How long/often do your kids practice their musical instrument?

[lmintzer]

Well, I have "big" kids who have been playing a while (DS#1 is 11 and has played piano since he was 6.5). He practices for about 30-45 minutes at a time. It's not every day due to sports and homework, but we do the best we can. Teacher would prefer an hour, I'm sure. There are days when he does closer to an hour, but it's typically not all at once.

He also plays clarinet, and that gets a lot less attention--maybe 10-15 minutes a few times/week.

Younger DS is 8.5 and has been playing piano since he was 5. I sit with him while he practices for the majority of the practice, unless he's doing "review" songs. He does about 20-30 minutes as many days as possible. Probably about 5/week on average.

I admit to being a "tiger mom" when it comes to practicing. Their teachers are serious, and I am serious with them about it. I probably should be a little looser, but I feel some pressure from their amazing teachers. They are doing really well and play some pretty complicated stuff, so something is working.