practicing a musical instrument, how to get him to do it?

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Just thought I'd give you an update...I've practiced what everyone here has said and have just given him the time...with that said...

His teachers love him! Although he is easily distracted, they are always amazed that he learns each and every song they teach him the day they teach it to him...and by the next week, he has not forgotten it. They have all claimed he has perfect pitch and are working with the issue of him not really wanting to practice and distractions. They'll get him to play a song on the instrument that they are supposed to be teaching him, but once he no longer wants to do that, they'll just play another instrument...and he'll listen to them...or he'll then want to practice that instrument. It's funny at this point because he does have a little keyboard and every song he's learned for the guitar (actually a cuatro-similar to a guitar), he has learned to play on his own on the piano...and of course, he's added a couple of songs to his repertoire of songs he can play on the piano. He will also sing with the right pitch (sorry, but not sure I understand this music stuff) every single song.

He is even reading music that the teachers have not really taught him...they taught him the basics with colors, but as the days go by, he reads the music without the colored dots too...and correctly (per the teachers)...

So, we continue to just let him have fun, just as the teachers are doing and he continues to practice his "keyboard/piano" on his own more than his cuatro...Maybe eventually we'll just have them teach him piano instead...hehe...it's getting closer by the minute.

Above all, it is great to see that it brings him such pleasure when he does play his keyboard...and of course, when he sings...he does have a lovely voice...

Thanks to all who posted your comments to get me to backoff a bit...I truly appreciate it...

PS - of course, I love the guitar/cuatro (I have since I was a little girl and wanted to play it myself), but once again, he seems to be favoring the piano, so, I'll learn to enjoy the piano as well...

The problem with my kid was (apparently) that the stuff was too easy. He picks up some of the hardest stuff in the piano literature and works it out himself (sometimes 9 hours at a time). We have a friend who is a professional, who will listen to him occasionally, but she'll say, well, I don't think Ravel would have done it that way....I think he would have done it more like this....and she plays it.....doesn't make a point of it, and lets him go on. She has also told him on more than one occasion, "what you're doing with that is very good. I don't agree with you, but you're playing it very well." At least he will think about her suggestions and try them a few times her way, and then decide. She was educated in Moscow, so the very fact that he can keep up with her (well, sort of) is a source of satisfaction to us.

This is what you have to look forward to if he sticks with it. My kid is 18, and like I say, we bought him the piano (and the drums, and the keyboard, and the synthesizer, and the clairinet...we drew the line at tympani....but he plays those too), and that's in his spare time.

Your kid will be okay.

Sit back and enjoy.

BTDT

On the attention thing, do his lessons need to be that long? It is a widely quoted figure that the attention span of a fully grown adult is little more than 45 minutes. I used to have half an hour piano lessons.
If he can play the pieces without practise I doubt he needs to practise them, does he have chords, scales and sight reading to do though. Whilst possibly the latter 2 are more piano orientated, they really develop your finger positioning, finger dexterity and ability to read the music quickly.