People often underestimate how much mental power it takes in order to practice a musical instrument. The challenges of the instrument aside, even just deciding simple things like how many times is "enough" can wear you down. This is especially true when the students are young. Almost any child will decide he has done something "enough" after two or three repetitions tops. This is usually in direct conflict with the parent who knows that he has not done said task nearly enough. Games can not only remove the charged emotional elements but they also have the power to draw the participants closer together. Games are a social experience that present a challenge outside of a regular comfort zone. While a student may only "feel" like doing two or three repetitions, throwing a number five on a dice pushes the student to do just a bit more. The act of trying to overcome that challenge is more of a bonding experience than someone just telling the studen...
Thoughts and experiences while exploring the Suzuki Method of teaching.