Getting children to practice playing instruments can be quite a challenge. This also could be a pretty sensitive subject because being forced by a teacher or a parent to practice might distort the entire relationship with the music and even totally discourage a child from enjoying it in the future. Addressing this highly important issue requires taking many perspectives in consideration.
Here are a few do’s and dont’s for parents trying to introduce their kids to an instrument effectively and without tears:
DO set daily practice goals. DON’T set a certain length for daily practices.
The most common strategy for getting children to practice regularly is to set a certain amount of time a child should spend playing an instrument every day. This works with some children but not with everybody. Setting daily practice goals instead is much more productive. When being told to play 20 minutes a day, child knows she has to play 20 minutes, good or bad, advancing ahead or not: the only thing that matters is to sit playing instrument for 20 minutes. When setting practice goals there’s a daily target to be reached which makes a child more concentrated when playing and more motivated to complete the task.
DO let your child play what he or she likes
The key to hard work is the enjoyment of the process and the excitement for the outcome.
Always ask your child if she enjoys what she plays. If not, ask what she would rather play and rearrange practice time so that there’s at least one piece a week your child truly takes pleasure in. Yes, classics are the foundation but playing classics exclusively if your child is all about rock n roll will bring more harm than good.
DON’T force your child
It can happen that at some point a children, especially a teenagers won’t practice as much as they have before. If this is the case you should never force them into it. This usually has an opposite effect of putting children off from music permanently. Giving them space to figure things out on their own has a greater chance of success.
DO practice with your child
Children, especially at younger age are attention seekers. Having daddy or mummy watching them practice is a great opportunity to show off, get feedback and to spend some extra fun time with parents.
DO encourage your child
Play a certain one piece over and over again can be very frustrating. It’s important that you lift your child’s spirits every now and then. Encouragement can come in many shapes. “Well done”s and “you are getting there”s can do wonders as can watching masters play. Taking children to concerts is a great way to inspire and show them how effort pays off.
DO break difficult pieces into small parts
Long pieces can be a hard thing for children to get their heads around. Giving chunks of music pieces as daily goals to children can spare a lot of frustration and tears. Additionally this approach will give your child a feeling of satisfaction of accomplishment daily instead of struggling through mastering the whole piece without tangible results.
DO provide practice space
Make sure you have space where your kid can practice without being disturbed. It might well be that your kid is a shy person and doesn’t want people to listen to him or her practice. In this case you can always ask music school for free studios or practice hours.