If you’ve signed your child up for voice lessons, you’re investing time and money into your child’s musical future. It’s important that your child gets the most from their lessons, and that you don’t waste money on something they won’t commit the time to practice. It can be difficult to know how best to encourage your child to practice their Houston voice lessons at home when it’s hard enough to get them to brush their teeth and pick up their dirty laundry. There are many reasons why your child might not be practicing enough at home, and the good news is that you don’t have to suddenly become their parent and their music teacher in order to get them to practice at home. Here are a few tips to help you and your child make the most of their voice lessons, whether you’re doing them virtually, in Houston, or somewhere else.

1. Your Child Might Not Know How to Practice

As parents, we can’t assume that our children will automatically know how to practice when they’re not live with their instructor during their voice lessons in Houston. Make sure you’re aware of the exercises that your child’s instructor would like them to do so that you can help encourage and reinforce the practice.

2. They May Not Have the Right Tools at Home

Walking around the house, singing a piece of music while they make themselves a snack is not practicing. Your child should have a music stand, and a device to playback accompaniment music. If your child is using a smartphone, tablet, or laptop, it’s important to have adequate speakers that will amplify the music loudly enough that the singers can sing at an appropriate and confident volume. Your child should never be wearing headphones or earbuds when practicing.

3. They Need a Dedicated Space for Practicing

In order for your child to feel comfortable singing along to accompaniment loudly, they need to have their own dedicated space where they have everything they need to practice. Not only can you plan around a time and dedicated space (maybe you don’t want to hear them belting out the same three bars over and over?), but your child will have a constant reminder to practice every time they walk by their dedicated practice space, hopefully without you having to bug them.

4. They Need to Feel Comfortable Singing at Home

So many kids do not feel comfortable singing in front of family members, and this can be a tough hurdle to overcome. If they don’t feel comfortable, they won’t practice like they should. One solution to this is to be in the lesson if it’s an in-person voice lesson in Houston, and if it’s a virtual voice lesson, be in the room or within earshot. This helps create a healthy routine and allows your child to get used to you being around when they’re singing in their lessons. Another thing that is important for parents to remember is that it doesn’t matter if you enjoy the song your child is instructed to practice. Expressing that you don’t enjoy a particular song or piece of music can be extremely discouraging and counterproductive to your child’s vocal development. Trust that your child’s Houston voice teacher is assigning certain exercises or songs for good reasons.

5. Your Child Should Feel Supported

While teachers can follow up with students about what seems to be working and not working, parents have different insights about their children’s schedules and attitudes towards singing. There are things parents can do to prepare their children for success with lessons. Being involved by listening in on lessons, and by asking your child if they’ve practiced can give your child the opportunity to ask questions and voice concerns. It’s important to leave space for your child to ask questions and for you to ask questions of your child. For instance, instead of criticizing them or getting angry with your child for not practicing, ask why they didn’t practice. Perhaps they’re uncomfortable or confused by the lesson for some reason.
As parents, we have the opportunity to set up our children for success. If you feel that your child is ready for voice lessons, contact us and we’ll find the right teacher for you! Our teachers can either come to your home to teach or can also provide online music lessons. Our virtual music lessons are taught by local music teachers who plan their lessons to suit your child.