It’s a situation every parent knows too well: The dreaded daily battle to get a student to sit down, and PRACTICE a musical instrument. Parents want to see their students succeed and their money on lessons be well spent, while students can think of a million other things they would rather do. I can still remember the days when my mother would sternly set the timer for 30 minutes, and I would play through my songs, just watching the seconds count down, waiting for the time to finally be done.
What if I told you there is another way? What if I told you there are many different ways? Conventionally, it is the parent who has to tell the student to practice, and then the student sits down and the battle over how much time needs to be spent practicing begins. It is important to remember, however, that each student is different, and thus requires varying levels of involvement from both the teacher and parent when it comes to practicing. Practicing is so personal! While one student might need a detailed practice calendar and a gentle reminder each day from a parent, another might not respond as well to such a hands-on approach. Below I have outlined 5 different ideas with varying levels of parent involvement to help make practicing student-centered, thus allowing students to initiate practicing.
1. Set a specific practice day and time.
Most children do best when they have a schedule so they know when to expect certain things to happen. You likely set a time for homework, naps, even snacks, so why not do the same for practice time? If your child knows that 3:00 – 3:30 each day (for example) is time to practice, he or she is more likely to be receptive to the idea of practicing, as that time is reserved specifically for practicing. Leaving practice to chance means that it is competing with the multitude of other things your child would rather do, and let’s face it, even I would choose watching a television show or reading a book over practicing piano or violin.
2. Create a detailed practice calendar
Everyone knows that one must practice to get better at an instrument, but what most people don’t know is that students must be taught HOW to practice. If you leave students to their own devices, they will likely just play through their song(s) over and over; no wonder they think practicing is so boring and, frankly, unnecessary! I often give students metronome charts, ask them to name, clap, and count notes before playing, or cut up the song into sections so they are spending more time learning the more challenging parts. By teaching young kids these different methods of practice, they are being equipped with tools in their practicing tool chest to pull out as they get older and need less guidance. This also helps them know exactly WHAT to do each practice session, as they are able to go through each section and check off the boxes of their practice to-do list, and helps them focus more on completing the tasks, and less on the amount of time that has passed. This is also a great way of getting students to think critically about what sections need the most work, and how they can improve them. Here is an example of one I made for a 9-year-old student:
You can find a blank version of this weekly practice calendar on the resources section of my website.
3. For Younger Students: Use a practice tracker
Practice trackers are similar to the practice calendar in that they help students track how many days they practice; however trackers aren’t as detailed, and only require a student to color in a square each day he or she practices. Students can get creative and use stickers, glitter glue, or whatever his or her heart desires to mark each square after practice. I take it a step further to help guide practice by giving the student a “mission” to accomplish each day before he or she can color in the square (i.e. play the song 3x while saying the letters before coloring in the square!). Here is a tracker I like to use from makingmusicfun.net where the student helps get the dog to the bone by practicing 14 days in a row:
4. The “practice bubble” method
For students who like to play dress-up, you can make practicing more like a game by incorporating what I like to call the “practice bubble” method. Have a special shirt, costume, or sign a student gets to wear when practicing. When the student is wearing the specific item, his or her family is not allowed to bother the student with questions, comments, or requests to do other things (like chores!); HOWEVER, the practice bubble is only activated if the student is actually practicing, and not by just wearing the item. You can also tell your student that this particular item is so special that it can only be worn while practicing.
5. Set “no practice” days
For students who don’t quite like the rigidity and commitment that comes with a practice schedule, try implementing “no practice” days. Along with your student, choose two days during the week or weekend when your student does not have to practice. If the student does not practice on one of the practice days, though, one of the no practice days must be forfeited for the week. This makes it easy for a student to remember what days to practice, and incentivizes them to get their practice in so they can relax on no practice days.
For older students who can handle a little more responsibility, you can do an alternative to this idea where the student is handed two “no practice day” passes at the beginning of the week. Rather than having set no practice days, the student has the freedom to choose what days he or she use the passes. Similarly to the other option, though, if the student does not practice on a practice day, he or she must forfeit a pass. This option is great for busy students who have changing schedules each week, and need more freedom with his or her schedule.
5. Become less involved
Yes, I said it. I know this sounds counterintuitive and contrary to my other tips, but sometimes the best thing for a parent to do is to just stand back and see what happens. All the above suggestions are perfect for students who love structure and having their parents super involved. For some students, though, the idea of having a schedule or practice calendar binding them makes them sweat; instead, they require space to breath and decide when to practice. The first week or so, there will likely be little to no practicing happening as your student basks in the freedom, but soon, you’ll be pleasantly surprised when your student starts *gasp* choosing to practice. Of course, there is also the strong possibility that this may never happen, in which case you may need to sit down with your student and the teacher to discuss repertoire. An alternative to this is to add a little catch to the deal, and tell your student that they have the freedom to practice without schedules, calendars, or nagging, as long as they prove that they can take the initiative for the next month.
I hope that you have found this helpful, and are able to incorporate some of these tips into your student's practice routine! If you are a teacher reading this, I highly suggest reading this article from insidemusicteaching.com which inspired a lot of this article and my own approach to practicing! Photo by cottonbro from Pexels
Laura Lopez 