Imagine being able to avoid constantly nagging your child to practice their musical instrument, wouldn’t that be wonderful? In fact, what if they were the ones who reminded you every day that they wanted to practice?
Routine is best for children. Practicing every day is a great method for encouraging a children’s skill development. When they get into the routine of daily practice, they will come to expect it. But how can you create this habit?
When our child started learning an instrument we felt that a tool for keeping children motivated to practice was needed. But when we couldn’t find a tool that meet our needs, we took matters into our own hands and created an app ourselves. We were able to do that thanks to the many years of experience in teaching, music, and software development we have. You can read more about us here.
Common Reasons Why Students Aren’t Motivated To Practice
One of the biggest challenges in learning a musical instrument is staying motivated to practice regularly. Many students start off excited and eager to learn, but their motivation can quickly wane if they are not seeing progress or if practicing becomes a chore. As a parent or teacher, it can be frustrating to see a child lose interest in something they were once passionate about. However, it is important to understand the common reasons why students may not be motivated to practice and the negative impact that nagging and forcing can have on a student’s motivation and enjoyment of playing an instrument.
One common reason why students may not be motivated to practice is that they are not seeing progress. Learning an instrument is a long-term process, and it can take months or even years before a student feels confident in their abilities. If a student is not seeing improvement in their playing, they may feel discouraged and lose motivation to continue practicing. It is important for parents and teachers to help students set achievable goals and to celebrate small victories along the way to keep them motivated and engaged.
Another reason why students may not be motivated to practice is that practicing feels like a chore. It is important to remember that students are often juggling many other activities and responsibilities, and practicing can easily become just another item on their to-do list. To combat this, parents and teachers can make practicing feel more enjoyable and rewarding. This could include finding fun ways to practice, like playing games or improvising or setting up a reward system for consistent practice.
Lastly, nagging and forcing a student to practice can have a negative impact on their motivation and enjoyment of playing an instrument. If a student feels like practicing is something they are being forced to do, they are less likely to find joy in playing their instrument. Instead of using negative reinforcement, parents and teachers should focus on creating a positive and supportive environment for their child’s musical learning journey. By providing encouragement, positive feedback, and celebrating progress, parents and teachers can help students find the motivation they need to practice regularly.
There are many common reasons why students may not be motivated to practice, but it is important to avoid negative reinforcement and instead create a positive and supportive environment for students. By understanding the challenges that students face in practicing, parents and teachers can help to keep students engaged and motivated to learn and grow as musicians.
Using an App to Motivate Students to Practice
In today’s digital age, technology is increasingly being used to help motivate students to practice their musical instruments. One such tool is Farmorama, which is completely free to use and is designed to help students track their progress, and receive rewards for consistent practice.
The app is designed to make practice more engaging and enjoyable and to help students stay motivated to continue practicing over time. The app features a user-friendly interface, making it easy for students, parents, and teachers to use.
One of the key benefits of using a practice app is that it allows students, parents, and teachers to quickly and easily see how often the students have practiced. The students will see it in a fun interface catering to young children. The lessons will be represented by animals, and the animals will get sad if the student neglects to practice. The teachers will have a more traditional interface.
You don’t need a teacher to use Farmorama, but the app works best with a teacher.
Teachers can easily create and edit students’ lessons. Once the lesson is created the student gets to pick which animal they want to use and where on the farm they want to place it. The student is then required to repeat the lesson multiple times in the coming weeks. Farmorama uses the Suzuki Method, the proven music curriculum and teaching philosophy. The Suzuki philosophy is a belief that with the right environment and circumstances, most people can learn to play an instrument. This philosophy uses listening, imitation, and repetition to help people learn to play a musical instrument as if it were their native tongue.
We love teaching music to children and providing tips and knowledge to students, parents, and teachers. As both parents of young children learning instruments and music teachers, we will be able to share our knowledge in this blog.