What to Expect in Your Child’s First Month of Music Lessons
(And How to Help Them Succeed)

What’s the difference between children who stick with music lessons and those who quit after two months? After 15 years of teaching, I can tell you that it’s not a child’s level of talent, or even their interest level. The biggest factor is whether parents understand what to expect in those critical first few weeks – and know how to support their child when the initial excitement wears off. Whether your child is taking online music lessons or in-person instruction, this pattern holds true. Let me show you what happens in most students’ first month, and what you can do to set your child up for long-term success.

Everything Feels Possible

That first week will likely be an absolute joy to witness. Your child is a sponge, ready to soak up whatever information they can, and if they tend to be the vocal type then they’ve probably already asked their instructor millions of questions. This is a great time where the possibilities feel endless, and your child is likely filled with visions of being an absolute legend on their instrument. As a parent, you will probably receive an earful as well about how they enjoyed their lesson and their instructor and can’t wait to return for another lesson. Embrace this excitement – it’s fuel for the journey ahead. And when the first challenge appears (it always does), you’ll be ready to help them channel that initial enthusiasm into perseverance.

The First Real Challenge

Here’s what happens with any new skill: the first parts feel easy, and we think ‘I’ve got this!’ Then reality hits when things get actually challenging. Psychologists call this the Dunning-Kruger Effect. Learning a little bit makes us feel empowered and knowledgeable. Your child’s instructor has likely given easily digestible challenges to your child to help spark their interest and get them excited to go on this journey in the first place, and that was exactly what they needed! But the time will arrive shortly afterwards in which they will be presented with something more challenging, and challenges can be uncomfortable. It’s different for each child and each student, but it always happens, and it might burst their bubble a little. This is where real learning begins, and is the point where your child will make their first serious steps of progress. The progress that makes them stand apart as someone who truly knows how to play an instrument versus someone who doesn’t. 

Helping Your Child Through the Tough Moments

The trap at this point is our tendency to want to escape the discomfort of not being as good at something. Practicing might drop, and the enthusiasm that was once there will diminish. This is the perfect opportunity to step in as a parent and have a conversation with your child about handling challenges.
Start by asking them to show you what they recently learned. “Show me what you learned this week – I want to see!” This can help them break out of a lull by asking them to perform for you. Another approach that I find works quite well is to remind them of other things in life that once proved challenging for them but no longer are. “Remember when you had difficulty riding a bike, but now it’s a breeze!” or “Remember when you didn’t think you were any good at soccer? You’re a natural now!” 
Personally, I even do this with students when they cross major milestones during lessons. “Remember when the C chord felt impossible to play?” They nod their head, smiling because they remember how impossible it once felt. “Well, look at you now! That chord was difficult and now it’s easy, because you worked hard at it. Just remember that fact.” Remind them that once they get better at something, their fun will return almost immediately, because that’s the truth. Once the challenging part of playing their instrument becomes easy again, they won’t be so reluctant to do it. Instead, they’ll gladly do it because now they’re so good at it!

Creating a Practice Habit at Home

It can also be extremely helpful to build a habit out of practice. Set aside a time each day for them to focus on their instrument, and start off with short but consistent time lengths that can grow as time goes on. With online music lessons, you’ll often be able to review what was covered during the lesson, making it easier to guide your child’s practice between sessions. Start with maybe 10-15 minutes of practice, asking them to focus on things they already feel great at playing for most of the time. Then for the last 5 minutes, ask them to practice something challenging. This method presents new students with the opportunity for practice to make them feel good about their abilities, while also making them comfortable over time with taking on new and challenging skills. 

Our Approach to Guiding Students Through Challenges

At Monarch Music Lessons, I’ve personally built my entire approach around helping students across Charlotte navigate these natural challenges. When I notice a student hitting that first wall, I: 

1. Adjust the difficulty level to rebuild confidence
2. Find music they’re personally excited about to reignite motivation
3. Communicate with parents about what I’m seeing and how we can work together
4. Celebrate small wins to maintain momentum. 

This is why our free trial lessons are so valuable as well – they offer the chance for both parents and students to be introduced to that kind of support and motivation that will help them succeed.

The Cycle That Emerges (And Why It’s Good)

As a parent, you can help your child navigate through the challenges of learning a new skill, offering them support and encouragement while reminding them that they possess the ability and willpower to get through it and succeed. After this switch from first week excitement to their first challenging experiences, a cycle will begin to emerge. The joy of being proficient will be faced with a new challenge that prompts them to be reluctant to practice, but dedication and focus will return them back to the summit of feeling great about themselves and their abilities. This cycle will continue over and over, and as a parent you can provide the guidance needed for them to endure. 
Over time, I’ve found that students who build up this habit will gradually be less reluctant to face new challenges, and their perseverance will become a dominant and consistent trait. The beautiful thing about this is that we’re only talking about music lessons here, but this skill goes far beyond music lessons and can be the groundwork for helping your child excel in countless areas across their life. Your child’s success in learning relies on you as their parent to encourage them to persevere and deal with challenges head-on. With you helping to guide them through those challenges, and caring teachers to support you both, they will flourish musically.