How to Assess if Your Child Likes Her Music Lessons

Your eight-year old daughter has been learning the violin for nine months now. She is doing well, but you feel that the progress is not as regular as it used to be. She seem to lose her motivation for practice; you have to beg for her to do so. What changed? Sometimes, even a good, dedicated teacher cannot help because the child is simply not interested. How can you find out?

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. You have to remember what were the motivations for taking music lessons in the first place. Was it your child's idea or yours? That makes a huge difference in how a child will act towards the process of learning a musical instrument.
2. Ask your daughter is she is preoccupied with something. Chances are that no only her music practices are less frequent but her focus at school may have changed as well, in which case, you would have noticed that too.
3. Ask why she doesn't seem to want to practice anymore. If her answer is that "it's too hard," it may be that the teacher has too many demands and unrealistic expectations. In such case, you need to talk to the teacher.
4. Ask if there something else she's rather be learning. It the answer is yes, for instance "basketball" or "the guitar," then you need to probe further to assess if it's because her friends are doing it, or if it is a genuine interest.
5. Ask if kids at school are teasing her because she is learning classical music. For many children, classical music is boring and they simply can't understand why someone would be interested in it. Therefore, they may exclude your child from their group because she's doing something different.
6. Finally, ask your child if she likes her teacher. Many children do not want to disappoint their parents and won't tell if they are not comfortable with the music teacher you have chosen. Probe to see if this is a whim or a genuine feeling. Take the necessary steps to rectify the situation if need be.