|
To succeed with your child’s music education, parents of young children need to know the best approach to practicing with your child. Here are some ideas for how you can get the best results without resorting to things you may regret later. These suggestions can help keep you motivated so that you can help your child have the best possible musical experience.
Enjoy the process. If you can figure out how to have pleasant practice sessions, you and your child will succeed. This may be the hardest part of the whole process, and perhaps the most crucial. The main goal for practice should be with joy.
Be consistent. If your child knows that you will practice every day at the same time, it is easier for you, and it will give your child a sense of security. Find a time that works best for your family. Young children should have at least two practice sessions during the day. If you can, practice for at least 10 or 15 minutes in the morning before school. This is the time when most children (and many parents) are at their best. Their minds are fresh and alert, and they are not burdened by all the stresses of the day.
Don’t negotiate. If you practice only when the child feels like it, you will probably never practice. Get in the habit of regular practice, and do it. Say, “Practicing is what we do in our family.” If children believe that practicing is something that is done in the family, they will do it!
Be reasonable. Don’t expect perfection! One of the parent’s most important jobs is to show children that life is not a matter of being perfect, but one of trying new things and growing. We do not want children to be overly cautious about learning. Mistakes are one of the most important paths to learning. We want them to be interested in a variety of things and willing to accept a challenge.
Be patient with your child. This is one of the biggest challenges for parents. Learning is a process that takes time. Every child learns at his own pace and cannot be rushed. Let them know they are doing well and that you are happy with their progress. Children want to please their parents, and a smile or a kind word strengthens the bond between parent and child and increases the child’s love of learning.
Work for an accomplishment rather than a set amount of time. Although a standard amount of practice time is suggested, one of the best ways you can teach your children to be efficient workers is to stop early when they have accomplished the goals for a practice session. If students can reach their goals in less time, they learn efficiency. If you stop the practice session before the child is ready to stop, he will want to play again the next day.
Know what you are doing! You are the home teacher. To learn what you should be doing at home with your child, ask the teacher. Nothing is more disruptive to a child’s learning than getting opposing directions from teacher and parent. Observe the lesson carefully and take notes or tape the lesson.
Be in charge. The secret to successful practicing is that the parent must be in charge to a greater or lesser degree depending on the child’s age.
Gradually lengthen practice time. Children need to slowly gain physical and mental stamina. They will also have more repertoire as time progresses, and practice sessions will automatically get longer as the pieces becomes more advanced.
Reviewing old repertoire is also important. The pieces that the child particularly likes should be kept up so that he will always have several pieces that he knows very well, and can sit down and play at any time.
Focus on quality rather than quantity. Small, manageable sections of a piece can be worked out with a feeling of success. Repetition is the key to efficient learning. Do one measure thoroughly so that the child can really master it. More is not always better. As the student progresses, there will be more and more details to attend to in the music. It is better to play fewer pieces and play them really well, so move slowly and carefully.
Focus on what the child is doing right. Tell the child what she is doing well. Parents often ask if they can help their children successfully if they are not musicians themselves. Actually, non-musician parents often have a much easier time than musician parents. Musicians are trained to find mistakes so that they can correct them, while people who are not musicians tend to hear the music and not the mistakes.
Stay positive. Be of good cheer. Avoid at all costs, statements like, “You’re not even trying,” “That’s terrible,” or, “You’re just trying to irritate me.” If you feel something hurtful coming, put your hand over your mouth. Do not say something negative that could destroy weeks of positive growth.
Remember the power of praise. Praise always accomplishes more than criticism. Sometimes it is not just praise but acknowledgement. Acknowledge what the child is doing. Keep a running list of all the wonderful things your child does. If your child is just starting to read, make the list in large print so he can read for himself all the things that he did well.
Give rewards. From the beginning, try to establish the desire and pattern of practice. You don’t have to always give rewards, but if you do at certain times, you’ll find that you will get good work from your child.
Expose your child to music as much as possible. Play recordings of fine music, or put on the radio during the day, and at night as the child goes to sleep. The more she hears music, the more she will learn to love it and want to participate in making music.
Beware of “Burn-out.” Most students will come to a point at some time in their training where they don’t want to practice, are tired of taking lessons, or would rather be doing a different activity altogether. This is a normal phase that will pass if you treat it with compassion and understanding. Talk to your teacher at once. A new approach can be applied to get the child re-motivated. Most importantly, you must view the music training as part or their regular education. Just as they would not be allowed to quit school out of frustration, boredom, difficulty, or any other problem, they should be encouraged to maintain their practicing and their lessons until the phase passes.
This is a very special time that you have with your child. You have your child one-on-one during practice. Sometimes this is the only time that a parent and child have alone together. Treasure your children and their accomplishments. Be understanding, encouraging, patient, and loving and I promise that you will have success beyond anything you could have ever imagined!
|
