Help...my child wants to quit the flute

1. It happens to all of us -  It’s important to realise that everyone, (including professionals) experiences periods of low motivation with practice and plateaus in progress.  This is absolutely normal! 
2. Learning and instrument isn’t just about becoming a good musician!  Being disciplined and sticking with it, even when you don’t want to, is one of the many life skills that learning an instrument is able to teach children (and adults!)  Many schools have strict one year commitments to learning an instrument.  At Windworks, we encourage our students to commit to learning for a calendar year.  A lot can change with a child in a short space of time, and rash decisions to quit don’t allow time for any issues to resolve.  
   
3. Practice is the best cure -  When students are feeling the least motivated, that is the time to be most strict with a practice routine.  Ask your child’s teacher to recommend a practice schedule and commit to helping your child stick with it for a period of time.  (A practice contract between students, parents and teachers can be a good option to try.) Remember, students who practice regularly are never the ones who feel they are making no progress and decide to give up!  You could also encourage your child to complete our online practice log which is available through our “studio helper” software.  Please let me know if you’d like login details and password for this.  Our staff are able to see practice log entries whenever we are online, so are able to offer feedback and encouragement via email between lessons. 
   
4. Other things to try -  Incorporate listening to good music, sight-reading pieces you enjoy, and learning a wide range of music.  Our students have access to lots of repertoire and CD’s here, from baroque to classical to jazz to ethnic, so we can help you to find something to keep you engaged.  Come along to flute choir, join another ensemble, or find some friends to play chamber music with.  We are happy to help you out with this!
   
5. Talk to us - Please let us know if your child is struggling with motivation.  We have lots of resources here to help with getting students through the rough patches and back on track! 
   
6. Be fair to your teacher -  From a timetabling and staffing perspective, it is very difficult for us to fill a space in the timetable during the term if someone decides not to continue.  For this reason, we operate and charge on a term by term basis, and also ask for 4 weeks written notice before the end of a term if you are not wanting to continue with your lessons the following term.  (Our staff commit to their timetables here, and often turn down work elsewhere on the understanding of their hours here.)