photo by smlions12
Many a mom has begrudgingly hollered for the umpteenth time, “Go practice your {piano, violin, tuba}!”
It just seems to be one of those things that gets shoved to the side and often ends up forgotten, and then hollered about.
Why not make it easy on yourself and make it part of the school day?
If you use assignment sheets, make one for the child’s lesson practice. If your older child keeps track of his or her own work, have them schedule in instrument practice.
For some parents it works well to send one child off to practice their instrument while the parent works with another child in another part of the house. (We’ve been blessed with a digital piano that has headphones so school work can continue as usual for the rest of the household.)
We use a folder system in our homeschool that incorporates laminated tags with Velcro on the back. When a chore or school subject is complete, the tag moves from the folder to a chart on the wall. Piano is one of those tabs.
However it is that you organize your school day, make music lesson practice a part of that day by giving it a proper place within your schedule rather than relegating it to an afterthought. (Your child’s instructor will thank you!)
Amy can be found writing at Raising Arrows.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
We definitely have to include it as part of our school day as well. If we didn’t do that, the kids would never practice the piano. It’s just so hard to remember.
.-= Angie @ Many Little Blessings´s last blog ..7 Quick Takes: February 12, 2010 (Vol. 29) =-.
Great idea! Something that seems so simple and yet could be overlooked. As a piano teacher, I appreciate the importance you put on practicing. Students learn so much from music. Dedication and perseverance is only the beginning when students learn the meaning of practice.
Piano is on my daughter’s weekly schedule. She has to mark it off each day. We often use it as a “break” of sorts between more mentally straining tasks.
.-= Jimmie´s last blog ..Customs or Superstitions (And What’s the Difference?) =-.
Jimmie,
I see that too with my children. Practicing in between harder subjects gives them a moment to decompress. Not sure every child would see practicing as a way to decompress, but my children do.
Amy
.-= Amy @ Raising Arrows´s last blog ..Enjoying Your Pregnancy – Soothing Music =-.
This is a very good tip, and a great habit to get into. It has been my experience that if I want to accomplish anything – from music practice to paying the bills – it actually needs to be scheduled in my calendar.
Thanks for the great advice!
.-= Julie @ Buy a Student Flute´s last blog ..Student Flutes Online =-.
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