Your Child's Support Network

I recently had my older son to stay with us over the Christmas period, and it was towards the end of his stay that I realised I had not made full use of his presence in our house. My current goal is to improve my younger son's playing of all the pieces he currently knows. He can play them, but often doesn't really listen to the sound he's making, nor include the polishing points that he's learned in the past. This 'going through the motions' type of playing doesn't improve technique or tone and in fact can lead to bad habits. Each time the learner plays, they should, as far as possibly, be trying to improve.

So my recent strategy, to encourage my son to listen to himself, is to set up a competition between his review songs. At the end of the review part of practice, he must reward each of them, figuratively, medals according to how beautiful they sounded. He currently reviews four pieces a day, so the medals range from platinum to bronze, and we discuss why each song got its placement - did he play the left hand softly? Was there a beautiful tone? And so on.

One day as my older son was present I decided to make him a judge, and asked him to award places to the songs, then the two of them could discuss whether they agreed. The effect was quite remarkable: my younger son's interest increased noticeably and he enjoyed asserting his opinion in the discussion afterwards.

This got me thinking about the wide support network that most children have and how this can affect the progress of their learning. My previous piano teacher once told me of a pupil she had who had given up. The teacher found out that her father used to watch TV in the same room as her when she practiced! Not only would the child have had difficulty concentrating with the noise from a television in the background, what also had this habit conveyed to the child? That her playing was unimportant, and that television was more interesting, I imagine. No doubt her father had had no desire to give this impression, he just hadn't really considered the impact of his behaviour.

If all of the members of a child's family view his or her learning as important, however, the child cannot help but develop the same opinion themselves. That isn't to say that the family should make critical comments or badger the child about their practice, but ideally they should treat practice time with respect, actually listen when required to do so and at home performances applaud and comment positively, though always truthfully, on the progress the child makes.

Other things the family can do is attend performances, buy piano or music related gifts, take the child to concerts and take an interest in their playing. It all comes back down to playing and practice being a part of the child's life. To a young child, their family makes up the majority of their world, so the family as a whole needs to act as a support if the child is to succeed.

Your child's support network also extends to their teachers, friends, friends of the family and relatives in the extended family. You will know best how to encourage these people to support your child. At my son's previous school music was not a valued part of the curriculum, and although he had told his teachers he was learning to play the piano none of them had ever really taken much notice. Then one day his teacher at that time asked him to show her what he could play. She was impressed and invited his class in to watch. Then she invited some other teachers in, then one of those teachers invited her class too. Finally, he was asked to play at the school fete that year. Needless to say, the effect on my son's attitude to playing was extremely positive.

It's not only the child that needs support, though. Sometimes, the parent who is the main practice guide is in need of support too, at least, I know I certainly am at times! One thing I do is read other blogs, and one of my favourites is this one: http://musicmattersblog.com/. The poster on here recently reviewed some books, which are of course another great source of inspiration and support for parents. Next on my reading list is Lang Lang's autobiography, Journey of a Thousand Miles.

I'll let you know it's like!

Tips on Finding a Teacher

Just recently, after moving countries, I've been struggling to find another teacher for my son. I think I've found the ideal person now and I thought I'd share with you some factors that I've taken into consideration as we've gone through this process, based both on my own feelings and advice from my son's former teacher.

Choosing the right teacher for your child can be the single most important factor that determines their success in achieving mastery of their instrument. A good teacher can be the making of your child's musical education, while a poor teacher can dampen the most enthusiastic child's spirit and actively hamper the growth of their talent, yet parents are often unclear on exactly what makes a good teacher.

Quite often they will sign their child up for lessons with a teacher recommended to them by a friend or acquaintance, or they may enrol their child in lessons offered through the school, or even simply pick a name off the internet. These may all be good places to start, but it would be foolish to believe that the search should stop there, or that all teachers are basically the same.

The first thing to bear in mind is that it is important not to sign your child up to a large programme of lessons at the first meeting. In fact, a good teacher would never do this. If you're pressured to sign up straightaway, it may indicate that they're more interested in your money than your child. A good teacher will want to talk to your child, find out about them as a person, and see what she or he is able to do for them before deciding to take them on. A teacher who thinks that all children are the same and they can all be taught in the same way is not a good teacher. Each child is an individual, and good teacher will need to assess whether they will be able to teach your child well.


What should a parent look for at the first meeting?
Some points to consider:

Does the teacher ask to hear your child play? Even if your child is a complete beginner, it can be useful to see how she or he approaches the instrument, and if the teacher isn't interested in hearing your child play at the first meeting, they're unlikely to develop an interest as time goes on.

Does the teacher watch your child's entire body, not just their hands? Correct posture has a large influence on the sound a musician makes.

Is the teaching room quiet, well-lit, warm and comfortable? Children can easily lose concentration if they're cold or distracted by noise.

Does the teacher listen and watch carefully, perhaps making notes?

Does the teacher give feedback and is it positive? Most children are extremely sensitive to criticism, and the smallest ill-considered comment can have a far-reaching impact. A good teacher will be able to find something positive to say about a child's playing, no matter how much it hurts the ears!

Finally, is he or she able to offer concrete advice on playing - practice points, ideas for listening etc.?

I would say that if you're unable to answer 'yes' to all of these questions, you may need to seriously consider looking for another teacher.


Some other points to consider:


Compatible personalities
Most piano teaching is done on a one-to-one basis, and for this reason it's important that teacher and child get along well with each other, so you need to consider what the teacher's manner is like, and whether this suits your child's personality. Some children feel intimidated by a serious teacher, while others respond well. Some children need a teacher who is kind and gentle, or playful and funny.


A learning community
Introducing your child to a community of children learning the same instrument can do a lot to help their motivation. Ask the teacher if she or he offers the opportunity for the children to sit in on each other's lessons, or perform together. Perhaps the teacher introduces the parents to one another so that the children can meet up outside lessons or go to concerts together. This would be a sign of someone committed to supporting your child's interest and ability. (As a parent you may be able to organise some of this yourself.)

Qualifications
Qualifications give a good indication of a teacher's commitment to their profession and tell you something about what other professionals think of their ability, either as a musician or a teacher, or both.

Conversation versus learning
Some teachers love to talk! Either to you, or your child, or anyone else present. Of course, some communication is necessary but this can be done to excess by verbose individuals. Such a teacher is probably not ideal. Your child will learn best by listening to music, not words, and by playing rather than talking.

Experience
Long experience may be an indication of quality in teaching, but it also may not. Most helpful to you will be the current and former pupils and parents that your prospective teacher will hopefully be able to refer you to.


Finding a good teacher for your child can be a time-consuming process, as it has been for us, but in the end seeing your child take pleasure in their lessons, make good progress and produce beautiful music, makes the effort worth it. I hope these these ideas have been useful to you.

Keeping going

My posting on this site has slowed down recently because, as you may know from reading my other site, we've recently moved to Taiwan. This has been an upheaval and, I have to admit, a serious challenge to my son's piano practice. A piano isn't the kind of instrument you can take anywhere, and we decided that we would ship our piano here rather than sell it and buy another when we arrived. Consequently, my son hasn't had a proper acoustic piano to practice on for several weeks now.

In an earlier post I wrote about how it was important when you start out to buy the best instrument you can afford because this impacts the quality of learning your child experiences. I warned against hiring a tutor who teaches on an acoustic piano but allows your child to practice on a digital piano at home. Now that we've been keeping our son's practice going until his piano arrives with the use of a digital one, I can safely echo the advice I gave earlier. There are many things that my son learned to do that he simply can't practice using a different kind of instrument, such as playing legato and echoes. While it's been better than nothing, using a digital piano has reinforced my understanding of how it is a completely different instrument from an acoustic piano, and the perceived similarities are merely surface appearances.

From our experiences, I can give some tips as to how to keep going if you're moving house or even just going on holiday.

DO

• Define a practice location in your accommodation. This helps reinforce the idea that practising is an important part of everyday life.
• Stick to your normal routine as much as possible. Practising an instrument should be like a habit - don't get out of the habit!
• Carry on learning. It can be tempting to put progress on hold until circumstances improve, but for many children one of their greatest pleasures is learning new songs. Don't deprive your child of a sense of progress and achievement.
• Maintain musical interest. It easy to ignore those aspects of life that support learning and motivation, but continuing to listen to music, watch performances and read about composers are some of the easiest activities to sustain.

DON'T

• Substitute a poorer quality instrument if you can avoid it. Some piano shops will hire out pianos for practice, or if you're very lucky your hotel may have one in the lounge!
• Delay finding another teacher. It's taken us some time to locate the possibilities in our area, and minimising the break between lessons is ideal.
• Forget to allow for practice time every day (or however often is normal for your family). This is very easily done when other routines are disrupted.

Continuing to work with your child in their musical education can be challenging when your everyday lives are temporarily or permanently changed. One positive thing to come out of this is the knowledge that if you can manage to maintain good habits during these times, then you're on a steady path for the future.

Cultivating an interest in music.

A genuine interest in and love of music can be one of the best motivators in a child's musical education, and of course, a source of inspiration and pleasure throughout their lives. If you're playing the target musical pieces constantly in the background, as is wise, it can be easy to sometimes forget that there are a lot of other excellent examples of musicianship your children can learn from and enjoy. Parents often start with the famous classical pieces that were written specifically for children, such as Peter and the Wolf

and The Carnival of The Animals

But there is no reason why any other classical piece cannot be played for your children's enjoyment.

It is said that if you want your child to read, read yourself. I believe the same applies to music. It is difficult to encourage musical appreciation and understanding in a vaccuum. Similarly, if no one shows an interest in your child's playing, they will understandably be less inclined to play. So, if you want your child to have a good attitude to music, the answer is to lead by example.

Listening at Home
In our household, we're in the habit of always playing music in the background at family dinner times. Not only does this expose my son to good quality music, it also teaches him that enjoying music is a normal part of everyday life. Sometimes the music is a topic of conversation too; usually it's our appreciation of it or occasionally why we want to turn it off! But the idea behind this habit is that my son's musical interest is being fostered.

Of course, you needn't confine background music to any particular time of day. I have only instituted evening meal listening time to ensure that we heard some music every day. Another possibility, and something else we do, is to always play classical music stations on the car radio. Whenever there is no other background noise to compete with there is an opportunity to put on something beautiful. At the very least, it improves your quality of life.


Attending concerts and operas
The next time, (or perhaps the first time!), you attend a classical concert or operatic performance, take your child along with you. We generally don't give children much credit for their ability to enjoy classical music and opera. In fact, we give them the message that it is difficult, boring and inaccessible, by dumbing things down to their 'level'. In my experience, with the right preparation, children can successfully attend and enjoy sophisticated musical events from a young age, certainly from the age of eight with most children.

The key to not having a child squirming in their seat and embarrassing you by loudly asking when it will be time to go, is to prepare the child properly for the event. For example, when my son was 5, a performance of The Magic Flute was coming to my town. We had three months or so to go before the performance, so I bought a couple of dvds of the opera and started to sit down and watch it myself. My son was initially just interested in just one or two parts, such as the Queen of the Night's arias, but as I watched it several times and explained the story to him, he became genuinely interested in the whole opera.

These are the versions we have: this one and this one.

As the performance date drew nearer we explained to my son that we had tickets to go and see it live and emphasised what an important occasion it would be. On the night, we all got dressed in our best clothes and went to the performance with a view to leaving at the interval, thinking that would be quite enough for a 5 year old. In fact, not only was my son amazingly and unusually quiet (we had bought tickets towards the back of the theatre to make a quick exit if he became noisy) he actually wanted to stay and see the rest of the performance!

Lives of the Composers
Children understand and are interested in concrete things that are relevant to their lives. Abstract thinking is something that develops with time. As adults, we know that the music we hear has been written by a real person who had, or still has, a real life. It can be of great interest to children to find out about the composers of the pieces  they are listening to and learning to play. Just a little research into Mozart's or Beethoven's life reveals many interesting facts, and even things such as the fact that a composer was a child once with brothers and sisters, and that they had lessons and practiced too, can be a revelation to a child.

Why Beethoven Threw the Stew is a good example of a book that provides some interesting tales. It can also help to have portraits of composers on display, or watch films based on their lives, though 'Amadeus' is apparently not  historically accurate!

In short, your child's musical education need not be , and should not be, confined to the music they play. There is a world of listening for them that will enhance their playing, help them relate what they do to the wider world, and give them enormous pleasure.

Keeping up with the other children

One of the best things about learning a musical instrument using the Suzuki method is that usually your child will be learning in a community of children and parents, all with the same goal. Part of the learning process is to sit in on another child's lesson, so that the exposure to another child's playing and instruction can enhance the learning process. So much of Suzuki is listening! Also, the local Suzuki association will often organise one or two concerts a year, plus workshops. So there is plenty of opportunity for parents and children to hear and see what other children are doing.

Similarly, in a more traditional environment, such as school music lessons, the school orchestra, or when studying for music exams, children and parents can, if they wish to, compare their experience and achievement with others.

These opportunities to share in musical learning are usually beneficial for many reasons. There is a sense of community, the chance to share tips or offload concerns and worries, and the pleasure of hearing others play, to name but a few. Sometimes, however, there is a more negative side to this situation.

Parents want the best for their children, particularly the parents who go to the trouble and expense of providing them with a musical education. Children also want to do their best and not feel as though they are worse at anything than their peers. We all approach learning with baggage from previous experiences, our individual personality traits and our pre-formed expectations of what will happen. Unfortunately, any of these factors can occasionally cause things to go awry.

Personally, I had a crisis of confidence when my son started sitting in on lessons with a girl about a year younger than him. She had an older sister who was also learning to play the piano so she had been exposed to everything her sister had done, as well as the endless hours of hearing the Suzuki CDs. Consequently, she progressed very quickly until she caught up with my son and they are now roughly at the same stage in terms of the songs they have learned.

My son is naturally competitive and noticed very quickly that this little girl was learning new songs far more quickly than he had done. He also had that perception of an age hierarchy that is instilled in children in mainstream education, so was disturbed to realise that a younger child was 'catching up' with him. On top of this, because I lack a musical background, I also lack confidence in my ability to guide my son through this process. The result was my son spiralling down into a mire of self-doubt and unhappiness over his playing, compounded by feedback from a concerned mother who was convinced that somehow she was to blame for his apparent lack of progress.

I became convinced that I should pull my son out of his learning programme, because it was clearly becoming detrimental to his self-esteem, and practice sessions were becoming tortuous ordeals, very far from the enjoyable industry that is the ideal. I had failed. After a rather emotional email to his teacher, asking for help, we had a long talk about how children progress at different rates and her perception of what he had achieved so far, and also about how parents can unconsciously influence their children's feelings about their learning.

It wasn't a good time for either of us, but I feel it was so helpful to my son and me in the long run. I learned not to mirror back a negative attitude to learning and to concentrate on praising the things my son could do, not to worry about what he couldn't do. I stopped acknowledging his comparisons of himself and this other child and concentrated on making his practice as much fun as I could.

I now understand that learning anything is not an even path. Sometimes we struggle uphill and the going is slow, other times we are racing downhill at a pace. There is no predicting when these times will come. Sometimes many months of patient repetition pays off all at once. Other times the progress is by such small steps that achievement arrives almost unnoticed.

I've found it helpful not to think in terms of the number of songs learned when it comes to my son's musical acquisition. Each time that a child or adult practises, as long as it is a striving, purposeful practice, then that is one step forward. Whether the effects of that practice are immediate and noticeable or not doesn't matter. When learning an instrument, there is so much to learn in terms of technique, knowledge of the instrument, and general musical knowledge, that to think in terms of simply learning more and more complex songs is deceiving and prosaic.

For children, though, this is often how they measure their progress and maintain interest. The novelty of a new song is preferable to improving technique while playing an old song. It is something simple and easy to understand, some tangible evidence of the work they have done. If a child is focusing excessively on number of songs learnt, this means they don't perceive or value the other ways that they progress.

I realised with my son that something I could do to develop his perspective on his work was to make apparent the results that he had achieved. These days, I take time to talk things through with him before and sometimes during practice. He knows what he's doing and why, and could write his own practice schedule now if he had to (though he would probably be shorter than the one indicated by his teacher!) I also keep recordings of performances and parts of practice sessions, so that in years to come he'll be able to see how far he's come and how well his hard work has paid off.

Holiday piano times

Many music teachers who teach children don't offer lessons during the school holidays, and for us this brings its difficulties and its pleasures. I'm not the most confident Suzuki parent so continuing practice times without a teacher's assessment of progress and her guidance tends to leave me worrying that I'm doing everything wrong. On the other hand we are also less constrained by the teacher's direction on what should be done.

Holidays bring a relaxing of tight schedules and an element of  freedom over the direction that practice takes. I try to reassure myself that even if I fail to spot errors or take my son down the wrong path, the teacher can always correct my mistakes when lessons recommence. I don't have to be perfect!

We have reincorporated a listening task/game that we used to do when my son first started to play. His teacher calls it note hunt. In its original form, the child chooses a particular note, say for example C. Then he or she turns their back and the parent plays a C. The child then has to guess which C it was. The reward can be a decreasing number of points according to how many guesses the child needs, or gold, silver or bronze medals (imaginary!). Three tries is normally sufficient.

My son loved playing this game and awarded himself increasing numbers of points, trying to beat previous scores. (Basically, anythng that temotely resembles a computer game is a major motivator for him.) Of course, the idea is that it helps the child learn to concentrate on differentiating between the notes. My son ended up giving himself millions of points for a first time correct guess.

Just recently we've been playing a slightly different version where he chooses any key and he has to guess which note I've  played in that key in a particular octave. We're doing this because at the moment he's learning the different scales. As always, his knowledge is greater than mine and he has to show me which notes are played in that key in the first place, but we manage. In fact, I think he takes pride in the fact that he knows the keys better than me.

So, we're currently enjoying this opportunity to our own thing for a little while.

Listening and watching

We've recently incorporated a new item in my son's piano practice time. He loves going on the computer, so I thought that an opportunity to embed some computer time into practice would be seen in a positive light. The way I did it was to add a listening section, where he can go to the computer and choose one thing to watch on Youtube. Of course, I have to steer him away from Sonic the Hedgehog episodes, so he has a set category that he can search in. So far, we have done famous composers and famous pianists. Famous composers lasted us a few weeks as he worked through the ones that he knows. (He can choose one each week, so he sees a selection of their works).

One thing he really likes to watch are these graphical representations of the pieces:

They're called graphical score animations. I can't vouch for the quality of the music, but as something that may be of interest to more visually-oriented minds, I can recommend them. They're interesting because you can see what's about to come up just before it's played. My son has great fun anticipating a loud crescendo!

Once we've exhausted the known composers and pianists (our knowledge isn't extensive), we'll move onto the different types of music: sonatas, nocturnes, concertos etc. Another possibility is pieces in a chosen key. Those should keep us going for a while. At the moment this is the most enjoyable part of my son's practice. Once he's done what he has to do, some form of Twinkle, the next thing he always chooses is listening. In doing this, he's quickly building his musical knowledge, and hopefully coming to appreciate that there's a wide world of music out there to explore and participate in.