He Won't Practice!

As a piano teacher for over 40 years, one consistent issue that's been shared by parents goes something like this: "I can't get him/her to practice for even 5 minutes on many days!" There are, of course, a number of variables that can come into play when determining the reasons why a youngster will resist practicing. However, for our purpose here, the reason isn't totally relevant if we can agree that the lessons are going to continue and you want your child to be gaining the benefits of being involved with the instrument over the long term. That said, the spotlight must be placed on you, the parent.

Look In The Mirror

Your little "maestro to be" has his or her reasons for not racing to that piano or keyboard in a compulsory fashion. Ask yourself how you are approaching the matter. What kind of an attitude are you engaging in while trying to get little Johnny or Suzie to practice? Are you suggesting that they practice for a certain amount of time? Is that time frame overwhelming? Is there some resistance to the piano teacher's method or mannerism? If it's the latter, you need to get to the bottom of it by communicating with perhaps both your child and the teacher. It may not be the case, though.

You, The Mediator

At this point, the worst thing you can do is to fight it. Your primary responsibility is to nurture a positive relationship between your son or daughter and the instrument. Creating negative connotations is not going to result in favorable consequences. How can you do this? Forget about the goal of having your youngster practice for any specific length of time. Your goal is to have him/her simply sit at the piano on their own initiative. Consider sitting down at the piano and playing a little as you smile and express appreciation of the instrument. If you don't play piano in general, it doesn't matter. Dabble on the keys just the same. Perhaps do it while his/her method book is open and express an interest in what is on the page. Do all this while placing no demands on your "maestro." You might ask a little non-intimidating questioning like, "Johnny, what does this mean?" as you point to something in the page. You can obviously be creative with this. Remember,  as children grow older, they tend to have their actions reflect what they have been exposed to on a regular basis. If they have recollections of Mom or Dad (or both, even better) sitting at the piano every day, it will have some kind of effect. You see, this way it doesn't become "something they are pestering me to do." Instead, music appreciation and love for the instrument has become a daily family thing. Again, aim to have your child sit at that piano or keyboard for just a few seconds. In time, you just might be pleasantly surprised to find out those few seconds have transformed into minutes or even hours.

Be A Parent To Yourself

The same approach can be equally effective for you as an adult. If you're not feeling inspired to sit to practice for an hour, half hour, or even five minutes, then just make a point of sitting down and placing your hands on the piano keyboard. Do this with the understanding that you can leave in a split second if you want to. You are likely to discover that practicing for a longer amount of time was only resisted by you because the demand on yourself was too high. Surely, you can "force" yourself to sit on the piano bench for a couple of seconds each day. Whatever follows that, allow it to happen.