Practice goes better when it happens at the same time each day, has a short and clear list of tasks, and gives the child some say. Starting is often the hardest part. Once a child is at the instrument with a plan, the work tends to get done.
These ideas are common among music teachers. Try one or two at a time.
Make starting automatic
Fix the time. Tie practice to something that already happens each day, such as breakfast or the walk in the door after school. When the time is fixed, there is nothing to argue about.
Keep the instrument out. A violin in a closed case on a high shelf adds three steps. An open piano with the book on the stand adds none.
Keep it short at first. Five minutes a day is easier to keep up than thirty. Add time once the habit holds.
Give the child choices
A child who has no say will push back. Offer choices that all lead to practice.
- Which piece first?
- Before dinner or after?
- Timer or task list?
- Who is the audience today, a parent or the stuffed animals?
Make the tasks small and clear
“Go practice” is vague. “Play bars 1 to 4 three times” is a job a child can finish.
Ask the teacher to write the week’s tasks in a notebook. Then the list comes from the teacher, not from you. How long should kids practice has a sample list.
Turn repeats into games
Three in a row. Line up three coins on the left side of the music stand. Each time the child plays the hard bar right, one coin moves to the right. A mistake sends them all back. The round ends when all three are across.
Roll for it. Roll a die to see how many times to play a line.
Draw a card. Write each task on a card. Shuffle them and let the child draw the order.
Beat the click. Play a line with the metronome for kids at a slow speed. Move it up two clicks each time it goes well.
Play it funny. Play the piece as soft as a mouse, then as loud as a lion, then with eyes closed.
Let the child see progress
A chart lets a child see the days add up. Print a 30-day practice chart or the 100 days of practice chart and color one box a day. The practice chart maker builds one with your child’s own tasks.
Record a piece on your phone at the start of the month and again at the end. Play both back.
Watch what you say
Name what you heard. “That bar was smooth this time” tells a child more than “good job.”
Ask before you correct. “What did you notice in that line?” lets the child find the mistake first.
Leave the teaching to the teacher. A parent who corrects every note makes practice tense. Your job is to keep the time and keep it friendly.
Do not use practice as a punishment, and do not take music away as one.
Give the music a purpose
Plan a short concert for a grandparent on a video call. Learn a song for a birthday. Play a duet with a sibling or the teacher.
Play recordings of the pieces your child is learning. A child who knows how the piece goes has a target.
When nothing works
Some weeks are hard. A child may be tired, bored with the pieces, or stuck on something that feels too difficult.
Tell the teacher. A change of pieces, a smaller goal, or a new game often fixes it. If the struggle lasts for months, read what to do when your child wants to quit music lessons.
For the full picture of lessons and practice, see the parent’s guide to music lessons.
More from this guide
This article is part of Music lessons for kids: a parent's guide to starting, choosing, and practicing.
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Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.