Scheduling Your Child’s Fall Lessons

As a parent I know all too well what it feels like to get children’s schedules lined up for the school year.

Your child may be involved in many different activities and it may feel like a puzzle to get them all to fit together.

Alternately, your family may limit activities to a couple each season but getting signed up for the right ones before they are full and making the schedule work for your family may be a challenge.

What about music lessons?

Fall lessons don’t start here in Oregon until September. However, my schedule is already close to being set for the fall. I am just waiting for a few families to get back in town and finalize their lesson schedule with me.

Here is something I think all families need to keep in mind when scheduling their child for lessons each fall:

Music lessons are a touch point with your teacher during the week to help guide your progress, but real progress on your instrument comes from something else entirely: PRACTICE.

 

When we are constructing our child’s schedule for the school year, making time to attend lessons is not enough.

Is there also time each day for a student to play their instrument, work on their lesson assignments, and prepare for the next lesson?

This is how students progress!

I wish I could wave a magic wand each time a student came in and that they automatically learned what they needed to – just like that!

But it doesn’t work that way.

And that is actually a good thing.

It’s all those practice sessions that students work (and sometimes struggle) through, as they master new skills, that helps them build the great character traits that music is so good at helping our children develop. Decades from now, these traits will still be serving them well.

How do we keep this all in perspective?

We all know that if our children have a soccer game on a Saturday that we have to get them to practice during the week if they hope to play.

Think of your lessons as that game. The daily practice that happens in between is that practice out on the field.

Make sure your child has time built into their schedule to make that happen.

There is no magic wand to help us progress but, if we make time for practice on a daily basis in our schedule from the start of school year it is much easier for progress to happen.

When do you schedule practice for your child each day? Share your ideas in the comments below!