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Original poster

How often do your primary age DC practice their musical instruments?

42 replies

aniamana · 18/10/2022 18:10

It's hard getting the DC to practice. How often do yours practice theirs? I don't want to come down too heavy. DC is 9. I think it's a nice extra curricular but if they never practice it almost defeats the point and the lessons are not cheap.

I'm thinking of 10 mins a day a few times a week while I am making dinner as an incentive for DC to "earn" their dinner and it's a good time to remember it.

Just wondering what others do? And how often they manage to cajole their kids into practicing?

OP posts:
BeanieTeen · 18/10/2022 18:16

Do they actually enjoy it? I wouldn’t waste money or time on an extra curricular they don’t like. I certainly wouldn’t start any battles over it. I think if they don’t want to, drop it.

Rosegeranium · 18/10/2022 18:18

Mine (7) does 10 minutes a day. Most of the time she’s happy to do it. If she’s not we don’t make her. Her teacher said 10-20 mins a day.

UniversalTruth · 18/10/2022 18:19

I bribe my 9yo - 10 mins practice 3 times a week = £1 towards something he wants to buy.

I'm not loving doing it but it's working and I think he needs to get good enough to enjoy the instrument so I feel like I'm supporting him doing this.

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stargirl1701 · 18/10/2022 18:20

I think 4x per week plus the lesson is enough in primary school.

I think learning an instrument is important. It teaches perseverance in the face of challenge as well as the 'enjoyment' that comes from long term learning which is very different from fun.

I would encourage the 'right' instrument for each child and allow them to change instrument.

OneRingToRuleThemAll · 18/10/2022 18:21

One child 20 mins per day. The other child wouldn't practice so we cancelled the lessons after a term.

MassiveSalad22 · 18/10/2022 18:24

I wouldn’t go down the route of earning food to be honest… I’d be far more up for bribing with money!

Himawarigirl · 18/10/2022 18:24

My daughter’s (also 9) piano teacher tells her what to practice and asks that she does it 3 times per week, which she is happy to do.

Bigtom · 18/10/2022 18:26

10 minutes 4x per week on the piano for my 9 year old. Currently 10 minutes once a week on the guitar but she’s only just started and it’s v easy so far so doesn’t really need to practice.

museumum · 18/10/2022 18:30

We try to have our 9 yr old practice his guitar 3x a week. He NEVER wants to but when he does he loves his lesson and when he doesn’t he feels rubbish.
I know some way it should always be fun but I honestly can’t think of anything that I sometimes don’t feel like doing but know I should. I think it’s good for him.

bloodyeverlastinghell · 18/10/2022 18:31

10 minutes or so a day. He’s learning the chanter / bagpipes, daily practice helps you blow more consistently.

music lessons are free through the school though.

Newuser82 · 18/10/2022 18:33

10 minutes every day on the weekdays for piano. He is 9.

VariationsonaTheme · 18/10/2022 18:35

10 mins per day. Muscle memory is really important in playing instruments, even if what they’re playing is easy. They make much faster progress with a little every day, than 20 mins three times a week. With mine they were told if they didn’t practise then the lessons stopped. One continued, and has added voice lessons, and one stopped for a while then switched instruments and hasn’t looked back, plays every day for fun now.

Yika · 18/10/2022 18:36

15 minutes a day for guitar. We don’t always manage every day but I aim for 4 days a week as a minimum.

NotEvenSlightlyReasonable · 18/10/2022 18:38

DD started piano in year 1, loved the lessons, didn't practice so I stopped the lessons. I'm regretting that now as she's under a lot of pressure to learn piano...

Started singing lessons in year 5, never ever stops. Proper practice, but also constantly singing. Started viola in year 6 and she does 10 minutes if I'm lucky, 3 times a week if I nag. Year 8 now. She enjoys it, but she's lazy.

twistyizzy · 18/10/2022 18:38

Hardly ever hence she is 3 years into learning the flute and still absolutely crap! She does enough hobbies/extra curricular though and as long as it has taught her to read and appreciate music then I'm happy with that. It's obvious she isn't a natural talent, or has any interest in it so I don't push. She will give it up at end of primary I think.

Mariposista · 18/10/2022 18:39

BeanieTeen · 18/10/2022 18:16

Do they actually enjoy it? I wouldn’t waste money or time on an extra curricular they don’t like. I certainly wouldn’t start any battles over it. I think if they don’t want to, drop it.

Absolutely this.

Witchlight · 18/10/2022 18:40

15 proper minutes per day. Getting the music/instrument/seat/stand ready doesn’t count. One day off per week.

Music needs continual practice to progress and develop the muscle memory. It is an exercise in how regular work achieves success and develops skill. If they are too young to practice, maybe they’re not ready yet.

SwayingInTime · 18/10/2022 18:40

I had two that wouldn’t and one that would - I don’t make them beyond normal cajoling but obviously stopped the lessons for the two that didn’t. Frustratingly they’re all similarly naturally talented and the one that would practice be ended up an excellent musician. I could have had a band if I’d been meaner! I’m a big fan of singing lessons later on though. They don’t mind practicing and I think there are other benefits for confidence etc

Finerthings · 18/10/2022 18:41

I think you'll get a response bias. Mine have varied between every day without fail and once a fortnight when I stood over her.

I prefer after dinner or before school, when I have a bit of time too and can be called on if needed. Sometimes a bit of performance or writing a positive note in their practice book can really spur them on.

Whizzi24 · 18/10/2022 18:43

Mine only practises (guitar) once a week. With FT work, homework and about 4 other extra-curricukar activities it's all we can manage. She's not serious about the instrument though. It's a nice wxtra thing for her to have a go at.

cingolimama · 18/10/2022 18:46

Everyday is actually easier to enforce. It becomes habitual, like brushing your teeth, rather than "it's a Tuesday therefore it's practice day", iykwim. Fifteen minutes a day minimum will make real progress likely, which will in turn motivate you DC to practise.

Also, I would just say that learning a musical instrument is difficult, and you may need, at this stage, to enforce practise, at least until he gets to a decent skill level. As pp said, muscle memory is vital. It isn't like other extracurricular like, say, sport, where you can be kind of rubbish at it and still enjoy it. You have to put in the work.

I came from a culture where you just had to learn a musical instrument as part of your general education, and I realise that makes me an outlier. But good luck!

RaraRachael · 18/10/2022 18:46

I was made to practise for half an hour every single day unless we were away or I was doing something else. My mother didn't trust me to do it on my own even though she could have heard that I was actually practising so she would sit in the room offering her pearls of musical wisdom even though she couldn't play the bloody thing herself 😡

geraniumsandsunshine · 18/10/2022 18:47

@bloodyeverlastinghell that much be an unusual sound whilst he is a beginner?! Take it you are in Scotland

BoffinMum · 18/10/2022 18:47

I used to be a music teacher. I used to give my pupils a special sheet and get them to colour in a little icon each time they practised, and show it to me each week. It was surprisingly effective in helping to create a regular practice habit.

Milkand2sugarsplease · 18/10/2022 18:50

We did a very blunt "you need to practice 4/7 days (including the lesson day so essentially only 3 extras). I have him a half terms notice that if it wasn't happening his lesson would be cancelled. It didn't happen and I cancelled the lesson. It was absolutely pointless when he was literally playing for the 15 minutes of his lesson. He had notice and understood and still chose not to practice so it got stopped. He much prefers his sports hobbies.