Should I "Make" my Child Practice.....
I am asked this question often. The answer generally is YES. You make your child eat their vegetables, you make them go to school, you make them clean their room, you make them do homework, you make them brush their teeth.
Very few children know what is GOOD for them. This is why GOD GAVE CHILDREN PARENTS....to nurture them, love them, be their parent - not just their friend..... too many parents today are too worried that their child will not be their friend if they discipline them.
Children yearn for boundaries even though they may act like that do not want them....they do!
I think it is reasonable to do what my dad did forty years ago - a parent should have a VERBAL AGREEMENT with each child that they are going to take a minimum of one year of piano lessons. After that commitment is fulfilled, then a child should be rewarded and allowed to go on and perhaps play another music instrument.
During that first year a child will learn many things and not just about music .... they will learn the following LIFE SKILLS;
When Children Take Piano Lessons, they learn far more than Music...
Back in the 1890's through the 1950's, the PIANO, the VICTOR VICTROLA, the Phonograph Record and the RADIO were the Entertainment Centers of every home here in America. There were no TV's, no Nintendo's, Computer games, Weii machines, etc. Families turned to live music in the home to entertain themselves.
People actually learned how to play the piano and sing around the piano. It was a family affair. Young people took piano lessons as part of their Education and Personal Enrichment.
Here we are in 2009 - and we need as a nation to get back to the basics. When your kids grow up they will need to have skills that will last them the rest of their life. Consider the list that I have compiled below.
How's this for the 8 C's?
Confidence - your child will be able to play with ease and confidence and be envied by their peers
Concentration - controlled studies have proven that children who take Piano Lessons
are able to accelerate beyond their peers in Math and Science skills; the brained is sorted in a such a manner that skills require thought and organization come with greater ease.
Coordination - eye hand coordination is developed to extremely precise movements, superior to skill of a Heart or Brain Surgeon - Pianists can close their eyes and play memorized pieces - try doing surgery that way.
Consistency - daily practicing renders great results. Children learn that if you put great effort forward towards playing and improving, great results are bound to happen.
Charm - when children develop their skills in playing the Piano, they learn a great deal in grace and charm and develop a taste for the finer things that life offers.
Conceptualization - complex skills such as note reading, understanding complicated rhythms, coordinating the hands to handle playing
Courage - children learn NOT to quit when the going gets tough. Tenaciousness is learned from the start of the very first lesson. Anything worthwhile in life takes stick-to-it ness.
Commitment - children will not be anymore committed than their parents are. Piano lessons should be just as important as every subject at school. The parent as to set the stage for this attitude to be really implemented. Homework is given and needs to be completed. Making a verbal commitment of one year of lessons should be done between a child and the parent so the young person will the process of lessons seriously and be prepared weekly for their teacher.
Let the Music Begin!! Art Scott
For more information, see another of my 50 websites and videos:
www.pianobyartscott.com
(949) 454-1221 Studio Phone 24/7
Very few children know what is GOOD for them. This is why GOD GAVE CHILDREN PARENTS....to nurture them, love them, be their parent - not just their friend..... too many parents today are too worried that their child will not be their friend if they discipline them.
Children yearn for boundaries even though they may act like that do not want them....they do!
I think it is reasonable to do what my dad did forty years ago - a parent should have a VERBAL AGREEMENT with each child that they are going to take a minimum of one year of piano lessons. After that commitment is fulfilled, then a child should be rewarded and allowed to go on and perhaps play another music instrument.
During that first year a child will learn many things and not just about music .... they will learn the following LIFE SKILLS;
When Children Take Piano Lessons, they learn far more than Music...
Back in the 1890's through the 1950's, the PIANO, the VICTOR VICTROLA, the Phonograph Record and the RADIO were the Entertainment Centers of every home here in America. There were no TV's, no Nintendo's, Computer games, Weii machines, etc. Families turned to live music in the home to entertain themselves.
People actually learned how to play the piano and sing around the piano. It was a family affair. Young people took piano lessons as part of their Education and Personal Enrichment.
Here we are in 2009 - and we need as a nation to get back to the basics. When your kids grow up they will need to have skills that will last them the rest of their life. Consider the list that I have compiled below.
How's this for the 8 C's?
Confidence - your child will be able to play with ease and confidence and be envied by their peers
Concentration - controlled studies have proven that children who take Piano Lessons
are able to accelerate beyond their peers in Math and Science skills; the brained is sorted in a such a manner that skills require thought and organization come with greater ease.
Coordination - eye hand coordination is developed to extremely precise movements, superior to skill of a Heart or Brain Surgeon - Pianists can close their eyes and play memorized pieces - try doing surgery that way.
Consistency - daily practicing renders great results. Children learn that if you put great effort forward towards playing and improving, great results are bound to happen.
Charm - when children develop their skills in playing the Piano, they learn a great deal in grace and charm and develop a taste for the finer things that life offers.
Conceptualization - complex skills such as note reading, understanding complicated rhythms, coordinating the hands to handle playing
Courage - children learn NOT to quit when the going gets tough. Tenaciousness is learned from the start of the very first lesson. Anything worthwhile in life takes stick-to-it ness.
Commitment - children will not be anymore committed than their parents are. Piano lessons should be just as important as every subject at school. The parent as to set the stage for this attitude to be really implemented. Homework is given and needs to be completed. Making a verbal commitment of one year of lessons should be done between a child and the parent so the young person will the process of lessons seriously and be prepared weekly for their teacher.
Let the Music Begin!! Art Scott
For more information, see another of my 50 websites and videos:
www.pianobyartscott.com
(949) 454-1221 Studio Phone 24/7
