Question
My six year old daughter does not play her violin during her practice time. Her teacher made her a stack of flashcards with different songs and exercises for her to work through. My daughter needs only to play one card, then the next and so on. She goes in a room by herself where she won't be distracted by siblings or toys. I set a timer for 20 minutes. During that 20 minutes, she is expected to play for 10 minutes. If she plays for 10 minutes before the 20 minutes is over, she can end her violin practice. Her teacher said that 10 minutes is not too much to ask. My daughter was playing for maybe 6 minutes of the ten. This week she has played for 1 to 2 minutes only. Today she told me: "I know what the problem is. I think of other things besides my violin." I do not expect my daughter to become a professional violinist. I do think that the violin practice can help her develop the habits of attention, perseverance and self-discipline. I would like to help her develop these habits with the violin. I do not want to offer her rewards. I do not to agonize about her not playing. I want it to be her agony as Dr. Rosemond advocates. I'm not sure what to do to help her. Can you help me?
