How Much Should My Child Practice?
Most often asked question by a parent would be: how much should my child practice everyday?
To answer this question, first a parent need to determine what is your goal for your child and what your child would like?
According to Geoff Colvin in his book "Talent is Overrated", page 59:
......The object of the study was to figure out why some violinists are better than others. The researchers went to the Music Academy of West Berlin, as it was then known, a post secondary school that turns out extremely good musicians, may of whom go on to careers with major symphony orchestras or as solo performers. Professors were asked to nominate the very best violinist, those with the potential for careers as international soloists. The professors also nominated violinists who were very good but not as good as the top group. In addition, the academy had a separate department with lower admission standards, the students of which generally go on to become music teacher, and the researchers recruited a group from this department as well. That made three groups of test subjects--we'll call them good, better, and best--which the researchers chose to be as similar as possible in age and sex.....
Let's say a child start piano at age 4:
To become an international soloists, from age 4 to 18, he has to practice 7410 hours, that is 11 hours every week
To be very good, but not as good as international soloists, he has to practice 5301 hours, that is 7.88 hours every week
To be a music teacher, he has to practice 3420 hours, that is 5 hours every week
My suggestions:
If you like to know what really separates world-class performers from everybody else, you can read this book: Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin
To answer this question, first a parent need to determine what is your goal for your child and what your child would like?
According to Geoff Colvin in his book "Talent is Overrated", page 59:
......The object of the study was to figure out why some violinists are better than others. The researchers went to the Music Academy of West Berlin, as it was then known, a post secondary school that turns out extremely good musicians, may of whom go on to careers with major symphony orchestras or as solo performers. Professors were asked to nominate the very best violinist, those with the potential for careers as international soloists. The professors also nominated violinists who were very good but not as good as the top group. In addition, the academy had a separate department with lower admission standards, the students of which generally go on to become music teacher, and the researchers recruited a group from this department as well. That made three groups of test subjects--we'll call them good, better, and best--which the researchers chose to be as similar as possible in age and sex.....
| Group | By 18 years old, the total hours of practice | |
| International soloists | 7410 hours | |
| Very good but not as good as the top group | 5301 hours | |
| To become music teacher | 3420 hours |
Let's say a child start piano at age 4:
To become an international soloists, from age 4 to 18, he has to practice 7410 hours, that is 11 hours every week
To be very good, but not as good as international soloists, he has to practice 5301 hours, that is 7.88 hours every week
To be a music teacher, he has to practice 3420 hours, that is 5 hours every week
My suggestions:
| Materials | Level | Everyday | Everyweek |
| Book 1 to 7 | 1-2-3-4 | 15 - 20 minutes everyday | 2 hours |
| Book 8 to 16 | 1-2A-2B | 30 minutes everyday | 3 hours |
| Book 17 to 30 | 3A-3B-4-5 | 45 minutes everyday | 4.5 hours |
| Book 31 to 60 | CM6-7-8-9-10 | 60 minutes everyday | 6 hours |
If you like to know what really separates world-class performers from everybody else, you can read this book: Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin
