She just won't practice! How to make practice fun...

I've been dealing with some students who've been having some really hard times practicing.  I have one student who decided she wanted to play guitar, after some questioning, mainly because piano was becoming too hard. 

Once a student passes the "Twinkle, twinkle little star" stage, the piano becomes a little harder to do.  There are separate rhythms and finger positions in the two hands.  Admittedly, it's a lot to process especially when you feel like you should be able to.  So, as a parent, it's best that you don't say negative things like, "you should be able to do that by now..." or "..you're not doing so well anymore.." or anything like this that may not seem damaging but it's pretty much death to the child's ego. 

I'm not saying that you should give false praise, however, it is best to reward the effort.  So, here are some things that you, the parent, can do to make practicing more fun.

1. THE PRACTICE JAR - Get a class container, paint measurement lines on the jar and paint some beans.  Each time that the child practices, place bean in the jar.  When the beans reach one of the measurement lines, he or she gets some type of prize or reward.  It could be their favorite candy, a trip to their favorite place, or the prizes can change. 

2. SING A LONG - Many of the songs have lyrics, so sing a long.  While your child practices, come sing while they play, when they're ready.  Mom or dad singing the song is "the prize" for playing the song correctly.

3. SWITCH IT UP - Most of the time, practicing can be boring because it's the same song, the same way.  Sometimes, it's best just to get it out.  To get the notes, and then play it like you want, however you want and as loud as you want.  As the teacher, I can come and make sure they know and understand the "written way" but sometimes it's just fun to bang on the piano and get through the song.

Doing a couple of these or all of these will make practicing more fun.  Typically, I stop stressing practice so much when the student is losing interest and we focus more on "fun" music that they know to get the interest back, and then we'll return to the scholarly work of music after the interest has returned while maintaining the interest level with songs and activities. 

Remember, music doesn't have to be boring!  There's music value in Pop, Hip Hop, Folk and all other styles.