My Kids Need to Practice How Much?
Whether you have taken lesson when you were young or your kids are about to start their musical journey, one question is always lingering in the air. How much do you my kids need to practice in order to get the most of out of their musical education? Or, how much practice is needed for it to ‘stick?’
In today’s post, we will look at what the recommendations are as well as what I’ve seen over the years when it comes to practical application. It’s one thing to recommend 2 hours of practice a day, it’s another for it to actually be practical in everyday life. I’ll give you some no-nonsense advice that I’ve seen work time and time again.
The goal, after all, is to enjoy the experience of music with your kids or students. You don’t want to turn it into a chore. You also don’t want to sit back too much and let it fall through the cracks. I can’t tell you how many kids I’ve seen take lessons for years and make very little progress. We’ll talk about how to avoid that.
Step #1: Start Learn Music
This may seem like a silly thing to being with, but it’s similar to exercising. You have to actually begin. Don’t just talk about it, take the first step and begin. Whether it’s through us here at Color Me Mozart or with private lessons for older children, it’s crucial to begin.
Much in the same way that a trainer will tell you that you don’t have to wait for conditions to be prefect, music works the same way. It is rare that we have ‘enough’ time for anything. We need to go for it and make it happen. With the first step out of the way, the next question is, what do I do?
Step #2: Have a Music Plan
Too many people start without any actionable plan. This may work for a limited time, but after a while, it will be difficult to track progress or even know what to do next. Following a plan relieves stress on your end and makes it easy to tackle everything needed for a great musical education experience.
If your kids are older, there are many programs and ways to accomplish their music education. You can get them private lessons, have them work on piano apps, or websites like theMusicWorkshop.com are all great ways for them to learn music.
If your kids are young, pre-school, kindergarten or first grade, you can join us here at Color Me Mozart. I developed our music learning system to be taught the same way a child absorbs language in their developmental years. It flows seamlessly with their other educational curriculum. While a child learns their ABC’s, numbers, colors and shapes, they can be learning music simultaneously.
Step #3: Practice How Much?
So here we are, finally answering the question of how much should your kids practice music. While I will not pretend that there is a magic bullet answer, I will share how to guarantee a successful music experience. The answer is consistently.Perhaps it’s not the answer you were waiting to hear.
However, think about it. In every area of life, consistency is the key to success. School, work, exercise, hobbies, you name it, if you don’t do those activities consistently, failure is sure to follow. But enough of that, I promised you practical and applicable advice, how much time!?
Here’s my practical practice tips:
- Set aside a music time every, no matter how short, let’s take 15 min as an example
- Start with a singalong to get warmed up and in the musical mood
- Review what you did the previous lesson
- Teach today’s musical lesson
- End with a song to transition to the next activity
- Track progress on our practice calendar and display it proudly!
Conclusion
Make sure that every music session with your kids and students has all the important elements. Warm-up, review, lesson and transition to next activity. If you do this a few times a week, I promise you that results will be seen and more importantly, you and your kids will have a blast.
As always, happy playing!
