Making the most of your child’s Practice Diary

How Practice Diaries can support music-making between lessons.

Four Practice Diary booklets from Merton Music Foundation are displayed upright each featuring a close-up image of hands playing an electric guitar.

What should be in a practice diary?

Tutors can use the diary to record what a pupil has worked on during their lesson, along with specific things to practise during the week. It might include a particular piece or exercise, a section that needs more attention, or a reminder of something the pupil has been learning.

For pupils, this gives them something to refer back to when they sit down to practise at home. Rather than trying to remember everything from their lesson, they have a clear record of what they need to work on.

A young boy sits at a drum kit, holding drumsticks and looking forward. He wears a light purple shirt and shorts, and the drums are blue with silver hardware. The bright, simple background hints at the excitement of Drumathon 2025.

Parents/guardians can use it too

For parents/guardians, the practice diary can be a useful way of understanding what is happening in lessons.

Take a few minutes to look through it regularly. You may find notes from the tutor about what your child has been working on, what they should practise and how they are progressing.

Parents/guardians can also add their own notes. Perhaps your child has been finding a particular piece difficult, has grown in confidence with something they’ve been working on, or hasn’t been able to practise as much as usual. Letting the tutor know what is happening at home gives them useful information to pick up on at the next lesson.

A young woman with long dark hair plays the violin, concentrating on her performance.

Supporting practice at home

The best practice diaries become a two-way conversation between tutor and home, rather than simply a record of homework.

Pupils can use them to remember what they need to practise and to make a note of questions they want to ask at their next lesson. Parents/guardians can use them to share what’s happening at home, while tutors can use them to give feedback and set clear goals for the week ahead.

Every lesson student is given a practice diary, and should make it part of their routine. Checking it after each lesson and looking back at it during the week can help everyone stay involved and make the most of the time between lessons.

It only takes a few minutes, but a well-used practice diary can make a real difference.

A young girl wearing a white shirt plays a Roland keyboard, focused on her music with a music stand in front of her against a plain light background,.