You don’t have to be a musician to raise one.

Every parent has heard that music is good for kids. Almost none have been told what to do at 7 p.m. on a Tuesday when practice is going badly and everyone is close to tears.

Making Musicians at Home is written for that moment. Allison Wilkinson, veteran music teacher, psychology researcher, and mother of four, gives parents the brain science behind why music matters, then moves straight to the practical questions: Is my child ready? Which instrument, and where do I buy one? How do I find a teacher worth the tuition? How do I fit practice into a week that is already full?

At the center of the book is the Practice Map, a guide to the five stages every music student travels: Oblivion, Awareness, Effort, Ease, and Sublimity. Each stage carries its own emotions, from excitement and fear through frustration and boredom to real fulfillment, and each comes with its own tools, games, and language for parents to use.

The goal is not to remove the struggle. It is to make the struggle purposeful, and even joyful.