To be strict about piano practice

At that age, 10 mins a day is enough. Before school better than after. Try and do a bit longer on a weekend - 20 mins, 30 at most in the 3/4 week run up to an exam. More than this (unless they are very very willing) and you risk taking the fun out of it. They might get technically proficient very quickly but will hate it/never play as an adult.

If they are a bit reluctant to sit for long, do two shorter sessions.

Do a nice mix of stuff - scales, more technical classical, jazzy stuff, fun pop songs. Encourage some improvising etc. Don't focus overly on expecting a young child to perfect a piece. Its nigh on impossible to iron out all slips, and they get more from moving on to a new piece and improving their sight reading and keep it fresh.

If you can play a bit yourself, do little duets, this makes it more fun. my kids are 6 &8 and both love when we play together.

I didn’t force, I also didn’t encourage exams - they enjoyed taking piano lessons up till year 11 then they stopped when they felt they had less time to continue. They continued to play for pleasure and a stress break. It was a positive experience.

My siblings and I all learned instruments. I asked for piano lessons for my 7th birthday (I am now 66).
My mother always said that if we could not motivate ourselves to practice, lessons would stop.
Even at that fairly young age, you know what you need to do to progress. Also, if it is not fun anymore, I think you should stop.
I still play, have 2 pianos (one baby grand, one upright) and also have 3 other instruments that I can more or less play.
It only became difficult, when I started being rather successful at local music festivals, which required a parental taxi service and considered teaching piano as a career. Sadly this was shut down very quickly by the parents as "not academic enough". Shame really, as I was definitely good enough and got coaching from some quite famous pianists.

My 7yr old has piano lessons. I don’t ever make her practice. We have two pianos in the house and she plays them whenever she wants too. We’ll see. I want it to come from her whenever she’s ready.

Little and often. 5 minutes a day is better than 30 minutes in one slot every week. Don’t leave your child to it. Sit with them. When they tire, stop and come back to it tomorrow.

DD plays two instruments, at about grade 4 and 6, so we've had a few years of this! I got her started on her first instrument during lockdown - she now plays it better than me, but it meant that I could see she was willing to practise, so I was willing to pay for lessons!

We aim for 15 minutes per instrument per day except the day of the relevant lesson. However it's focussed practice; we do it together (I have another instrument at a higher level, so I can play with her or demonstrate when she makes an error).

Actual practice (doing the parts you can't do over and over until you can) is hard work mentally and emotionally, so I'd strongly suggest going for a time when your DD is feeling resilient. I'm not a morning person, so we do it after dinner, though I also used to practice before school. Straight after school is a bit of a disaster for us - DD is hungry, and still a bit stressed/tired when she gets in.

I am strict about practice; lessons are expensive. DD knows she can stop if she wishes, but if she's having lessons, she has to practice.

This. My DD is Year 5 and Grade 5. I probably remind her twice a week she hasn't done practice today but generally she will sit and play owing to the fact the piano is in a central location and she can play a quick tune and then will play or practice.

Some days she does 10 minutes, some days half an hour. I don't sit with her but I'm around and will shout 'that sounds great'

She plays three other instruments on top. She practices those on alternate days.

She used to do other classes like Brownies but said she wanted to quit to pick up another instrument.

Are you saying any child needs to be a “serious pianist”?

Instrument teacher here, and my DCs learn too-
my suggestions are to have a regular practice time, before school is great as they’re not tired or busy with after school activities

Five times a week minimum as they’ll hear the progress which encourages them

Try and join a group- harder with piano but for example children’s/ school orchestra where your DC could play a percussion instrument. At secondary school this becomes their tribe with like minded students

And to start with sit with them and encourage them, also grandparents/friends can be played to, mini house concerts (that sounds a bit grand! Just 5 minute play through of their current music) happy birthday song, Christmas pieces.

They’ll have a lifetime of enjoyment of playing and listening to music- so good for mental health. And there’s 400+ years of amazing music out there. 🎶💕

For those of you forced to practice: Two Kinds by Amy Tan

My advice would be that grades are not the be all and end all. The only piano grade I did was grade 8, when i got sick of people assuming I couldn't play when I said I didn't do grades/wanted a challenge. I never practised scales and arpeggios before or since!

In hindsight I am so grateful for the opportunity to relax into enjoying playing. I'm not the most technically proficient but playing the piano did wonders for my mental health as a teenager and adult - it's such an emotional release. I'd say encourage practising but not be too pressured maybe? 5/10 mins a day? Once she reaches a certain level where she can enjoy playing she'll just play all the time.

Same here - all the joy was sucked out of it and l gave up as soon as l could

15 minutes, 4 or 5 times per week should be enough to start (perhaps aim for 5, but be happy with 4), and can be built up gradually from there. Practising is a skill, and isn't often taught well: I was a post-grad (in music) before I learned how to do it well!

A few pointers:
-- start and finish with something they can do well. Once they've learned a few pieces, finish with a wee performance of a favourite.
-- learn new things in sections. After the beginning, it helps to learn the last section first, and go backwards. That way, they can always play the piece to the end!
-- don't play faster than you can be accurate, and don't just mindlessly repeat something and hope the mistakes will go away on their own. Repeating mistakes means you are learning the mistakes!

I didn't force my children to practice. One gave up after a couple of years. One reached grade 6 and stopped taking grades, but he still plays and is in a jazz band at uni. The third is 15 and working towards grade 7 in two instruments.

I had piano lessons but all I wanted to be able to do was knock out a tune. Eventually I got sick of it as it was so tedious.

Two of my kids are musicians, both self taught from 13 when they first picked up an instrument. One then had a year of lessons, the other didn't
My third is also self taught so far.

I think learning an instrument is great and saw my kids making huge leaps in other areas as soon as they picked up an instrument. There's no rush though.

my kids learned piano but I never made them practice. I was made to as a child and it was miserable.

They are now 19 and 15. The oldest is at uni studying electronic music and the youngest is doing GSSC music tech.

They both appreciated their piano lessons, however if it had been a chore, I think it would have put them off music for life

It very much depends on the child but you need to create an environment in which she is firmly encouraged to practice regularly. I’m a piano teacher. For my 7 year old beginners I recommend 5 mins a day on 5 days a week. Those young children who have parents who support this and encourage a discipline about it make much more consistent progress. Now, I’m not saying every child has to be a professional pianist, but the better they get the more fulfilling they will find it. Some children will practice independently but it is quite rare.

Also: Discipline over motivation.

No, sorry. If you want to be serious pianist you need to practice. I’m not saying every child wants or needs to be a serious pianist. But if they do they do need to practice.

I’ve never made ds1 practice, he started at 7, and for a few months I’d tell him when good times were to practice. But nothing after the prep test.

hes 16 and just finished grade 8 while doing his GCSE’s. It has to come from them.

This.

I was forced to play an instrument I hated and had to practice every day. At 18 I was actually very good but I stopped on my 18th birthday and never played again. I’m now 52 however with my children I wanted them to learn an instrument one gave up at 13 when he said that he mimed through the last concert. He also didn’t practice in between lessons, but I wasn’t going to force him. He really needed to work out that for himself. However, my daughter has two instruments a grade 8 and beyond. She practised from an early age. Every day or so, but I agree with sentiment above that she wasn’t necessarily practising what she’d learn in her lessons it was more being on both instruments and enjoying them and increasing her confidence. Then when she was in her early teens. Then she understood the need to practice properly in order to get better and excel.

You could try those apps to make it more fun?? And music she likes. Playing classical was the killer for me as a kid. But thinking of it now id like to get back into it playing music i enjoy

Well my dd is about to go do grade 3 and I've never ever forced her, asked her or made it all chore.

Grade 1 after initial grade 1 I booked it to soon and offered her money to practise. Also we had a key board left out where she sat and because she didn't have to go and sit in a special place she tinkered where she was... Watching TV playing and so on.

She really kicked back for a while but goes regularly now like a habit.
If she's got her grades mostly through lessons only now, I'll pay her to get to grade 5

I hate the idea of forcing make it fun or bribe