Music lessons: someone slap me or pass the tissues!

[Jaffacakesareyummy]

Paid for 3 years worth of violin and now Ds has decided he hates it, won't practise and wants to do guitar. So i compromise and let him do both, loads of moaning about Violin continues and now guitar teacher is annoyed at not enough practise too! ????????not enough hours in our week! So decided to stop violin which he is good at, now working on practising the guitar more so have now discovered he's actually quite crap at it!

You can't seriously tell me he doesn't have a 15 minute window in his day anywhere? If that truly is the case then you have a lot more to worry about than music practice.

At primary age I'd say 15 mins a day every day, except lesson day, is a minimum. Increasing to half an hour or more a day once they're mid-teens.

My five year old manages 10 minutes a day 6 days a week. If a child has time to play on the Internet they have time to practice.

My mum used to make me play each of the pieces I was supposed to be practising three times before school and three times after school everyday, from about age 8.

Not saying it was a great idea, I rushed through them as quickly as possible and still can do barely more than pick out a tune, despite years of (expensive) lessons, but of course it's possible. If it's not, it really is time to stop the lessons.

I am reminded about the Dragon Mother woman who says the first hour is easy, it's practise hours two and three that take some managing...

I think it's help to give a child a target with practicing rather than play a piece x number of times. Children like company and its counter productive to practice in a room all on their own.

Ds3 (8) practices piano for 15 minutes every morning and 15 minutes most afternoons. I feel that this is the minimum he can do if he wants to make good progress. I'm sure most children can find half an hour somewhere in the day to practice.

Ha ha shedding, same in our house. My opinions or observations are so not welcome during DDs violin practices.