I tried to make it reasonable, as well. It's not always a five-year-old's fault that he didn't practice, and children have a very strong sense of conscience. They need to have a way to still feel good about their efforts on the violin when Mom made them go to Aunt Flossie's birthday party across town and didn't help them practice on a certain day. As long as that doesn't happen all the time, it's okay. I tell them that five times a week is the bare minimum, but if they practice every single day, Mrs. Niles will jump up and down. And I never forget to make a great big deal of jumping up and down on those weeks of seven-day success!
Here it is, with my permission to copy it for your students:
This entry has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.
Violinist.com is made possible by...
Juilliard Starling-DeLay Symposium on Violin Studies
Dimitri Musafia, Master Maker of Violin and Viola Cases
Violinist.com Business Directory
Violinist.com Guide to Online Learning
Johnson String Instrument and Carriage House Violins
Discover the best of Violinist.com in these collections of editor Laurie Niles' exclusive interviews.
Violinist.com Interviews Volume 1, with introduction by Hilary Hahn
Violinist.com Interviews Volume 2, with introduction by Rachel Barton Pine