How to get your child to practise a musical instrument - and for them to enjoy it!

Run out of ideas for motivating your child to practise? Try these 6 top tips

The violin was something I knew I always wanted to do. I was the kid that drew pictures of myself on stage with wild goals underneath saying "I want to be a professional violinist by the time I'm 18" and "This is me in a professional orchestra." Even with those lofty goals, I can still vividly remember my mum saying, "if you don't practise you can't have violin lessons" and "if you don't practise, you can't watch the Simpson's!" Although playing violin was something that I really wanted as a child, I still needed help and guidance to set practise routines and achievable goals. Music practise requires patience, focus, determination, and discipline, which lets face it, are tricky qualities to acquire at a young age, especially with the distraction of technology! So lets look into some helpful hints on how to make it a little easier.

Tip #1 Establish practise times and routines they can turn into a habit:

Sit down with your child and figure out when the best time to practise is and for how long they think they can do it. The instrumental teacher will have recommendations on practise length too, but here's a rough guide on how long to practise. It might be 10mins before school 4 days a week, or 20mins before dinner 5 days a week. Write down what you have agreed on, and put it up somewhere they can see it when they're practising so they know the plan. Practise charts are a great way to go, and there are some examples here. You might need to be there or "in the background" to make sure they stay on task, encourage them, or in some cases, sit there with a countdown timer until it's done.

Tip #2 Make sure you have a practise journal for the teacher to fill in:

Some kids remember exactly what they need to do from their lesson and will make great progress that week. Others will make up what they have to do and practise random things with varying degrees of progress. And the last few will sit there having no idea what they're meant to do... and do nothing. Kids (and adults!) need a plan of attack, and a way to remember all the little things they did in their lesson, so make sure your child has a notebook for the teacher to write in.

It's hard to be motivated to practise when you don't know what to do! If your child walks out of the lesson with no idea what just happened or what they're meant to do that week, email or call the teacher to double check; if they're worth their salt, they will be more than happy to help!

Tip #3 Teacher Recordings and Backing Tracks:

Ask the instrumental teacher if they will record the piece your child is playing so your child can listen back when at home. Some students need more than written words in the journal, and audio and visual cues may be needed. Quite often there are Youtube clips available of pieces, along with backing tracks for your child to play along with. The more musical and engaging the practise, the more fun your child will have with it.

Tip #4 Try a reward system:

It's surprising what a child (or adult for that matter!) will do for an ice cream or movie night. You have to be careful with this one as it loses its charm after a while, however with structured planned ideas such as a weekly reward systems for achieving their weekly practise, can work really well. You could even decide together what the reward could be based on the practise time they achieved, whether it's weekly or for a whole term.

There was a challenge online a while ago called #100daysofpractise where music students would post on social media a snippet of their daily practise. Now 100 days is a little too long for a little person, but you could try the 7 day challenge, or the 14 day challenge, and then the 21 day challenge etc. with rewards fit for each achievement. You could get creative and make charts with the countdown of days and "gold pot" at the end.

Tip #5 Have a family concert or ask your teacher if there are events they can perform in:

Having a specific goal to work towards with a "time crunch" can be a great motivator for children. It's also a wonderful opportunity for them to show off what they've learnt, and to feel proud about what they've accomplished so far. In Perth, there is the AUSTA Music Festival, Fremantle Eisteddfod, AMEB exams, and quite often schools run their own concerts too.

Tip #6 Join an ensemble:

Having asked many colleagues over the years what motivated them to practise when they were little, the answer I hear most is "because of ensemble". Ensembles (like orchestra, string ensemble, quartet, band etc.) can be wonderful fun, especially if there's a fun conductor or you're playing with friends. There is something truly magical about creating music with friends and family. I have students that will only practise ensemble music, because they want to play the best they can for the "team."

These are just a few ideas; I think the most important thing to note about practise is that while music is fun and should definitely be enjoyed, it's not always fun and does require discipline and work. Like most things in life, anything that's worth doing takes a lot of effort, and with that hard work comes the reward. I can say without a doubt, I'm glad my parents helped me to understand this, because I love that I can play and create on the violin as I do now!