10 tips to help your child practise between lessons

By Meredith Cadd

Helping your child to practise can be daunting and sometimes frustrating.  Children (like adults) have good and bad days which can affect their ability or desire to practise. 

The golden rule is: Hang in there! Once you have developed a practise routine and your child can see their own progress they will want to play more. Both parent and child invest time and energy into lessons so it's important to get the most from your efforts in between your formal lesson time. Practising in between lessons reinforces learning and technique and can give children a sense of accomplishment as they progress to more complex techniques. 

All students are required to practise so here are some tips to keep you on track and sane:

1. Have a regular practise time, mornings can work well - that way you never get to the end of day having forgotten to play.
   
2. Small practises every day are better than a long practise a couple of times a week - beginners  need only 5 to 10 minutes per day.
   
3. Remove all distractions from the room.
   
4. Don't answer the phone and try to dissuade siblings from interrupting during practise - this helps your child to concentrate and allows you to show them how important helping them practise is to you.
   
5. If you find yourself getting frustrated, or your child is too tired to practise effectively, put the violin away and try again the next day. 
   
6. Listen to as much music as possible - growing a love for music will help practise.
   
7. Praise, praise and more praise!
   
8. Don't compare your child's progress to others - all children move at different speeds and comparison helps no one.
   
9. Reward charts can be very helpful - for example 10 practise stickers equal a hot chocolate with mum.
   
10. Enjoy yourself - remember your child is talented and together you are embarking on a wonderful journey.