Most parents of music students, at some point have difficulty getting their child to practice their instrument. It can become a point of contention between them and a source of frustration. It can even lead to the termination of lessons. Don’t let this happen to you! What parents must understand is that children are not usually self-motivated to do their work – no matter what kind of work it is. Let’s face it, even adults can experience difficulty getting motivated to do work that they know needs to be done, even if it is something they enjoy. Therefore, they cannot expect their children to be self-motivated and disciplined enough to practice on their own without parental reminders, discipline, and supervision. The younger the child, the more important it is for parents to provide support and discipline in maintaining the practice schedule. It is a rare case where a child, even into the teenage years, will take responsibility to practice consistently on their own. The answer is a simple one. The discipline must come from the parent. Try to be consistent, encouraging and enforcing a regular practice schedule, and teach your child that this is what is expected of him on a daily basis, just like getting his homework done. And as such, it is part of his education. It can be helpful to offer rewards from time to time, for a job well done.