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

[Stopwiththeicecreamsnow]

Dd recently started a new music lesson. She really enjoyed it at first, but has been struggling recently with understanding/remembering what to do for her homework.
She’s bright and motivated usually, but not keen to do this practice homework each week.
The teacher is very nice. I said to her that Dd had made a great effort but struggled to know what to do. She said they would work on it and maybe I could sit in on the lesson so I can remember what she needs to do too.
I’m ok to do this, but wondering if this is the right approach and think she probably just needs to go more slowly with Dd so she understands? I’m also worried I may not remember myself as I have so much to remember in my life already 😂
During her lesson, I generally use that time to sit in my car and catch up on work emails etc.

I sit in with DSs lessons, he is eight.

I can't play the instrument myself (it's drums) nor read the notes, so not sure how much use I am with the homework. I just enjoy watching him progress.

DS prefers when we sit in the room with him when he practices at home, he still likes the guidance on what bits to practice. When he does practice on his own he plays for longer, but also not necessarily what is in the book.

Do you say this about subjects? Division, fractions, reading, passing a football?

They literally have levels at school. Different reading levels being the obvious one in primary and children are placed in sets according to ability when they get to secondary school. Sport is the same, especially football most grassroots clubs will have multiple teams at the age group and the kids will be put into teams of similar levels of ability and play against other teams of the ability.

with music it’s the same the teaching should be at the child pace and at a level they understand. My son learns 3 instruments. He struggles with guitar more than the other 2. He’s lucky enough to be getting 121 for this at a a pace that’s good for his learning.

if the child doesn’t understand then its either the wrong level or the wrong teacher

I sat with my DCs when they were young, similar to and a bit younger than your DC. My input became less and less as they progressed in skills and ageX
Once they got to grade 3 (around age 8ish) I left them to it, as it was more than I could follow and they had grasped the concepts well enough that they could get on with it themselves.

Class music lessons are a bit like class swimming lessons - unfortunately, real progress on an instrument only comes with small group of 1:1 lessons. By real progress, I mean getting to a level to sound good as individual or ensemble, but to develop good technique and then, hopefully, break through the pain of practicing to actually enjoy playing the instrument.

A good teacher will only ask you to sit in from time to time with two aims, helping you to help your child with practice methods and giving you an insight into their progress in lessons. A good teacher will teach to their strengths and at their level
of understanding and be prepared to do that. A good teacher will know who pays and that they are not a school teacher but a service paid for by a parent.

@Uptightmumma to take your reading levels example, all parents are expected to read with their kids daily in the early years of primary. There is an assumption that all parents can already read (not the case with playing the relevant instrument), but still my children’s school had various sessions where they explained the phonics programme to parents so that they could ensure there was consistency between the reading they were doing in the classroom and the reading practice happening at home.

The purpose of a parent attending music lessons is exactly the same - it’s not about whether the child understands what they’re being taught, but about ensuring that they can be supported in their practice to cover what they’ve been doing in their lesson (in exactly the same way that schools expect parents to support with eg reading).

I don’t think it’s essential btw depending on the child and instrument. My parents did not attend my lessons and I went all the way to conservatoire, but I was older when I started (10) and my instrument (brass) was more straightforward in some ways than others (eg in terms of posture). As I said earlier, my DS started violin at 6 and it’s been really important for me to attend his. It’s not a sign that his teacher is wrong or that he shouldn’t be learning - he’s got to grade 5 in 2 years.

I think 95% of teachers at Junior Department expected parents of younger children to sit in on all lessons, and they're one of the best teachers. It's very misleading to say that a good teacher would only invite parents from time to time.

It only changes in secondary school.

It's not about reading music either or remembering which scale to play, but about posture, hands set up, fingers articulation, breathing control and other physical things requiring a great deal of body awareness that cannot be expected in a 7yo. That's exactly why OP's daughter "doesn't understand" what to do and it's absolutely normal and doesn't mean she's not interested or too young to play the piano. The older you get, the more difficult it becomes to develop a good technique on instruments like piano
or violin.