How to Support Your Child's Music Education

“How Do YOU Fit In?”

Schedule Practice Times

Musical achievement requires effort over a period of time. You can help your child by:

• Providing a quiet place in which to practice
• Remaining nearby during practice times as often as possible
• Scheduling a consistent, daily time for practice
• Praising your child’s efforts and echievements

What to Do

To give your child the best possible support, you should:

• Encourage your child to play for family and friends
• Offer compliments and encouragement regularly
• Expose your child to a wide variety of music, including concerts and recitals
• Encourage your child to talk with you about his/her lessons
• Make sure your child’s instrument is always in good working order
• Allow your child to play many types of music, not just study pieces
• Listen to your child practice, and acknowledge improvement
• Help your child build a personal music library
• Try to get your child to make a commitment of staying in band

What Not to Do

Your child’s progress will be greatly enhanced if you:

* Don’t use practice as a punishment
* Don’t insist your child play for others when they don’t want to
* Don’t ridicule or make fun of mistakes or less-than-perfect playing
* Don’t apologize to others for your child’s weak performance
* Don’t start your child on an instrument that’s in poor working order or condition
* Don’t expect rapid progress and development in the beginning

 

 

 

 

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