Vitamin P- Part II

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HOW DO I GET MY CHILD TO PRACTICE?!
Tips for Parents

BY SEAN REUSCH

Do you ever get frustrated that your son or daughter rarely practices without you nagging them to get their instrument out? Are you bummed that you spent so much money purchasing an instrument that your child never touches? Are you upset that you got them lessons with a private instructor and they still won’t practice? Don’t fear – you are not alone! I find that all of the young musicians I teach love music, but most don’t love to practice. Remember, practicing is a skill and needs to be taught- it is not instinctual! Your child needs many reminders- just like brushing their teeth! Eventually, practicing will become a habit and you won’t need to put in a lot of time getting them to practice.

Here are some tips to help you get your child to practice more.

• Make practice fun! Kids are more likely to do something they enjoy. Purchase music that they love to play.
• Help your child practice by designating a special practice place in the house with few distractions. It’s very helpful to schedule a specific practice time each day for consistent practice. Remember, quality over quantity! A musician’s rate of improvement is directly proportionate to the amount of quality practice.
• Treat practicing like homework, kids need to do a little every day. It’s best to practice early in the day. Most people don’t want to hear loud noises late in the evening.
• Have your child perform for you, relatives, and friends regularly. This really helps kids get comfortable performing in front of people. Do this when they have an audition or a performance coming up!
• Encourage your child to play for people at church, hospitals, senior centers, and convalescent homes.
• Encourage classmates to come over and play together.
• Try to make practicing a reward, not a punishment! When you want to reward your child, buy them a recording, sheet music, or tickets to a concert.
• Listen to lots of great musicians as often as possible with your child. Talk about the music and how it makes you feel. Go to concerts to hear great live music.
• Get private lessons. Make short, medium, and long range playing goals with your child and their teacher.
• Make sure your child has good, working equipment. They should have the following:
• Music stand
• Tuner
• Metronome
• A recording device
• Notebook for their music
• Necessary supplies (brass players: valve oil, slide lubricant, mouthpiece brush
• Attend master classes with your child. These are often very inspirational and kids learn so much in a short amount of time.

Finally, I found a great quote on a piece of paper on the floor of a band room that sums up practicing perfectly. The author is unknown to me.

If you practice, you get better.

If you get better, you will play with better players.

If you play with better players, you play better music.

If you play better music, you have more fun.

If you have more fun, you practice more.

If you practice more, you get better…