Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Reasonable insrtumental music practice schedule?

This is the schedule we've agreed to with our DD14, as well-- she's done things this way for years, and sometimes fights it, and sometimes not, and we're not terribly rigid about it during a week when things go topsy turvy.

At the late intermediate level, understand, this means working on a piece for months at a time. Our DD is quite talented, but she doesn't really value this talent very highly, nor have intrinsic motivation to excel at piano-- I mention that only to note that this amount of practice time is WHOLLY inadequate for most piano students at this level-- even pretty talented ones. DD doesn't seem to need a lot of repetition to improve. PLAYING time counts more than repetition of what she's working on. Can't really explain that one, but it seems to be true.

As long as it's enjoyable is my answer. Quantity need not dictate advancement. When I first learned violin at 15, I completed six RCM grades in a year on 3 hours a week of ensemble play and about 1 hour of solo play. The ensemble was a total delight, and the excitement at hearing the harmony of the group provided motivation for solo work.

Strangely, I find time thinking about the music in my head outside practice was what really helped me progress. I have a strong auditory memory and can easily hear simultaneous parts as though they are played solo, so deconstructing and reconstructing the group play was what helped me better understand the role that my part played in the ensemble. It gave me a heightened appreciation for the dynamic range required to optimize the listening experience of the audience. I have to wonder if others here/others' children use a similar non-practice approach to working on a piece.

On the upper end of the scale, if I was caught by the composing bug on piano, I'd often go most of a day playing, sometimes getting so caught up that I'd miss meals (to my mother's chagrin). Those are the days where I feel music in my soul and need to release it, like a breath trapped in my throat.

So somewhere between 30 minutes and all day to get to a teaching level of proficiency (ARTC in RCM) in 3-4 years. What a useless recommendation, isn't it?

Aquinas, I think that is precisely what my DD manages with her non-practice improvement, which is otherwise kind of inexplicable, frankly.

She, too, will get into a real tear occasionally and put in 4-6 hours over a day or two, just doodling, improvising, composing.

As others have said, it totally depends on the motivation level of the student, parent and the teacher. My child's piano teacher is a prefectionist, I am a perfectionist and so is my child. That makes the practice tough on both my DS and myself.
My DS needs me to schedule the practice time into his day as he is still very young and he also needs me to be around to help him during practice (although I am doing less of this as he gets older).
We set a goal of practicing for the same # of minutes every day as his private lessons (this is the expectation of his current teacher). We accomplish it most of the time, but we let things slide occasionally due to travel, sickness and overscheduling etc.
I like the Suzuki quote above on practicing. My child's teacher told him to practice on days of the week that end with a "y"!
DS also belongs to an "ensemble group" (not school or band related) which has classes every other week - this is more fun than work for him because there are a few kids there who are not at his level yet and hence they play easy pieces. But, he gets a lot of enjoyment and ensemble practice. I recommend ensembles as early as possible as they teach a lot of musical skills in addition to providing peer groups - this is so important for my son as we are a non-musical family and can only read books on music with him.

Ashley's point reminds me that, when I was learning violin, I was a beginner in an advanced group-- easily the weakest member by a large margin. If I can offer any advice for personal growth, be it in music or otherwise, it would be to find a group that allows you to aspire to mastery. Don't be afraid to be the weakest; it's the best position to be in because you stand to learn so much from those around you! Aspire, learn, evolve, repeat. When it stops being hard, it's time to ratchet up the challenge! There's no shame in imperfection, only in missing a learning opportunity.

I would definitely agree with your other variables but thought that level and age were the most significant factors.

Thirty minutes sounds reasonably to me as well although I have never suggested that my children practice every day except in preparation for an upcoming performance.

Those sound like reasonable schedules as well although a bit more than my 5th graders are doing except during preparation for a performance. Mostly I have provided parameters for practice ranges and stressed that a certain level of practice is required to develop skills. They are old enough that it has mostly worked well without the need for me to hound.

Congratulations to your DD on qualifying for the highest level school band and good luck on the youth orchestra audition.

Wow! I don't think that I would have had the patience to monitor my kids at the younger ages (5 and under) so did not bother starting them that early. As it was, I sometimes find it taxing to provide instruction during some of their practices but fortunately the need to weigh in (or even pay attention) during their practices diminished as they gained skill.

The timer is actually a good idea as my kids often practice together and do end up goofing around a bit. On the other hand, I try to create an atmosphere where they are accountable to themselves rather than me so that I don't keep track.