How can I help my child succeed?
Whether or not you are a musician, you CAN help your child to be successful in their musical endeavors. Take a moment to read through some of these suggestions and strategies. As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions.
Find a Quiet Space
A practice space should be a quiet, well-lit part of the house, free from as many distractions as possible. A music stand and a pencil should be available if possible.
Set a Consistent Time
One of the most commonly heard excuses is that a student "didn't have time to practice" this week. While some weeks may indeed be crazy, often a more accurate statement is that the student “didn’t make time to practice.” Life is crazy and if you don’t make time, it won’t happen!
We always suggest to my students and families that they set a specic practice time. Perhaps it is after dinner, or before school, or after soccer practice. Whatever the time is, try to make it consistent. If practicing an instrument is part of the child's daily routine, practice time will become less of a battle. Also, if students are really low on time, even 5 minutes of focused work can make a big difference!
Stay Connected
Helping your child to take the instrument out and put it away can be a wonderful source of encouragement in the beginning. Asking a child if there may be a desire to share at the end of a practice session. Oering a simple checklist on a stand that creates the what/why is something private teachers generally provide. Please ask your teacher for this! A practice chart is another very helpful method.
Persevere!
Learning a musical instrument is a lifelong endeavor, and just like learning anything new, there will be ups and downs. Nurture patience and small steps as they learn something new to them.
Be Positive
Learning a new instrument can oer challenges for a student, but sometimes hearing a new student practice can be equally challenging for the listener! Squeakiness in beginning strings is normal, so please avoid telling students that they sound bad. A parent or guardian’s approval and encouragement helps feed a student’s desire to improve, so remain positive!
Process and Reward
Reward and incentive is often at play as habits form. Please understand that string playing is a process. If you choose to reward several days of practicing consistently, great. But even more ideal would be a reward for slow practice for ve or ten minutes of each session. Or listening ahead, physical preparation, clapping before the bow was used, etc.
