Practice, Practice, Practice

Hey there, I want to deliver what I promised. My mother was a piano teacher and I had the opportunity to observe the progress of more than 30 students at a time.
One in particular stands out among all the rest. Her name was Shauna. She would practice faithfully every day for 30 minutes. She started almost a year after me. She was my age, and I thought that I had a "head start," but I did not consistently practice everyday. Because she did, she excelled at everything, and even got to the point that my mom told her it was time to find a new teacher because she taught her everything she knew! Most of the others did alright, but none were as consistent as Shauna. I think there are different techniques you can teach, but the main thing is being consistent! One way I like to keep track is by that calendar with recorded times every week, another way would be to check off the progress of the songs they know well.
So have your students figure out the best time for them to practice everyday. I like to have them "demonstrate" their practice routines with me, like I wasn't there. It's very enlightening to find out how they view your words of wisdom.

I think another thing that is very motivating, is finding out what "their piece" is. My mom told my brother that he could quit piano when he learned a Chopin Nocturne that was a demo on the keyboard. When he could play that like the demo, then he could quit. And her technique worked. He is an amazing pianist today thanks to the goal that was placed before him. Now that he knows not only the nocturne, but many other impressive pieces, he doesn't want to quit! My daughter wants to learn "heart and soul" by the end of this year, and she has already learned the top hand! Goals are motivating. It would be great to see what song your student wants to learn, whether it be a classical sonatina, or the latest pop sensation on the radio. When they get to play what they WANT to play, they practice because they know the end result is going to be enjoyable! So figure out with your student what their "goal" is for the year, or when they finally can "quit" piano. You can get the parents in on the fun too, by giving you insights to the type of music they listen to, or the songs they love to play over and over and over again. Give them the freedom to explore...If they don't know what to explore, then you can help guide them to many different types of music to find out what their "song" is. My song surprised even me! It was a contemporary rain forest song!