For many children, learning to play a musical instrument is an exciting extracurricular activity that can yield many benefits, including better academic performance, improved social skills, and the opportunity for creative expression. However, even the most dedicated young music students may reach a point where their interest in the subject wanes and they want to quit their lessons. While parents should not force an unhappy child to pursue musicianship, the following seven tips may help parents when their child expresses disinterest in an instrument they previously enjoyed playing. 1. Review your level of involvement. While it’s important for parents to provide children with encouragement as they pursue music, too much involvement can have a negative effect on a child’s commitment to music lessons. If parents find that they constantly need to remind their child to practice or if discussions about lessons often result in arguments, it may be time to consider taking a step back and giving the child more personal autonomy. While it’s important to remember that this advice is more relevant to older children, allowing young music students to decide when and how long they practice may help them feel empowered and renew their interest in music overall. 2. Show more support.Alternatively, kids may begin to lose interest in music because they don’t feel enough encouragement. Parents should make sure that they are taking the time to occasionally listen to their child practice and give positive remarks about performances. Parents can also show support by routinely asking thoughtful questions about their child’s lessons and acknowledging signs of major progress. Additionally, try making a celebration out of even small accomplishments in order to bolster your music student’s confidence in his or her abilities. When kids feel proud of themselves and realize the progress they’ve made on their instrument, they are more likely to stick with their lessons. 3. Make sure that peer pressure is not involved.In some cases, children may lose interest in lessons because their friends discourage them or make negative comments about playing an instrument. Peer pressure can be especially difficult for students in the pre-teen and early teenage years to navigate, and parents should make sure their child’s sudden disinterest in music is not rooted in negativity from their friends and classmates. Having a candid conversation about peer pressure can help prevent a promising music student from quitting an activity that he or she genuinely enjoys. 4. Play similar music in the home.No matter which instrument a child is learning to play, parents should make a point of introducing children to recordings of professional musicians who play a similar style of music. By playing music that is similar to the style the child is learning, parents can show that the family as a group has an interest in the subject. This, in turn, may bolster the child’s interest. Greater familiarity with a certain style of music may also help a child to enjoy it more, and thus feel more enthusiasm about learning to play an instrument. 5. Set up more performances.An endless cycle of only lessons and practice with few opportunities for performance can bore children and make them wonder what the purpose of learning to play the instrument is. Parents can help children stay motivated to make progress on an instrument by finding more opportunities for performance. While recitals organized by the child’s music teacher may be infrequent, parents can seek out local competitions and explore local music groups to allow their child to demonstrate his or her playing skills more often. It can also be fun to invite friends and family over for an event and ask the child to play for guests. By giving the child something to practice for, more performance opportunities may encourage a bored music student to continue lessons. 6. Suggest a new instrument.Growing disinterest in music can also stem from a child’s indifference toward his or her instrument. Children who enjoy music but aren’t excited about the specific instrument they are learning to play may find a renewed passion for the subject if their parents let them take lessons on something else. Parents should arrange for children to take lessons on an instrument that makes them enthusiastic about learning. In addition, don’t be discouraged if a child’s first choice doesn’t turn out to be right for him or her. 7. Find a new teacher.Some children’s learning styles simply do not match up with their music teacher’s instructional methods. A teacher may have a great talent, but a teacher-student pair with the wrong chemistry can easily result in an unhappy and unmotivated child. After making sure the child’s distaste for music lessons isn’t caused by something else, parents should consider arranging for a few weeks of lessons with another instructor. Opt for one who employs a different style of teaching to see if the child’s interest in music returns.
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Photo used under Creative Commons from Marina K Caprara