9 Tips for Observing Your Young Musician

There are three people involved in the education of a young musician: the teacher, parent and child. The child’s role of learning how to play an instrument is very clear. The teacher is there to serve as a mentor and guide as the child begins his or her musical journey.

The role of the parent is more complex, especially if the parent does not know how to play the musical instrument. Of the three people involved, the parent has the power to create the most change. It is also the most difficult of the three roles, as the parent must assume the role of both student and teacher.

In order to have a young child succeed at a complicated task, a parent must completely internalize the concept that he or she is the at-home teacher. What's more, the child will be having lessons with his or her at-home teacher more often than lessons with a private instructor. Again, heady stuff if the parent does not know how to play.

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Comments

Like Brushing Your Teeth

One of my teacher trainers told me that practicing should be like brushing your teeth. There is never a day when your tooth brushing is affected by other events in your day. The process is completely emotionally detached. I mulled over her words of wisdom for quite some time after she said them to me. What struck me the most was the suggestion of emotionally detaching myself. All my life I have been told that music is supposed to express emotion. So it was almost like it would be wrong to try and strip that away. For me, the teeth brushing example was a very interesting concept. I realized that the level of habitual repetition of that daily routine is rarely achieved in any other life areas. Dishes get put off, vacuuming, shopping for groceries.... but I always make the time to brush my teeth. Always making the time for practice? A lofty ideal indeed.

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