Learning to Play: Tips for Parents of Young Musicians

Practice Tips for Elementary-School Kids

· Help your child set up a special place at home to play the instrument.

· Establish a time each day to play. Some children are at their best in the morning, before school. Some parents set a time after the evening bath when the child is relaxed, but not tired.

· Consider using the phrase "playing time" rather than "practice time."

· If possible, be a positive part of your child's playing time. Sit with your child while he plays and ask, "Show me what you're learning." Or, consider learning to play the instrument with your child.

· Praise your child for each step forward.

· Never make negative remarks about how your child's playing sounds. It takes time and effort to produce musical sounds.

· Encourage other family members to applaud the child's efforts. Positive attention is a great motivator.

· Remember that there are always peaks and valleys in the learning process. You and your child should expect times of discouragement, accept them, and focus on the positive fact that she's learning to make music. Remind her that everything worth doing takes time and effort.

· Provide positive role models. Bring your child to hear amateur or professional musicians perform. Take your child to movies that show musicians in a positive light, such as "Music of the Heart."

· When seeking private lessons, find a qualified teacher you can talk to easily. Ask about the teacher's philosophy of education, and ask to talk to some of the teacher's current students or their parents. Make sure your child is comfortable with the teacher.

By Ardene Shafer and Christine Stinson

(http://fun.familyeducation.com/musical-instruments/music-fun/35127.html)

3 Things Parents Must Tell Their Children When They Begin a Musical Instrument

If you are like me, you want your kid(s) to complete their K-12 education with far more than factual knowledge and an ability to score well on tests. You believe that school should be primarily focused on growing skills and mindsets that will last a lifetime. Psychological traits that include:

• The patience to persist at a tough (and perhaps boring) task;

• The ability to delay gratification;

• The curiosity and grit to problem solve;

...just to name just a few.

And the musical instrument in your child's hand could be the key to learning those skills.

Here are three things parents need to know and be able to express to their child as soon as they begin learning to play a musical instrument:

"You are allowed to fail, and you will become better because of your failures."

There are no red pen marks for missed notes in music the way there are on tests - there is nothing to feel bad about when you play something "wrong" in music. To become skilled at a musical instrument - and to become great at anything - one needs to struggle a little. In your child's case, they need to sound bad before they sound good; they need to work on things just beyond what they are capable of in order to get better and smarter, and that means they need to make mistakes. There is a small gap between what we all are able to do and where we want to be, and focusing on that gap makes us better learners and better people. Learning a musical instrument allows us to grow from our mistakes.

"Hard works trumps talent every single time."

Practicing a skill over and over, the right way, fires circuits in our brains that solidify that skill. Sure, some people find some skills easier at first than others, but the people who practice that skill daily in order to "burn it'' into their brain will always far surpass people who don't practice enough. Practicing a musical instrument helps children learn the universal truth that hard work trumps talent.

"This is a long-term commitment, and we are going to stick with it."

Studies have shown that students who identified that they would play their instrument for longer than one year outperformed students who only committed to one year of playing by up to 400% - practicing the same amount of time if not less! The ideas and mindsets students bring to their musical instrument study have a direct effect on their success, and it's the parents' role to set the tone on the first day by not giving their child an "easy out" to quit. Make the decision to invest in your child's music education for at least a few years of their schooling and you will see results.

There are not many subjects taught in school that have the potential to give our children the life skills they need to be successful beyond their school lives. Our children can learn how to have grit, motivation, problem-solving skills, flexibility, and character during and after their K-12 schooling-and music is the vehicle to teach these skills.

By Anthony Mazzocchi Full article here:

www.nafme.org/3-things-parents-must-tell-their-children-when-they-begin-a-musical-instrument

The keys to success when learning to play a musical instrument are PRACTICE and ORGANIZATION. Students will be expected to make a commitment to a minimum of 120 practice minutes per week, with 20 to 30 minutes recommended per day. Most of the students in the band program practice 180 minutes or more per week, making it part of their daily routine. Although practice does not guarantee excellence, it does play a major role in achieving the best level of performance for each student.

Parents and students should give serious consideration to whether a child’s schedule of activities would prevent them from giving the instrument the attention it needs. If your child is currently studying piano privately, playing a school instrument is an excellent idea, as your child already has the knowledge of the music notes. (Please keep in mind that MANY students in the Instrumental Music Program participate in sports, dance, clubs, and other extracurricular activities. This teaches the students responsibility and organization in balancing their other activities in addition to music.)

Here are a few things to keep in mind about practicing:

· All students who have signed up for lessons are aware that they must practice a MINIMUM of 120 minutes a week. It is HIGHLY recommended that this is accomplished over a 6-day or a 7-day span (minimum would be approximately 20 minutes a day). All students at our school are required to keep a practice sheet, which is to be completed during the course of the week. A parent/guardian signature is required each week to verify the total minutes for the week. PLEASE VERIFY THAT YOUR CHILD’S RECORD-KEEPING IS ACCURATE – AN INACCURATE RECORD IS ONLY HURTING YOUR CHILD’S CHANCE OF SUCCESS FOR THE FUTURE.

· In the event that a student does not have his/her homework or is unprepared, the student will receive a warning from the teacher. For the 2^nd offense, a phone call will be made to the student’s home to make the parents aware of the situation and the student may be asked to return to class, at the music teacher’s discretion. For the 3^rd offense, a meeting may be arranged for the student with the principal and the music teacher to discuss the future of the child in the instrumental music program.

· PRACTICING ENVIRONMENT. The ideal practice area is one free of distractions (television, siblings, video games, computers, etc.). It is HIGHLY recommended that students have a good, sturdy chair for support while they practice, as well as a music stand. Studies have proven that students are far more likely to develop back problems from being hunched over due to improper seating (couch, loveseat, bean bag chair, etc.) and the lack of a music stand.

· The minimum practice time per week is listed at 120 minutes, but 120 minutes should certainly not be the goal for the week. Students over the years who have enjoyed the greatest success have practice anywhere from 180 to 400 minutes a week. By starting students with practice sheets from the beginning, it will help to reinforce the time commitment necessary on his/her instrument. Eventually, the ideal situation is for the student to be practicing with consistency each week and without the constant reminder by teachers and/or parents. PLEASE NOTE: The purpose of practice sheets is not to TORTURE the students into practicing – the purpose is to develop a weekly routine for years to come.

· Practice doesn’t make perfect. PERFECT practice makes perfect. Students should always practice their assignment for the week (lesson book, scales, band music, etc.) before moving on to material that they already know. Regardless of your own musical knowledge, if you hear your child practicing Jingle Bells and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star about 37 times per practice session, perhaps it would be wise to suggest moving on to something else.

· Parents and student should work together to consider the child’s schedule of activities when planning practice time. It may be in the best interests of the child to divide extended practice time or a day (EXAMPLE: 15 minutes in the morning before school and 15 minutes after dinner). NOTE: A VAST MAJORITY of the instrumental music students in our school are VERY active in multiple sports and other activities.