"Getting Kids to Practice Music without Tears or Tantrums"

Hey Parents!

This article just seems to sum it up:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2012/06/18/155282684/getting-kids-to-practice-music-without-tears-or-tantrums

Here are a few of my favorite ideas:

Having a goal for each practice session is essential, whether your child is practicing for five minutes or a couple of hours each day. From the Top alumna Ren Martin-Doike, a 20-year-old violist who now studies at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, says that her number one practice technique is to write down those benchmarks: "Set goals, hold yourself accountable to them and create a practice log you can be proud of!"

In our house, the mood, and the amount of stuff we could accomplish in less than 10 minutes changed really dramatically when we switched from practicing in the early evenings to getting it done before school.

And at the end of a practice session, we try to leave a bit of time for her play whatever she wants, usually her own improvisations.

Hope this gives you a little inspiration today!   
-E