SKIING

9 Things Parents Can Do to Boost Music Practicing

1. Explain what practicing is to your children. Help them to understand that practice involves playing your instrument repeatedly with the goal of improving your music. As a student, you are working on creating good habits which make playing your instrument easier and more enjoyable.

2. Explain to your children why practicing is important. If you can convey 5 good reasons to practice, they will be more motivated to do so. These reasons could be to have fun, to develop your concentration or to grow your self confidence. Perhaps you feel sharing the gift of music with others is important or the excitement of exploring the world of music. The more reasons you have and share, the better.

3. Choose the same time of day to practice. If you sit down with your children and plan the practice days and times for the week then you can begin to develop a practice routine as a habit. This technique is highly effective and easy to maintain once that habit of practice is established.

4. Use incentives to help motivate. When children learn music it will take some time for it to blossom. Children may have difficulty understanding what is in it for them until they have more experience. Using an incentive that works for kids such as stickers, stuffed animals, computer time or TV time is an excellent way to initiate a practice routine and establish practicing as a habit. Eventually students will begin to see that music is its own reward and requires no compensation.

5. Help initiate practice with one simple question. When I was 8 years old and beginning the violin, I usually did not want to practice and my parents knew I had difficulty getting started. They would simply reason with me and say “I know you don’t feel like practicing, so why don’t you just go in and play one song with your best tone. That way at least you won’t have a no violin day.” One song sounded pretty simple to me so I would go in and play one song with my best sound. 9 times out of 10 I would keep playing though all my songs.

6. Open the doors to inspiration by exposing your children to great artists. I have heard many stories over the years of students who were inspired to play music because they saw a concert, heard a piece of music, or saw someone playing music on TV. The more exposure to music that children get the more likely they are to become inspired. When I was young I dreamed of playing, “The Holberg Suite” and I would sit and listen to it over and over. Less than a year later I was playing it in our school orchestra. It is important to discover the music that inspires your children so they can dream and work towards fulfilling those dreams.

7. Play music with others. Sharing your music with others is a wonderfully rewarding experience and highly motivating. If your children are violinists then they would probably enjoy playing in a youth or school orchestra. If your children are learning piano then you could learn a duet with your child or we could set up a play date with another student. Feel free to talk with your teacher about duets and play dates so they may assist you in setting things up.

8. Practice Charts. Make a goal to completely fill in a practice chart with stickers, checks or stars for the week. Place the best practice charts on the kitchen refrigerator or someplace where your children are likely to see it often to remind them their excellent practice.

9. Mini recitals. Set up a mini recital for your children at home. Gather family and friends to come hear your

children play. The audience may be as small or large as you wish and may even include pets and stuffed animals. Make sure to reward your children with lots of praise and applause and to thank them for sharing their music.

For more information about this article or about music lessons feel free to contact the Eliason School of Music at Eliason School of Music

Violin Lessons & Piano Lessons in Portland Oregon

About the Author

Brian Eliason is a professional violinist and educator with over 28 years of experience. His is the founder of the Eliason School of Music in Portland, Oregon. For more information please visit the school at Eliason School of Music
Violin Lessons & Piano Lessons in Portland Oregon

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