Dd’s teacher suggesting I sit in on the lesson so Dd remembers what to do

That’s an interesting idea. It’s something my dd could do well as kids tend to like her as she can be a bit silly

my dd started piano at 4 and my ds had been playing violin for a couple of years so he helped her more than me tbh!

I think it’s hard when you don’t understand the instrument as a parent. That was me. My kids learned piano and I don’t play. Just tell the teacher this so she can adapt the lesson to easier. Progress will probably be slower than with a piano playing parent but it is possible!

if you are very keen and have the money you could employ a local student to help with practice?

7 is a good and typical age to start because (barring SEN), 7yos can read (words) by then and have developed the necessary physical coordination to play most instruments, and have the ability to concentrate through a 20-30 minute lesson. 1 hour would absolutely be too long for nearly all kids this age but no teacher with any experience at all would suggest a 1 hour lesson - I’m sure the OP’s DD does 20-30 mins.

At 7 practice can be 10-15 mins per day but anything is better than nothing and 5 mins daily is better than 15 mins twice a week - the key is little and often and establishing a routine.

I also think the piano can be a bit deceptive as the very early books give some instant gratification. It then gets hard as there is so much to learn. I’ve sort of learnt the hard way at that age they really need to be doing regular, short practice to progress. However, I also think it’s really good for them to see that for some things they have to put some effort and work in. Not everything they do will be easy and I’ve found out of all the activities we’ve done, it’s been music that has been best for building resilience and work ethic.

One of my children does an instrument with a teacher who's from a different cultural background, and she said the expectation here for children to practise independently is unrealistic and that parents need to sit with them through the younger years, so that's what we did. I sit with her for lessons and practice. I do read music, but it's not an instrument I've learned, so the teacher used to spend some time showing me what my child needed to do and how to practise it, and making me have a go! We don't have a written notebook. It works well for us.

Learning to practice instruments effectively takes time. As I young child I found it tedious and boring, I probably didn’t take practice seriously until my early teens. My 12yo is learning drums which is luckily an instrument I can play so we practice together lots at home but I think it would be really difficult if he didn’t have me to support him, help him understand the timing, notation etc. If he didn’t have me I don’t think he’d have a clue what to do if I’m honest apart from play the stuff he already has nailed down. I used to have specific songs to work on and i would listen to these on cd and then work my way through the song. Can she read music competently? Is she doing music theory along with practical as I honestly think you do need both.

I attend all DS’s lessons with him, I’m not sure if the approach would be different if I wasn’t a drummer but it’s certainly very much left to me to help him at home.

Its a really good age to start learning. If she moves to a different instrument, piano will be a great foundation.

Its like learning to read. At first they need to read with you after school, get things wrong repeatedly, have lots of encouragement.

Then, gradually they become more independent.

Its a great idea to attend her lessons for now. I doubt it will be forever.

Imo, a year is the minimum to try it.

@Stopwiththeicecreamsnow
Can you give an example of something written in the notebook which your daughter doesn't understand please?
Someone could help you with it and also it might give an indication of whether the teacher is overestimateimg what a 7 year old should understand or whether it's quite clear and it's perhaps reluctance from your child to practise.

This is the teacher's way of getting you to engage in your child's learning. Your child will get so much more out of it if you have some idea of what they are doing, the rhythm of the tune etc. You could even ask to record it so you can help them. Most are too young to self direct a practice at that age- it's better if you're around and half listening in even if doing other jobs.

I am a pro musician. It is really hard at first and there is a lot to process. She’s effectively learning to read a new language of symbols alongside operating a new instrument so it is going to take time.

It’s also really normal for kids to not to want to practice at such a young age. In the beginning the instrument doesn’t give them the instant gratification. Learning an instrument is also a lesson in dedication and perseverance not just the playing of the instrument itself.

All kids are different. 7 would have been too young for me. How long are the lessons? I did private tuition in a completely different subject. I refused to teach children below secondary level, simply because they lacked the concentration needed for a one hour lesson. Even though I included built in fun activities and down time.

If the lesson is less than an hour it would be no hardship for you to sit in.
I loved the recorder. I drove my family mad, playing it non stop. I can still play the new world symphony from memory.
The fact that your daughter isn't even playing easy stuff non stop indicates to me that she doesn't love the piano. I can still plonk out some finger exercises on the piano, but was never much good.
Primary schools tend to teach glockenspiel and ukulele, recorders seem to have gone out of fashion. All 3 are easy and you could probably learn alongside her. I would consider an easier instrument, she can always return to the piano.

Forgot to say I also endured dragging kids to violin lessons, keyboard lessons, school concerts. I had the costs associated with all these activities: ballet shoes, riding hats, brownie uniforms, kickboxing uniform, camping equipment. The list is endless.
My point is, piano lessons are just a small part of a child's life. There's lots of other activities and interests for them to pursue. I'm sure there's lots of posters who can attest that they spent a fortune on hobbies that kids lost interest in

I’m a music teacher (woodwind not piano) and honestly there’s a huge difference in the progress and engagement between children whose parents are supportive and take an active interest (even if they’re not at all musical themselves) and those whose parents don’t. There are hardly any 7year olds who have the self-discipline needed to practise effectively and independently - they need support and encouragement. I wouldn’t get too hung up on exactly what she should be practising - if she’s playing something, that’s a win at the moment, and you want to keep things as positive as possible. Ask your dd to teach you something (something from earlier in the book that she finds easy, so she gets the confidence boost of being the ‘expert’), give her compliments when she plays, try to find a regular time for her to practise when it won’t feel too energy-sapping (sometimes a bit in the morning works best, rather than in the after-school slump). I think it’s really positive that the teacher’s invited you to sit in - and it probably will be helpful to do it a couple of times so you can see what kind of thing the teacher’s asking her to do at home.

Lots of schools offer music lessons either for individual or small group tuition. Why not look into that? Also, state schools generally spend time on Whole Class Ensemble Tuition, most often in year 4. Although it’s a long time ago now, my own daughters did flute (disaster), djembe drumming & ukulele, both great. Some schools do brass teaching which leads into bands. Go and ask what they do.

i agree with the recorder & brass suggestions above, but check the situation with adult teeth for brass. Also ukulele is great as apart from learning chords and also chord progressions, they sing.

Almost anything else!

She would probably make fastest progress on woodwind or brass, so unless she is really drawn to strings I’d suggest one of those.

For woodwind she could start on recorder (can play in a recorder group almost immediately) and then move to flute or clarinet later (or oboe or bassoon later still). For brass she could start with trumpet or trombone (horn or tuba later). All of these sound very different from each other and feel very different to play - she will have a preference. Best idea is to listen to them (online fine) and go to a music shop or music school and ask to try out a few.

She will have made a great start on piano and presumably reading both clefs so anything else will likely feel easy for her. Once she’s played for a couple of terms find her a junior ensemble and it will open so many social doors as well as musical ones. Wanting to play well in front of others may also give her the intrinsic motivation to practice that is key.

I think DD is quiet quitting, she doesn’t want to practise so ‘forgets’

maybe ask her if she wants a break/give up the instrument and do another hobby

7 is pretty normal age to start musical instruments. However, piano is one of the more complicated ones, so family support plays a bigger role.

Disclaimer, I'm not in the UK, so I don't think about the UK grade options, but in my experience:
I'd say recorder and ukulele are the easiest (and some children start as 4-5 yo here, together with violin, but that one is harder again).
Recorder plays one note at the time and some places offer group lessons. Ukulele is about songs and a few patterns.

Violin is harder because it is easy to make laud unpleasant noises and requires practice to get over that stage.
Piano is harder, because both hands participate in very similar way, playing more notes at the same time.

7 is a really good age to start learning an instrument - definitely not too young.

I agree though that piano wouldn’t be my first pick as a huge amount of the joy of music comes from playing with others, which takes a long time on piano compared to most other instruments. If she ends up swapping to something else though it’s an excellent foundation.

Please, please, please do NOT put the note names on the piano keys. This will hinder progress as the child will keep looking down at the keys rather than looking at the music.

It could be a lot of cognitive overload at that age. Might be worth labelling the keys of her piano (you can find diagrams easily online) and sitting with her as she labels the notes in the music (Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit for the lines from bottom to top and FACE for the gaps) this is also easily googled.

If she can see the notes names in the music and on the keys it might help her feel comfortable. She can internalise it more later.

DD is having you on to avoid practicing.

No, all mine started younger but we had a piano at home and it was just a natural progression.

Sit in with the lessons for a while, let her teach you how to play when she does her practice and see how it goes. Be open to trying an instrument or form in groups if piano doesn’t work at this age. Give her the love of music and it will never go away, it doesn’t really matter which form it takes at this age.

I've had four kids do music lessons, I would say at that age it's much better if the parent can sit in on the class.