3 Reasons Why Your Student Is Not Practicing Their Instrument

1- They Don't Know What to Practice.

This seems a little crazy at first glance, but most kids by the time their lesson is over and they go home and get back to their daily lives have forgotten their assignment, and much of what was covered in the music lesson room. It is very important for a teacher to make it glaringly obvious what the student needs to practice by writing it down, and somehow saving the page(s) they are supposed to practice with a bookmarker or sticky notes...etc.

2 - The Assignment is Too Broad

I took piano lessons when I was younger, and one of the most overwhelming feelings is to be assigned pages of music to practice, and not have a specific goal in mind. As a teacher it is imperative to assign tangible realistic goals each and every week. Write down what they are practicing, and even write down what specifically they need to do on the piece. Whether it be technique work, note reading accuracy, dynamic work, etc.

3 - The Songs Are Too Long

This one is very important, because if a teacher assigns a student one very long song that is above their level the student will not be able to comprehend what they are playing. Basically, the student will be forced to memorize this piece with muscle memory. This is actually teaching the student to memorize music instead of actually teaching them to read. I have had great success assigning songs that are actually at the students level or even below their level, so they can play their songs with quality. If you want your student to learn how to play harder music then assign something that is just barely above their level and stress that accuracy is the most important thing when practicing. Over time this will teach the student to actually read their music, and will develop their reading skill.

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