How to save your child from quitting music lessons
It’s so sad when a child quits music lessons. For the teacher, it feels like failure. We haven’t succeeded in communicating what music is about, and we haven’t succeeded in making music meaningful enough. For a parent, it can feel like a massive waste of money, time, sweat and tears. The good news is that there are things that you as a parent can do to save your child from quitting music lessons! The first thing is to notice the signs that your child is losing motivation; the second part is all about taking action. So let’s dive right in.
Noticing when your child is losing motivation
For you to save your child from quitting music, you have to be alert to the signs that might suggest your child is losing interest and motivation in music. Here are a few signs to watch out for:
they struggle to practise, refuse to, or make excuses why they can’t practise today
they don’t seem excited to attend music lessons
threats of stopping music lessons don’t cause them to get practising
they don’t seem motivated to perform music or share music with anybody
they’ve mentioned they want to quit
they are not making progress on their instrument
Have you noticed one of these signs? If so, don’t worry. We’ve got a tonne of ideas for you to try in order to spark your child’s curiousity and interest in music.
What you can do
Now that you know your child is on their way to quitting, it’s time to take action. There are so many wonderful ideas to try and you never know what one will work!
find a different teacher
check that the instrument you have at home is good quality
attend events with live music
organise musical dates with family and musical friends
get your child to join an ensemble
listen to music at home, dance to it, sing along with it, talk about it
find out what music your child enjoys listening to and playing
rearrange your practice room/space together with your child and make it a space they want to be in and they feel inspired by
encourage your child to perform in front of others
jam with them when they practise. Even if you are not a musician yourself, you can do body percussion (slap your thighs to the beat of the music)
ask them questions about their music lessons and their pieces, show interest in their musical journey
help them discover their music idol, maybe a popular artist with a story similar to theirs
join associations for your instrument (i.e. guitar society) as they regularly host events, workshops etc
read books, articles or magazines, or watch videos about famous musicians
Which of these ideas will you try implementing to save your child from quitting music? Let us know in the comments!
