Here are five tips to consider when helping your little Mozart transition back into a practicing routine:

1. Start slow and go from there

It can be hard on anyone to have to start practicing again after taking a break. The best way is to start off with 10-15 minutes of focused practicing and build from there. Any practicing that is forced may not benefit the child and have adverse effect on their growth.

2. Persistence and attention is the key

A new year will bring about new songs and techniques. Some of these new materials can be daunting and may take both time and effort to master. It is important to keep practicing to get better at them.

As a parent, you want to encourage and create a sense of accomplishment. Sometimes, this may require you to watch and help with the practicing, while other times you may have to supervise from another room.

3. Re-establishing practicing habits

The best way to practice is to follow the practice chart written by your teacher. It is a summarisation of all the important notes in a song that students should be focusing on when practicing. Each time a student finishes practicing a song, they can put a sticker or a checkmark on a corresponding date to show when they practiced.

This is beneficial for both the student and teacher, as this is a physical representation of the effort that went into the last week and proof of the student's ability to move onto something new.

4. Let's be realistic (and give yourself a little grace!)

As teachers and parents, the perfect student in the perfect scenario would practice every single day for 30-60 minutes (depending on their age/level). We need to remember that everyone has off days and that practicing should be encouraged and still fun. Some days will be shorter or longer and practicing can be split up if the student cannot sit for too long.

5. Keeping it fun

The best way to keep students into practicing would be to keep it fun and interesting. Once things start to get repetitive and redundant, practicing can become dull.

Getting back into a practicing routine can be hard, but with a team effort between the student, parents, and teachers, we can start the year with good habits that last us for the whole year! Different tactics are needed for different types of learners, so it is always important to keep a strong line of communication with your teacher to ensure we set our budding musicians for success!

Below I've attached 3 different practice charts to help students keep track of their daily practice.