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Children today lead busy lives. They often have after-school programs, soccer practice, little league baseball, gymnastics, and private music lessons. Given their schedules, kids often need adults to help them schedule and structure music practice time after their music teacher wraps up their weekly private lesson.

Schedule a Time

The first challenge is scheduling instrument practice time. Any child who goes to school all day, then goes to a scout meeting after school, then straight to a soccer match, before arriving home at 6:30 is going to be exhausted, and unlikely to want to practice for their beginner guitar lessons. One solution might be to schedule a practice time before they leave for school each day. Even 15 minutes of efficient practice time before school, if carefully structured, may be more effective than a half-hour or more of practice time on the guitar or piano in the evening after a full, tiring day.  If this is not feasible, then a set practice time each day is also an effective solution. Most children like to have some input in such decisions, so allowing them to set their music practice time is often motivating to them.

Set a Structure

Once a practice time is set, children may need assistance with allocating their practice time between songs, scales, or exercises in their music books. Developing a specific plan for their practice time is akin to goal-setting, a great lifelong skill. Be sure to get a recommendation from your music teacher, he/she will be a fantastic resource.

For younger kids, it is also best to help them structure practice into small increments. A child in the 2nd grade might have a 10-minute piano practice time, while a child in 5th grade might practice 30 minutes on his or her guitar. Be mindful that many young children would rather play scales or a song a certain number of times rather than for a given duration, so feel free to mix up your approach.

Repeat

Daily practice is important, especially with piano or guitar lessons for kids, and although children may not always be 100% excited about regularity, it is the most effective way to become a proficient musician. To encourage motivation, “mark off” what they complete from their practice plan. This feeds their sense of accomplishment, which, along with your positive feedback and support, will result in a strong, well-rounded musician.