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Parents’ commitment to music lessons

5/28/2014

1 Comment

 
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Parents’ commitment to music lessons is crucial, too. Parents not only need to make sure children stick to their practicing, but also defend music lessons as a priority when schedule conflicts arise with sports, dance, theater, or other activities.

“A parent has to think it’s important for a child to think it’s important,” said Green. “I had to pick between (Girl Scout age level) Brownies or piano.”


From the Blog: For parents, basic notes when considering music lessons

1 Comment
Chris Cawthray link
5/28/2014 02:58:59 am

In my teaching practice, I have come to realize that kids come to music lessons for a variety of reasons. The best students are the motivated students with strong parental support and a desire to improve. With almost 100% success I can show these students that if they practice they will get tangibly better in a very short period of time. There is NO DOUBT that practice pays off, there are no natural-born virtuosos.
However, there are many students that do not practice, and view the lesson as a 30 minute entertainment or diversion. I have come to accept that for the most part these students do not do this maliciously or with the intent to waste my time. This 30 minutes a week of focus on music and being engaged with a real-life "artist" is often an escape that they need, whether they show significant improvement or not. I'm not suggesting it is therapy, but some kids don't have the support network they need, even if they have the finances to pay for lessons. It is not our job to repair the dis-connect they suffer from at home, but we can be aware enough to not draw attention to it, and even provide them with a very valuable respite. The time spent making music, however rudimentary or however slowly they progress, may be helping them shore up strength needed for other challenges in their lives.

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    I'm a professional pianist and music educator in West Toronto Ontario. I'm also a devoted student and teacher of the drums. 

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