And it's going..pretty well?! My 8yo has been playing cello for 3 years, and just started piano and bass uke a few months ago (with the intention of someday converting those bass skills to guitar). My 5yo has been playing violin for 2 years and piano for about 6 months. Yes, I do bribe them with candy in exchange for practicing.
Both kids are used to practicing every day, usually one instrument per day, but sometimes both if the mood strikes us.
The hard part is that I'm sitting with them for every minute of every lesson. I don't understand how parents DON'T, honestly. I'm mostly going with Suzuki materials, and so having them memorize everything by ear. The 8yo also loves the energy of bluegrass, so we've been trying out basic versions of Cripple Creek, Fiddler's shuffle, etc.
We aren't learning new measures every time we sit to practice, but adding on incrementally as we master the song, so maybe every third sit. A lot of technique in between (especially on cello, lately - the bowing distribution on some of those songs a little sadistic..!). My own musical background involved learning piano and violin, with a more classical "sit up straight and stare at this page for a half hour by yourself" type of education. All I really know is that I do not want to give them that.
But I digress - my reaching out here is about the reading. It strikes me as being an entirely different skill than actually playing, but I have a hard time articulating why lol. I feel like it's (past) time to introduce the 8yo to reading, and..what would be the best way to go about that?
For instance, should we work on different songs each time to promote sight reading? I anticipate those being lower level, especially at first. Or would it be better to dive deep into one song, and maybe go more in line with the level he's currently memorizing? If we were to implement both, it would probably start cutting into our Suzuki / memorization & technique time, which I find to be valuable.
Should I be introducing my 5yo to reading? He's smart (just finished book 1), but he's also still getting the hang of the actual alphabet.
They both work hard, but I don't have child prodigies on my hands, and want to keep it fun for them. No 2-hour lessons needed here. I'm in it for the development and future enjoyment of music more than anything. Asking about reading tips & tricks, but suggestions in general welcome! Thanks in advance :)
Submitted October 17, 2026 at 01:48AM by ember2698 https://www.reddit.com/r/Learnmusic/comments/1x81d40/teaching_my_kids_23_instruments_each/?utm_source=ifttt