One of the most common questions we receive is “How can I get my child to practice?”.
Establishing a practice routine is one of the greatest challenges in taking music lessons, but has the greatest rewards. When enrolled in hockey or soccer your child has many weekly practices in order to be ready for the game! While we may not have weekly games for music lessons, the practices through the week are essential to be ready for concerts, festivals, or exams.
Here are a few recommendations for encouraging practice at home:
- ESTABLISH A ROUTINE. Pick a time of day that your child will practice at each day. It could be in the morning before school, around homework time, or while dinner is being prepared. If you have ever tried to establish a work-out routine for yourself, you will know from experience that setting specific dates and times for your work-outs lead to greater success than just doing it when you feel like it.
- THE INSTRUMENT SHOULD BE ACCESSIBLE. The instrument should be in plain view and in good working order. There is nothing more frusturating than an instrument that is out of tune or damaged. Also, minimize distractions. The TV should not be blaring in the background.
- START WITH SHORT PRACTICES. To establish the routine start with very manageable goals. For a young child, start with 15 minute practices. As their attention span grows so can the length of their practices. For older children, who practice for 30 – 60 minutes, you may want to break it up in to two practices. They may be more focused and retain more information than if they were hurriedly trying to make it through one long practice. Lastly, start the practice with something they love to play!
- BREAK IT DOWN. A child may feel overwhelmed at the prospect of tackling a new piece. Break it down in to small practice sections to make it more approachable.
- OFFER YOUR SUPPORT. Take interest in the experience that they are going through. Make a point of being in the room when they are practicing at least a few times in the week. Give them positive reinforcement. Also, if you know enough to correct their mistakes present the corrections as feedback for improvement rather than criticisms. For example, “You seem to be stumbling with the fingering in that section. To make it easier, try using these fingers.”
You can also encourage them by asking them to learn a favorite song that you love or having them perform for family members. Make them feel that what they are doing is important to you and that you are supporting them every step of the way! - NURTURE THEIR LOVE FOR MUSIC. The best way to encourage dedication to music learning is to inspire your child. Listen to recordings, attend concerts, watch concerts on TV, or read books. Many children enroll in hockey because they want to be just like the hockey stars on TV! By introducing your child to musical stars it may give them the drive to practice so they can one day play or sing just like them. In exposing them to this culture, you may unknowingly be cultivating a life long love and appreciation for music.
- ADD SOME FUN TO PRACTICE TIME. Here are a few thoughts!
- Have a chart that they can color or add stickers to for each practice they complete.
- If any family members sing or play an instrument, try jamming together (it could be as simple as singing along to the holiday song they are playing).
- Encourage your child to create and improvise freely on their instrument. To get started give them an image or story to create music for.
- See if they can figure out the theme for a favorite song by ear.
- If there are recordings of the song they are learning, listen to it for inspiration. Also, many younger children love to sing and dance along to their favorite songs.
While learning an instrument may initially be a struggle, the rewards are worth it. Getting through the struggles of practice can ultimately lead to attaining skills that can be enjoyed for a lifetime. We have heard time and time again that music makes us smart, confident, dedicated, hard working, creative – the list goes on and on! But like all great things it takes patience and hard work to attain these benefits. Happy practicing!
