From Lesson to Living Room: Fun Ways Parents Can Help at Home

As a parent, you play a powerful role in your child’s music education—even if you don’t consider yourself “musical.” While lessons at Corinne’s Music Studio provide the foundation, consistent support at home helps your child build confidence, retain new skills, and grow a lifelong love for music.

Here are some simple, effective ways to support your child between lessons:

1.    Set a Routine for Practice

Young musicians thrive with consistent practice—but that doesn’t mean it has to be rigid or stressful. Think about your child’s natural rhythms and attention span. Do they focus best in the morning before the day gets busy? Or is after-school a better fit? Try out a few options like practicing right after a snack, before dinner, or even as part of a calming bedtime routine.

Start with short, focused sessions—just 10–15 minutes is perfect for beginners. Over time, as practice becomes a habit, they’ll be able to build more stamina and independence.

Helpful Tip: Let your child decorate a practice chart or use a fun timer to give them a sense of ownership and achievement. You might even create a small “practice corner” with all their materials ready to go.

2. Listen Together

Exposure to music outside of practice boosts learning. Play music in the car, during meals, or while doing chores. Choose songs that match your child’s instrument and genre of study, or explore new styles to expand their ear (our Music Around the World Unit under Music Resources could be a helpful tool for this!).

Ask open-ended questions to help your child listen more deeply and express what they hear:
- “Is the music loud or soft?”
- “Do you hear high or low sounds?”
- “Does the music sound smooth or more separated?”
- “What instruments do you hear?”
- “What part of the music do you enjoy the most?”
- “Does this music remind you of anything?”

🎶 Tip: Try listening to a professional recording of the piece your child is learning—then ask what they notice!

These conversations build musical vocabulary and help children become more thoughtful, expressive listeners.

3. Playful Practice Challenges

Turn practice into a mini-game! Here are a few ideas your child might enjoy:

• Goldilocks Dynamics Game
  Try playing/singing the song three different ways: really loud, really soft, and “just right.”

• Dice Roll Practice
  Roll a die to decide how many times to repeat a tricky section (or use 1–3 = slow, 4–6 = medium speed).

• Puzzle Practice
  Break a song into “puzzle pieces” (small phrases or measures) and practice each one before putting it back together.

• Musical Detective
  Listen to a section or recording and ask: “What’s one thing you notice that sounds different from how you played it?” Then try matching it!

• Play it Backwards!
  When we play music, we read the notes or chords from left to right. In this game, we switch it up and have students read from right to left! It’s a fun and quirky way to boost music reading skills.

Piano-Specific Challenges

• The “Look Away” Challenge
  See how long they can play their music without looking at their fingers! You could make it a fun challenge where they try to look only at their music as long as they can.

• Sloth Speed Challenge
  Play the song extra slow (like a sloth!) Try keeping a steady beat!

Guitar / Ukulele-Specific Challenges

• Chord Switch Speed Round
  Time how fast they can switch between two chords cleanly—set a 30-second timer and count how many smooth transitions they make!

• Sing While You Strum
  If they’re working on both voice and an instrument, try singing a simple melody while keeping the strumming steady.

Voice-Specific Challenges

• Volume Meter
  Practice singing the same phrase pp (very soft), mf (medium), and ff (loud)—can they keep it in tune at each level?

• Target Note Challenge
  Pick a high or low note and try sliding up or down to it from another pitch without going sharp or flat.

Bonus: Weekly Practice Challenge Jar
Write down a bunch of these mini-challenges on slips of paper, put them in a jar, and let your student pick one at the start of each practice session!

3. Ask About Their Lesson

Show interest by asking:
- “What did you learn today?”
- “Can you show me your favorite part?”
- “Was there anything tricky or fun?”
These questions help children reflect and reinforce what they learned.

4. Incorporate Music Resources We Share

Whether it’s a recording of their music, a fun music game, practice notes in a notebook, or a note reading app (for example, we use Music Tutor to help students improve their music reading skills on the staff), encourage your child to review what was covered after their lesson. This reinforcement helps solidify new concepts and skills, making practice more effective and engaging. Regularly revisiting these materials not only boosts retention but also builds confidence, turning practice time into a rewarding and motivating experience. Plus, incorporating a variety of review methods keeps learning fresh and caters to different learning styles, making the journey enjoyable for your young musician.

5. Encourage Progress, Not Perfection

Music progress happens little by little, and every small step forward is worth celebrating. When your child plays a section well, be sure to let them know you noticed! Recognizing these moments helps build their confidence and reinforces what they’re doing well. Celebrate not just the outcome, but also the effort—like their focus, patience, and willingness to keep trying. Even when a piece isn’t quite finished or perfect, your encouragement lets them know their hard work is paying off.

Interested in Lessons?

Whether your child is interested in piano, guitar, voice, or ukulele, we’d love to help them begin their musical journey at Corinne’s Music Studio!

Email: corinnesmusicstudio@gmail.com
Phone: (717) 578-5551