Learning music is a special gift that everyone should experience at a certain point in their life. For many parents, seeing your child develop a passion for music can be an incredible journey to watch. While learning an instrument is fun and exciting for all students especially starting out, there will be concepts that will prove to be challenging for students. Whether is it note reading, remembering rhythms, or understanding particular musical concepts; music requires individuals to remember many different things at once. Because of this, learning musical concepts can sometimes grow to be frustrating for the student. The number one thing to ensure as a parent to make sure your child is having fun. If they are enjoying themselves on their instrument, they will only be more motivated to practice and in turn will show significantly faster progression.

1. Communication

For many students enrolled in music lessons, it is usually a weekly lesson that occurs at the same day and time each week. While it’s important for all students to establish a consistent lesson and practice routine, it’s also vital to maintain an open mind as well. While assuming your instructor will have helpful feedback each week, checking in with the work and asking questions to both your child and the instructor is essential to stay updated with the lessons and make sure everything is going smoothly.

2. Every Week Doesn’t Need To Have Perfect Practice

Every instructor will have their own approach for what they think is best for practice based on the student’s age, experience, and skill level on their instrument. With that said, every teacher will require some form of practice expectations. Following a routine with practice is important, because the consistency familiarizes musical concepts that would be much more difficult if not visited as frequently. There will be some weeks where the practice goal isn’t met, and that is okay. What’s important is that the weeks surrounding a week of minimal practice to be more consistent.

3. Talking With The Teacher

Your child’s music teacher has spent a large part of their life dedicated to their instrument and teaching, and utilizing their feedback and information can transform the lesson experience. Asking the teacher a certain question or sharing a certain observation with your child is a great way to ask for the instructor’s thoughts. Especially if your child might be having a challenging time, checking in with the instructor can be highly valuable and rewarding.