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Showing posts from October, 2008

I Wish My Mom had Never Let Me Quit...

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If I had a dollar for every time an adult has said this to me, I would probably be a millionaire.  After months or years of 'making' a child practice, it can wear down any parent and often, this is just what the child is trying to do.....I had a voice teacher friend once tell me that "the most talented students will try to sabotage the lesson process - because it comes so easily to them"....After thirty years of teaching experience, I would have to wholeheartedly agree. A word of encouragement to adults, parents and grandparents who read this, it is NEVER too late to start to play, or go back to playing and studying.  In fact, in several homes that I teach in, a mom or dad is taking lessons back to back with their kids, so their is a healthy competition present and the children and prone to working harder, so they can stay ahead of mom or dad. So music touches all of us.  Support your local private teachers....and as earlier as you can start your childre

Keeping a Child Motivated at the Piano....

Mommy, I wanna quit. At some point every parent will hear their child say this - it could be on the second lesson, the second month or second year. The trick is setting the stage as a parent.  My dad was very wise in that he told all of us (5 children) that we HAD to stick to piano for a minimum of one year.  After we fulfilled that, he told us that we could choose any other instrument in the band to play at school but we HAD to have a year of background so we would know HOW TO READ MUSIC, how to count, etc., and have some basic music theory under our belt. I am so glad to this day - that I stuck with the piano for 8 years....and then went on to put myself through college by teaching piano and paid for 100% of all my school and living expenses. Back to motivation and keep your children motivated .  After thirty years of teaching I have found their are 2 schools of thought - reward or deprivation. We live in a different day and age today.  I often tell parents that I have trouble findin

A Student should ALWAYS be involved in choosing....

  For more information, see another of my 50 websites and videos:       http://autismspecialneedsmusicbyartscott.blogspot.com/      (949) 454-1221  Studio Phone   24/7 I loved my first piano teacher, Mrs. Johnson.  I owe her an awful lot in that after eight years of private lessons, I finally 'wore my mom down' and she let me quit....although she was a brilliant teacher, I admiringly have developed my own style of teaching children and the one primary thing I do vastly different is I do not go page and page in piano method books...rather, I turn the selection process into a game similar to Jeopardy ....door number #1 - 2 - 3 and sometimes even 4.  Depending on the child, years of study and level of accomplishment, these choices may include a classical piece, a jazz piece, a Disney piece, etc.  I give them 10 seconds to make up their mind....and the look of excitement on a child's face when they get to choose the piece is worth all the gold in China....or somewhere...

Topics for the next few days...from Music by Art Scott

Over the next fews days I will be covering several topics that most parents will enjoy reading; this includes -How to keep my child motivated -When should a parent let a music teacher go and how to handle the transition -How to support your child daily and keep them motivated and practicing -What to expect from piano recitals and how to prepare you child for them ......send me your suggestions for other topics you would like to see discussed   For more information, see another of my 50 websites and videos:       http://autismspecialneedsmusicbyartscott.blogspot.com/      (949) 454-1221  Studio Phone   24/7

Welcome to Music By Art Scott

Welcome to my new music blog.  The sole intention of this blog is to provide daily information to parents about Music Education and the joy of bring piano music to your home - and keep it going - year after year. Part of this process involves two things; choosing the right instrument and choosing the right teacher.   For more information, see another of my 50 websites and videos:       http://autismspecialneedsmusicbyartscott.blogspot.com/      (949) 454-1221  Studio Phone   24/7 If you already have a piano or keyboard in your house, you need to make sure if it's a digital instrument that it is touch sensitive; that way your child can begin to express themself correctly right from the start when they take lessons.  Touch sensitive simply means that when someone is playing softly that they can play soft; when they excert more pressure into the key(s) it responds louder, thus emulating a real piano. Having a piano in tune is also essential for a child's ear to deve