Should you let your child quit music lessons because they’re not practicing? As owner of Melody Music Studios, I’ve had countless parents cancel music lessons because they’re tired of struggling to get their child to practice. But is this a good reason to cancel their child’s music lessons?
Benefits of Music Lessons
I get it; music lessons can be time-consuming and costly. As parents, we do our best to ensure our children get the best education and expose them to many things as possible to help them succeed. At the same time, we want to see a return on our investment. When your child isn’t practicing, it can feel like your time and money are being wasted. But is it a waste just because the student struggles with practicing? Are you sending the right message when you allow your child to quit?
Music lessons teach more than just how to sing or play an instrument. It teaches young students discipline and how to continue even when it’s difficult. When you let your child quit, you’re missing out on a perfect teaching moment. Would you let your child quit school because it’s challenging or they won’t do their homework? When your child grows up and has a difficult job, will they quit easily?
Reasons for Not Practicing
So why doesn’t a student want to practice in the first year of lessons? If we can figure out why they’re NOT practicing, we can reverse it to ensure they DO practice. Here are five reasons students don’t (or won’t) practice and the solutions.
#1 Problem: Student Doesn’t Understand What’s Taught or Assigned
Not understanding is the biggest secret to why a student doesn’t practice and probably 85% of the root cause. Most students will rarely admit they don’t understand what’s taught or assigned, making this the most challenging problem to detect.
Solution: To ensure your child understands what they were taught, ask them to tell you what they learned in the lesson and their assignments. If your child is unable to do that, there’s the problem. Consider being present during a lesson to see how the instructor engages with your child, especially when first starting.
#2 Problem: The Perfectionist Student
The most challenging type of student is the perfectionist because they want to play it perfectly the first time and don’t like learning something new. So, if you have that type of child, it may be challenging to make them stick with it when they are constantly learning new concepts and making mistakes.
Solution: Keep reminding your child that mistakes are a part of the learning process, but as they practice, they’ll play it perfectly in no time. Music lessons are the perfect way to help your child learn to tackle new concepts, which can help in all aspects of life.
#3. Problem: Not Enough Time
If you’re a private music teacher, how often have you heard your students say they didn’t have time to practice? I consider this more of an excuse than the actual reason. As humans, we make time for the things we want to do. The underlying reason is either they don’t want to do it or they need help with time management.
Solution: Time management is also a life lesson, which is another benefit of music lessons. Since most activities in a student’s life are scheduled, why not mandate the practices also be scheduled? Practicing at the same time every day will make it a part of the student’s daily routine.
#4 Problem: The Student Doesn’t Enjoy What’s Taught
If your child tells you they don’t like the songs or what they’re learning, ask them why. Keep in mind that this could be another excuse, and the real reason could be back to problem #1. However, if your child has specific reasons for not liking what they are learning, there is a solution.
Solution: If your child is complaining about the fundamentals in the lesson, remind your child that this is part of learning. If it’s a particular song or style, ask your child what songs or styles they are interested in. You can relay this to the music teacher to see if these could be incorporated into the lessons.
#5 Problem: Student is Guilted into Practicing
Many react negatively when pressured or guilted into doing something, and practicing is no different. Sometimes, the worst thing a parent can do is continually pressure the student to practice.
Solution: Instead of a negative response to not practicing, give rewards when they do practice. I give points to my students for practicing and passing their assignments with a prize after so many points. You can talk to your child’s music teacher about a point system you and your teacher can work on.