Take the Stress Out of Your Children’s Music Lessons

                I played the flute from 3^rd grade through my senior year of high school. I have great memories of playing in the band, practicing with my friend who also played flute, taking lessons for a bit and marching band. We loved the idea of our boys learning an instrument so we started discussing it when Mr1 was 7. Our two older boys have been in piano for 3 and 2 years. When we first approached the idea with my oldest, he was game to try it out and enjoyed his first year. My second oldest has always shown more interest in music so we asked him, he was interested and started him a year before our oldest. We are fortunate to have lessons with our Pastors wife who is a caring, enthusiastic and experienced music teacher. She also offers a great rate for lessons! Let’s be honest, it’s an investment to have your children in music lessons and if they aren’t having fun, if you are nagging them to practice and if they aren’t learning it’s a waste of the investment. Here are some ways we have made piano lessons less stressful for both musician and mom.

-Have a visual way tool to use while practicing each song.  Our teacher asks her students to practice each song for that week every day 5 times through. I find 5 objects and place them on the side of the piano. This could be Legos, it could be math manipulatives, small animal figures or even chocolate chips to enjoy after the practicing. Each time the student plays the song they move one of the items to the other side of the piano. When it’s time for the next song they just move the piece to the other side of the piano the 5 times per song. It helps the student keep track and stay focused on the song rather than trying to remember how many times they’ve played. Chocolate chips or other small candy can help motivate a student a bit if they can enjoy the treat after the practicing is over.

-Play for more than just lessons, practice and recital. Since we are living at my parents, we attend a different church for the time being. This is a small church without a lot of children so I asked the pianist if she would ever have two young musicians prepare a piece to play for the offertory. She LOVED the idea! I chose a date a couple of months out and the boys chose a hymn. It was a fantastic way to keep them practicing during the summer (when we usually take a break from lessons). My boys received many compliments after they played that day. It was great for them to use their skill to bless other folks and take the focus off of their normal piano routine through the year. Playing for folks in a church setting may not be an option for you. Larger churches may not be able to offer this opportunity to a young musician. Consider having grandparents over for a “home recital” Choose a couple of pieces to practice and play and have a little reception of snacks that they kids can prepare.  Keep it light and make it fun.

Goal chart- When a recital or lessons aren’t on the calendar it’s helpful to keep practicing even if it’s just a couple of days a week. Even playing through a couple of songs 2-3 times 3-4 days a week keeps the wheels turning and can avoid frustration and backslide when you start lessons up again. I made a simple chart and had 20 spots to fill in for the month. If the boys practiced piano for 20 days over the month, they got a prize. It could have been a candy bar or a trip to the dollar store.

I hope these ideas help you and your musician enjoy and grow with their instrument whether they play piano or drums, (one of my fears as a mother)  Remember that you pay money so it’s ok to stress that fact to them and encourage the lesson of taking care of an investment but also remember that they are kids and if it is truly a stressful endeavor, it may not be the right time to learn an instrument. Kids grow in different areas at different rates so that stress could be because they are growing in another area of their lives.  Have fun and enjoy the music!