Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My daughter who is 11 now has been taking piano lessons for 3-4 years. It’s been going well so far and she plays well more or less. But as she is approaching a difficult age, it’s harder to have her practice every day. I’m trying to have her sit down and play for 15 minutes.
I don’t want to quit as all progress would be lost, but I’m starting to lose hope. I wanted her to be able to play piano for fun as a hobby. Maybe play with her friends or at a party or a band as she grows up. But we are competing with an iPad that we limit every day, but still in today’s digital age I don’t see piano winning. Now I can get lost for hours every day listening to jazz, but expecting an 11 year old to do that just does not look realistic. Our teacher who comes to our houses for each class is a sweetheart. He tries to incorporate songs that she likes like some of the Taylor swift melodies to make it more fun, but it feels like we are running against the wind.
I’d hate to quit now, giving it up would be a complete failure. So do we keep on pushing piano or try another instrument or what. Aside from that activity she goes to art/ painting class, tennis and swimming.
My dream was for her not to play in Lincoln center but to develop love for an instrument and run with it so that in life she can play for herself or her friends in a circle that is few steps above regular bar hopping crowd.
If it was up to her, she’d be on iPad playing Roblox all day with her friends. I can’t allow that to happen.
I don’t know what 11 year old wants to play an instrument but if you don’t try with them they will never pick it up.
I'm the only one of 6 siblings that never played anything. I can assure you that mom and dad 'making' me try something wouldn't have had the desired effect. You planted the seed, and she's telling you now she doesn't want to do it. Maybe she'll come back later and play. Maybe not.
Well my parents dragged me to guitar when I was little and I did finish the 5 year school playing classical guitar in front of the crowd, once that was done with I didn’t pick up the guitar for decades. Now I wish I could play but it’s too late. It’s just too difficult.
I’m afraid that if we cancel piano it will be lost forever. Don’t want ti force it either but then with kids, if you don’t push them they won’t do anything productive.
Our son took piano lessons for 5 or 6 years, but when it was obvious his heart wasn't in it, we stopped. He's now in college and has started playing the piano at his frat house. He's even learned a couple of new pieces.
You cannot make a kid do an activity they do not want to do. You can push them to a certain extent, but don't overdo it.
My older sister has degrees in piano performance and I also took piano lessons for many years, I can still sight-read pieces that are not too difficult, but I was not talented like she was. I also absolutely dreaded and loathed recitals; the anxiety before a recital practically brought me to my knees and I had some disastrous performances (because of course my teacher wanted all the students to play from memory, and I would blank out).
I'm grateful that I have some musical knowledge, and in my heart, music lessons are important. But both of my girls took piano for several years and did not make good progress. My older daughter did okay up to a certain point, but then her teacher wanted her to participate in recitals and she was too nervous and anxious. Remembering my own experience, I just couldn't force her. We allowed her to switch to art lessons, which she was extremely talented at.
My younger daughter was a late reader and learning to read music was a struggle. She tried, but just didn't get very far. Since it was obvious that her talents, like her sister's, lay elsewhere, we decided to stop throwing money at piano lessons. My son never showed any interest in music and we never even started with him.
Yes, I know families where every child takes music and is proficient on the piano, violin, or cello. Those parents are very happy to tell me that music is vital to a well-rounded education and their kids each practice an hour a day because it is just something they have to do, like math homework, or whatever. I guess I could have stood there with a whip in my hand for one hour per day per child for years on end and forced them to sit there and practice, but I don't think it would have made them love the piano and I just wasn't willing to do it.
Despite all of that, as I said, I really think music is important and I wish my kids had taken to it.
My daughter who is 11 now has been taking piano lessons for 3-4 years. It’s been going well so far and she plays well more or less. But as she is approaching a difficult age, it’s harder to have her practice every day. I’m trying to have her sit down and play for 15 minutes.
I don’t want to quit as all progress would be lost, but I’m starting to lose hope. I wanted her to be able to play piano for fun as a hobby. Maybe play with her friends or at a party or a band as she grows up. But we are competing with an iPad that we limit every day, but still in today’s digital age I don’t see piano winning. Now I can get lost for hours every day listening to jazz, but expecting an 11 year old to do that just does not look realistic. Our teacher who comes to our houses for each class is a sweetheart. He tries to incorporate songs that she likes like some of the Taylor swift melodies to make it more fun, but it feels like we are running against the wind.
I’d hate to quit now, giving it up would be a complete failure. So do we keep on pushing piano or try another instrument or what. Aside from that activity she goes to art/ painting class, tennis and swimming.
My dream was for her not to play in Lincoln center but to develop love for an instrument and run with it so that in life she can play for herself or her friends in a circle that is few steps above regular bar hopping crowd.
Ok. My daughter (who is as lazy as they come) started taking lessons in Kindergarten. She went through a long period where she didn't practice much but I kept going. NOW, at 18, she practices all the time. Every day. Several times a day. So it depends on what your objective is. If you want her to be a concert pianist, I can tell you that probably won't happen. We had a HUGE high school and in the talent shows, it was always the Asian kids who played like concert pianists. Their parents are known for making them practice (Tiger moms). But I wanted my daughter to enjoy it. I was advised once to not hound her to practice. Now, she thanks me after every lesson. I actually think her real talent is composing. She makes up her own songs. I think of the lessons as my gift to her. I say quit nagging her to practice at all.
And I will give you one more piece of parenting advice. Limit her device use. I can spend a long time telling you why but I don't have time now.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
