How long each day should a 13 year old practice piano?

[amy g.]

Mr. Clever has an hour piano lesson each week. He also plays alto sax and clarinet. Next year, he will replace clarinet with the oboe.

 

He practices piano 1 hour a day. Before an audition, or competition, he might practice 1 1/2 hours a day.

 

He did very well in his guild audition last year, and was again accepted into the Interlochen summer program.

 

Unfortunately, he competed in another competition where each teacher sent their best one or two students. His score sheet from that competition was pretty awful. The judge basically gave him a C and said he was "fair".

 

I really don't care. He did his best, so I'm happy, but he is saying that he could always do better if he practiced longer each day.

 

I said that I would not allow it, because it is just as important to me that he can bike 18 miles and take care of a baby or deliver a goat kid and write an outstanding research paper. I love having a well rounded kid.

 

The man who recorded Mr. Clever's Interlochen audition got his Masters at Rice in music composition. He said that he won't do any composing now, because he is burned out. That is what I want to avoid.

 

We love our piano teacher. We are thrilled with the speed at which he is improving. Should I stick to my guns and insist that 1-1 1/2 hours of piano practice is enough?

[Aggie]

What does he want to do? Does he want to practice 2hr/day?

 

I don't think there's anything wrong with that, really. If it's a source of joy and pride for him, it should be ok. As long as he knows he doesn't have to practice that long.

 

My 12 and 13yodds practice about an hr each day, sometimes more. They love it!

 

But, you're the mom and you know him and your home best. Perhaps sit down with him and come to a compromise. Do you think he'll major in piano? Could this be a career for him? If not, help him see that his time could be spent better in other areas.

[Kathy in MD]

Mr. Clever has an hour piano lesson each week. He also plays alto sax and clarinet. Next year, he will replace clarinet with the oboe.

 

He practices piano 1 hour a day. Before an audition, or competition, he might practice 1 1/2 hours a day.

 

He did very well in his guild audition last year, and was again accepted into the Interlochen summer program.

 

Unfortunately, he competed in another competition where each teacher sent their best one or two students. His score sheet from that competition was pretty awful. The judge basically gave him a C and said he was "fair".

 

I really don't care. He did his best, so I'm happy, but he is saying that he could always do better if he practiced longer each day.

 

I said that I would not allow it, because it is just as important to me that he can bike 18 miles and take care of a baby or deliver a goat kid and write an outstanding research paper. I love having a well rounded kid.

 

The man who recorded Mr. Clever's Interlochen audition got his Masters at Rice in music composition. He said that he won't do any composing now, because he is burned out. That is what I want to avoid.

 

We love our piano teacher. We are thrilled with the speed at which he is improving. Should I stick to my guns and insist that 1-1 1/2 hours of piano practice is enough?

 

I agree that burn out can happen and you might have his music teacher help you address this problem.

 

One thing your ds needs to learn is that judges vary in their personal opinions and what one loves, another hates. You can see this in movie critiques, figure skaters in the Olympics over time (when I first started watching it was more like dancing on ice, it's now how athletic and how high you can leap and how many twirls in a single leap), and many other fields.

 

Something else he needs to learn is that, if you want to constantly win, you need to find out what each audience (judges) wants and deliver it. For example, one year in 4-H I made a beautiful dress for the "dressy dress and Sunday dress" category, hoping to go to the State Fair in dress review (fashion). The construction judge loved it and if she had been the the fashion judge I probably would have gone to state. But the fashion judge totally ignored half of the category. Every single dress she selected for an award was a long sleeved, high necked, *winter* dress suitable for church. Not a single one was a date or party dress, or even a summer church dress. Had I known the predjudices of the judge ahead of time, I could have changed my choice of pattern, fabric and color. Sometimes to win, you have to give up too much.

[Peek a Boo]

Yes, you need to watch for burn-out, but that doesn't mean one season of his life can't be spent pursuing this rigorously.

 

When we did marching band in PS, we met an hour early, worked through first period, sometimes came in for 30 minutes at lunch, easily stayed a couple hours after school, and still practiced 30 minutes to an hour at home. At least, during football season ;)

 

So for music practice, no, a couple hours a day isn't "too much."

 

I might seek a compromise where for X number of months you allow up to 3 hours a day of practice. It doesn't have to be for the rest of his life, but he might appreciate knowing that he can pursue it "rigorously" and see how he holds up.

 

Then insist on a break for X number of months while he pursues other interests to keep him more well rounded. Unfortunately, most of us end up well rounded, but we get there in spurts of focused energy ;)

 

I tell my guys that they need to make sure they keep up [insert your biggest three goals here] and that I reserve the right to yank them out of [whatever the interest is] if their attitude or those goals i insist be maintained start slipping.

Edited April 8, 2009 by Peek a Boo
that was s'posed to be can't, not can, lol.

[FO4UR]

Kathy in MD made a very important point - judges are subjective!

 

Don't let him take ONE person's judging too harshly.

 

Take the specific comments made and learn from them. Does he have specific goals for that practice time? If he does, I would hesitate before restricting that!