Parents,
Keep in mind the messages that you send your child (intentionally and unintentionally) as the begin their study of their instrument.
They are very vulnerable to criticism and sometimes little comments or signals from family can derail them shockingly easily and then it is hard for them to get back on track.
Be careful about commenting on the sound that they are making. Often little off the cuff comments or laughter may not seem like a big deal to us, but they land very heavily on them. They will get better with practice, but only if they feel safe making sounds that aren't pretty at first.
Also, they really internalize messages like, "we just aren't musical in our family..." and that makes it a lot easier to give up.
Help them find a time to practice, but don't make it a battle. While we expect them to practice 20 minutes, 5 days a week, in the beginning we don't have enough material for 20 continuous minutes. Breaking it up into two 10 minute sessions can make it easier to stay enthusiastic. Just getting the instrument out and doing even 10 minutes a day can make a big difference. We want it to be fun, not a chore.
Also, many of them don't have any experience practicing an instrument and need to learn how to do it.
The first week or two, watching the videos on how to correctly assemble their instrument and blow correctly on it can be a good way to spend their 20 minutes until they establish a routine and know enough songs to practice independently.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at [email protected].
Lisa Nyquist
Keep in mind the messages that you send your child (intentionally and unintentionally) as the begin their study of their instrument.
They are very vulnerable to criticism and sometimes little comments or signals from family can derail them shockingly easily and then it is hard for them to get back on track.
Be careful about commenting on the sound that they are making. Often little off the cuff comments or laughter may not seem like a big deal to us, but they land very heavily on them. They will get better with practice, but only if they feel safe making sounds that aren't pretty at first.
Also, they really internalize messages like, "we just aren't musical in our family..." and that makes it a lot easier to give up.
Help them find a time to practice, but don't make it a battle. While we expect them to practice 20 minutes, 5 days a week, in the beginning we don't have enough material for 20 continuous minutes. Breaking it up into two 10 minute sessions can make it easier to stay enthusiastic. Just getting the instrument out and doing even 10 minutes a day can make a big difference. We want it to be fun, not a chore.
Also, many of them don't have any experience practicing an instrument and need to learn how to do it.
The first week or two, watching the videos on how to correctly assemble their instrument and blow correctly on it can be a good way to spend their 20 minutes until they establish a routine and know enough songs to practice independently.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at [email protected].
Lisa Nyquist