Ideally, as much as your heart is inspired to do so, which hopefully translates into every day!

Realistically, practicing one instrument for at least 15 minutes for a minimum of three days a week, would be a great start to a good practice schedule. Building up to five or six days a week is optimal. Another approach would be to do a minimum of five minutes for six days. The more you practice consistently on a regular basis, the more improvement and positive results you will have.

With children, doing a time frame may not always work, so focusing on the repetition of an exercise or song is a great way to go. I always have a list of what we worked on in the lesson and what I am asking them to practice for the week. Focusing on the repetition a certain number of days per week is my recommendation.

This is always an interesting question. It makes me think… how do you define “good”?

To me, this is relative based on a few factors such as age, skill level and talent, aspirations and intentions. This is why I take time in your first lesson to get clear on your goals and talk through what to expect for you or your child.

For example, a student who grew up singing in choirs will achieve a level of “good” at a different rate than someone who considers themselves tone deaf. In terms of skill level development, I do have a curriculum and lesson plans based on age, skill level and experience level, and use that to guide my students to accomplishing goals that are appropriate for them.

I am an honest teacher, and I am always keeping this in mind when working with my students.

Another thing to consider is how frequent you are taking lessons and how frequently you are practicing outside of the lessons. For example, a beginning adult Salsa student who takes classes every week for three months is more than likely going to walk away being a strong beginning-intermediate level dancer, ready to move into an intermediate level, than if s/he took lessons every other week. If s/he practices outside of the weekly lessons, s/he has a greater opportunity to move into a solid intermediate level.

For music students, the same principle applies. Practicing outside of weekly lessons will only expedite your progress in learning and performing songs.

In general, I find that for shorter term goals, taking private music and dance lessons for a period of three to six months is enough time for students to accomplish their initial goals. For longer term goals, seven to twelve months, or more, is the time it takes for students to feel like they met their goals.

But again, I think it is really about what is your intention for your lessons. For some students, practicing regularly outside of lessons is not feasible with their lifestyle and schedule, so being flexible in this area is super important. Just them showing up for a weekly lesson is a big enough commitment, and I go with where they are at. It isn’t about making a student right or wrong if they practice or not, rather it’s about supporting them where they are at. Maybe they are taking lessons to overcome stage fright or to build self confidence, and it isn’t about reaching a goal. How long each person takes to meet their intention is really individual.

I have several tips for you. The first is to think of practicing an instrument or dance moves as a new habit. When you create a routine or schedule for yourself, the more likely you are to do it regularly. This particularly applies to children. Kids love routine and repetition! So create a practice schedule for yourself and your child.

Choose the days and times when you can practice and do your best to stick to it. I know some parents would have their kids practice their piano after breakfast before leaving for school. Or posting a calendar on the wall for everyone to see is a great visual reminder.

This leads me to my next tip, which is to have some type of reward system. For me, even as an adult, I still love to get a sticker! I love stickers and I love to give myself a sticker for practicing, or exercising, or eating healthy – whatever the new habit is. So having a sticker chart or calendar could work for you.

I know some families would do prizes for their children, or maybe some other incentive, like extra time on the computer or video games… There are so many different ways to reward a child that is unique to each family and their values. I would encourage you to look into this.

Another thing that works for me is rewarding myself with more time to practice the thing I like most, if I finish the thing that I don’t like so much first. For example, on piano I don’t particularly like practicing my arpeggios, especially on the black notes. So I put that first, met my minimum requirement and then have more time to practice my Bach piece, which I really love! These are some of my reward tactics and maybe they will work for you!

Another tip is to focus on the repetition of an exercise versus the time factor. This works better for children because they have a greater sense of accomplishment for completing the task. For little children, they are still developing a concept of time. As adults, focusing on time, could be more advantageous. You have to see what works best for you.

I can’t stress this enough, but another tip is to focus on positive reinforcement. Telling yourself and your child that they are doing a good job, that they sound great, that they are improving every time they play or dance, will only encourage them to do it more! Don’t be afraid to hug them (or yourself) and give them a high five for committing to what they are doing. There can be so much negative self-talk that goes on inside, and giving a little more positive reinforcement can help a student greatly.

Lastly, make it fun for yourself or your child! No one wants to play music or dance because it is a chore! I remember when I was 16 years old and I was a pitcher for the high school softball team. My dad required that I practice my pitching everyday for an hour after school during the off season. There was no negotiating with my dad. Something that I really loved doing ended up being something I really hated because I felt forced to do it, or because of the pressure to do well because my parents were paying for private pitching lessons for me. It was more fun to practice my pitching with the team when I was with my friends and had more positive reinforcement.

I share this story because if I had a different attitude towards my practicing and a little more flexibility, I could have enjoyed it more, and probably performed better too. So keep it fun and fresh for you!

Yes you can really learn to sing, but more importantly you can learn the muscle coordination and listening skills to match pitch. Often when people sing out of tune, it is not because they can not hear the pitch, but because the vocal cords are not phonating correctly due to several things like lack of proper breathing, or muscle strength and coordination.

I had one student who was incredibly intelligent and very musically inclined, but due to a condition in his brain that made coordination very challenging for him, he had trouble matching pitch and keeping rhythm. He absolutely loved music, but was always told to stop singing (a horrible thing to say to someone!) when in a group of people.

So I gave him specific vocal exercises, along with breathing and ear training, that he practiced regularly. After six months, he began to improve singing on pitch. He is really a star example because he was so diligent in practicing and didn’t see results right away, yet he kept at it, and had gradual improvement.

So, can you do it? I believe so, especially if you are willing to give it a try!

Absolutely! People can struggle with learning to dance for a variety of reasons. Sometimes feeling self conscious about our self image, how we “look” when we are dancing, or what we think how others perceive us when dancing, can inhibit the freedom in our movement. Not being allowed to fully experience physical movements and rhythms in our bodies, be it from cultural conditioning or beliefs about gender, can stunt our exploration of dance. Another reason is that it takes coordination and a different series of fine motor skills to do dance movements that you may not have developed yet. So by doing steps at a slower pace till you build the coordination and confidence is how I would approach your supposedly two left feet.