A Note about Practicing Instruments

Grace has been playing violin for 4 years now and Lee, guitar, for just over 1 year. They both practice almost daily, five to seven days per week. It wasn't always like this and the other day I had some thoughts about why that is. First off when a young child begins learning a new instrument I can imagine they really have no idea why they need to practice. They haven't formed any goals as to what they want to accomplish with that instrument. Being new, it's hard to know what to practice, how to practice, what sounds good and what doesn't. After watching 2 youngsters tackle a new instrument, I truly believe that if they are destined to be a musician it will happen in its own time. When Grace first started violin I assumed she would attend a lesson and then practice all the material with a smile on her face for 6 days before returning for another lesson. Obviously that was nothing like what happened. I nagged her about practicing, offered suggestions, encouraged her to try hard, etc. After finding that this was not working I talked to her teacher who gave me great advice (although I didn't realize it at the time). She said that practicing an instrument is the responsibility of the student. She need to develop their own routine, way of practicing, time of day to practice and that I should stay out of it. She also said that not everyone will be a musician. At first that seemed so laizze fair, but I backed off anyway and what happened? At the year mark she started practicing every morning; it became part of her morning routine. Her practice schedule varies anywhere from 5 minutes to an occassional 45 minutes when we play together or she starts jammin' with Lee. Lee's story is almost exactly the same as Grace's. He incorporated daily practice into his routine at about the 10 month mark. Now he practices anywhere from 15-30 minutes daily. He has fun playing all his favorite songs and he notices his own progress. I'm sure it's better for him to notice the results of practice as a way to encourage himself, rather than me trying to encourage him through compliments. A good healthy dose of each is needed.