How Often Should My Child Practice?

It’s a question I get a lot. It surprises people when I tell them that my studio doesn’t have any practice length requirements. Instead, I think there are a few better ways to approach establishing effective practice habits.

1. Good habits > long practice sessions.
   Instead of making your child practice for a set amount of time, aim for establishing shorter practice times that they can do consistently. As they advance, their practice time will naturally lengthen. This may look like a beginner student only being at the piano for 10 minutes at a time. That’s okay!
   

2. Put it on the regular schedule.
   Make sure practice happens on a regular basis by working it into your normal schedule. Maybe your student always runs through their pieces before dinner, for instance. Always doing it at the same time ensures it won’t be forgotten. Even if it doesn’t happen every day, a few days a week is better than nothing.
   

3. Follow the lesson notes.
   An easy practice routine is to just follow the notes that I provide at the end of each lesson. Play each item 2-3 times and then work on problem areas separately. And remember: always warm up first!

Remember, you get out of piano lessons what you put in. While I don’t have specific practice requirements, the more the student practices, the faster they will progress. How quickly we move forward is up to them!

~Brooke