Blog

Tips for Making Practicing More Fun (It’s not cheating to have fun!)
Ideas Submitted by Teachers AND Parents

–1 Star/2 Star/3 Star Practicing
Stickers can go a long way in terms of motivation. Have your child decide what kind of practice session he or she would like to have (depending on how much energy they have, how much time, etc…). One Star practice where they focus on one issue versus Three Stars where they tackle a lot! You can keep a sticker chart so they can watch their progress.
–Practicing Candle
Version 1: Light a birthday candle while your child practices. Keep practicing until the candle goes out!
Version 2: Buy a tall candle in a jar. Light it every time your child practices and blow it out when they complete a practice session. You child can watch his/her progress by seeing the candle descend to the base.
–Give choices
Often times, children just want to feel that they are being heard. Give them a choice in their practicing. Do you want to practice in the living room, or in your bedroom? Do you want to have your snack before you play, or after?
–The Workout
Have your child pick one aspect of technique on which to concentrate (or look in the notes from the most recent lesson. Set a timer for 3 minutes. Allow them to focus on that aspect for the 3 minutes while playing review pieces, then stop. Then move another part of your practice.
–Grab Bag
Take a stack of index cards and write activities on each card, both instrument related and otherwise–jump up and down 5 times, play Song of the Wind, blink your eyes twice, play 5 4th finger exercises, give your teddy bear a hug, etc. Then let your child pick a card at random and as you go through the stack the “hard” practice demands will be interspersed with silly and fun moments.
–Imaginary Friends
Sometimes you need to think outside the box when offering instruction. If your child is raising her shoulders, ask her to imagine a dragon sitting on her shoulder and not to disturb it! If your child is forget to lift his hands off the piano at the end of a piece, tell him to pretend his hands are butterflies taking off!
–Moving M&Ms
Put two plates in front of your practicing child, one with M&Ms (or Skittles, Cheerios—something desirable!), the other empty. Set a goal for your child’s practice session. Every time they complete a task towards that goal, they get to move an M&M to the empty plate. Let them have all the M&Ms they’ve earned at the end of the session!
–Pass the Quarter
Sit opposite your child while they practice with a quarter between you. If your child follows instruction or does something positive in his playing, pass him the quarter. Offer feedback on his playing. If he feels you are offering helpful advice, he may pass you the quarter. If he thinks you are being too critical, he can take the quarter back.
–Discuss vs. Play Block
Somewhat similar to “Pass the Quarter” in terms of giving the child control of the situation. Create a sign, or block, or some visual with two options. One option is “Discuss” the other is “Play”. If you child would like to play uninterrupted, he will choose to use the “Play” visual. If he would like to have a discussion, he will indicate using the opposite visual.
–Constructive Practicing
As your son or daughter completes tasks in their practicing, construct a visual. Try completing a drawing of a face by adding one feature for every repetition of a piece or section. This could also work with building Legos, stacking blocks, etc.

Know a successful game or technique not on this list? Please submit your idea in the comments section, or to silvermusic@silvermusic.org!

What amazing parents we have at Silver Music! Our Practicing Workshop on 2/27 was a huge success thanks to the thoughtful questions and advice shared by attending parents and faculty. If you weren’t able to attend the workshop, take a look at our notes! Be sure to also check out our Tips for Making Practicing More Fun which lists ideas by parents and teachers for more enjoyable practicing.

Questions
1) How often should I expect my child to practice?
We recommend setting up a routine where your child practices every day—even if the length of practice time is very short. If you make practicing part of your child’s daily routine, it removes the option to not-practice, and establishes structure. Do not feel that your child must be practicing for a set amount of time every day. If they have a focused practice session that lasts 5 minutes, do not push them to do more. Always encourage ending practice on a high note! See our Tips for Making Practicing More Fun.
2) How do I motivate my child?
Every child is different and some motivational strategies will work really well for some kids, but not for others. Here are some options we’ve found to be successful with a wide range of children:
-Make it a game: Adding an element of play can work really well for many children, especially younger ones. Having something set up so that the student can visually assess their progress is also helpful, such as a star chart, practice candle, or adding pennies to a jar for a completed practice session.
-Video-Tape: We recommend video-taping your child, too. This is beneficial for children to become their own teachers– hearing and seeing what they are doing well and what can be improved. Some students also enjoy being video-taped because it adds an element of performance to an ordinary practice session!
-Attend Live Performances: Watching other musicians or older students perform can be incredibly motivating! Take your child to a faculty recital or an orchestra concert so they can see where private study can lead.
-Listen to Advanced Suzuki Pieces: You can play ahead on the Suzuki cds to motivate your child. Your child might be inspired after hearing what’s to come!
3) How do I balance the practicing habits of both my children?
It is an extraordinary amount of work being a parent of two or more Suzuki children. Older, more advanced siblings can inspire a younger sibling to progress. The opposite could occur as well. Sometimes the less experienced sibling feels intimidated. If this is the case, find a way to make the less advanced child’s playing experience unique. The beginner sibling could work with a separate teacher, or have an older student practicing alongside. We recommend choosing a different instrument for siblings.
4) How do I maintain my child’s progress/motivation during the summer months when he is not studying privately?
Here video-taping can again be beneficial. Some students who take the summer off will have their last few lessons video-taped, with additional material presented for future practice. There are youtube videos that are helpful to watch too (see Resources), and lots of listening that can be done! Using your Reading Book, or extra etudes is great practice and will not interfere with learning the standard repertoire. There are also Suzuki Institutes which offer programs during the summer. Silver Music also offers violin, cello, and piano camps during the summer.

Ways to Curb Frustration
+One point at a time: Edmund Sprunger, author of Helping Parents Practice, gives an analogy of offering too many critiques: “Many children have simply been given too much too soon. It’s like shoving an entire apple into their mouths. An apple is a great piece of nutrition but when it’s shoved into a
child’s mouth, the child can’t make use of it.”
+Repeat Things that Went Well: We often focus on mistakes and problems when practicing. But sometimes it can be incredibly beneficial to acknowledge positives points, and enforce them through repetition. The point of practicing is not necessarily “to get better”, it is to make playing easier!
+Ask Leading Questions: Instead of telling the student what was good or bad, ask them, “How did that go?” “What was something you did really well?”
+Transfer Responsibility: See if you can remove pressure from the whole child and instead isolate a body part or a part of the instrument. Instead of asking the child, “Did you remember to curve your pinky?” Say, “Did your pinky remember to stay curved?” “Did you bow remember to stay by the bridge?”
+Just Watch: Sometimes it’s helpful to just watch and not comment. If you are a Suzuki alumni, you know what it was like to practice with your own parents. Think about how you felt as the student.
+Address New Material Immediately: If your kid has something difficult or new he learned in a lesson, make sure he or she practices that material right away. It is more frustrating to try to remember how to do something new after a few days have passed between the lesson.
+Record Issues: We have one parent who has an entire album of videos she has recorded during new or difficult points of learning during a lesson. When her child is practicing, she can refer to them to assist.

Resources Discussed
Abby McHugh-Grifa—find her cello practice videos on youtube!

The Practice Shoppe-Ideas and free downloads!

Stay tuned for additional workshops in the future!

We had a wonderful time chatting about practicing with our amazing parents who came out to Max Cafe last night! If you weren’t able to make it, notes from the evening will be posted here soon. We hope to have many more similar discussions in the future, and in the meantime we’d like to offer this blog space as a great way to stay inspired, not only by reading our thoughts but by sharing your own. Please jump into our discussions in the comment space, let us know what you think–what works, what doesn’t, and if you have any questions. We’d also like to invite you to be a guest contributor to our blog! Send along a short post about a great practice discovery you’ve made with your child and we’ll throw it up on the site, complete with pictures if you like, or totally anonymously if you prefer.

To start us off, I’d like to share with you a fun practice game one of my parents recently showed me:

Take a stack of index cards and write activities on each card, both instrument related and otherwise–jump up and down 5 times, play Song of the Wind, blink your eyes twice, play 5 4th finger exercises, give your teddy bear a hug, etc. Then let your child pick a card at random and as you go through the stack the “hard” practice demands will be interspersed with silly and fun moments of relaxed enjoyment with your child. Tailor it to your child’s age and interests and give it a try this weekend! Let us know how it goes.