When searching for info on what to write about for this topic, I noticed that the vast majority of perspectives were from parents. So, I wanted to write about this from a teacher’s point of view.

If the child wants to quit music lessons, you must talk with the child as to why. Sometimes it’s because they know all their friends are being allowed to quit their music lessons. Sometimes it’s because they were being teased at school about it. Sometimes it’s because the instrument is not of sufficient quality. (especially with piano families who start with a piano that’s out of tune and/or has poor action, usually both.)

There are some things that parents of students can try. One is to agree to stick with lessons until they pass a certain level in the exam system. (perhaps Level 6 or so) A second is to make a practice contract between the child and parent, with consequences for not meeting the contract, as well as rewards for meeting or exceeding the contract. Parents can also use my “Music Practice Passes” which will allow them to miss practice up to two days per week.

The teacher can also do some things too. One is to say have a period of 4-6 weeks of music lessons where little to no practicing will be required. Students can work on advancing their music theory skills at an accelerated rate, they can write a musical composition or two, they can play CD-ROM music games, students can learn to play a melody line with accompanying chords (via lead sheets), students can work on mastering the ear skills for their level of study, they can get the student into arrangements of the pieces the student knows that are in current popular music, and they can do lots of easier pieces that they can master in a week or two with only a small amount of practice. Sometimes students will want to go back to more “normal” lessons after only 2-3 weeks of this, but most students by the end of this period are ready to get back to practicing after this special time.

There are only a very few acceptable reasons for allowing students to quit music lessons. Here is my very short list:

1) Reaching a late intermediate or early advanced level on an instrument, and not intending to pursue it as a career.

2) Students who have reached their limits, or nearly so, and have, with a good amount of effort, tried for 6 months to a year with continuing frustration and little enjoyment.

3) The student shows little musical aptitude and interest after two or more years of study with a good teacher and a reasonable amount of effort. This third reason is rare.

Therefore, “not liking it any more” or “friends are making fun of me” are not acceptable reasons to quit, especially if a child is younger than 12 or 13. It is also a bad idea to quit when a child has made little effort in practicing for at least 6 weeks; if you let them quit when they are not practicing, it shows that they can win if they just show less interest. A third idea on not being a good time to quit is if a child has a habit of quitting things quickly, or has quit two or more activities in the past year.

However, even if the student quits lessons on an instrument, they should be encouraged to play for themselves, or possibly take lessons on a different instrument after a break of 3-6 months, but not more than a year.