Erin Luginbuhl Burkholder, LMHC, QS, RPT-S-