Valley Elementary / Middle School

Music is a test of patience and tenacity.

I’d be lying if I told you that I’ve never had this conversation with a parent:

“My child enjoys music, but they just aren’t passionate about it, so we are going to explore other interests.”

At first pass, this may seem like a logical thought process. But, I read somewhere recently that passion develops as a result of time and mastery and that takes more than just one year. While it may seem like they’ve been playing their instruments for quite a while, in the grand scheme of things, they are still young and developing musicians. You wouldn’t take this same approach with math, science, or history.

To be passionate means to have found success and being successful in music takes time. In today’s “I need it now” world, music is a test of patience and tenacity that will yield great dividends to those who see it through.

Many students who showed marginal success as beginners blossom into highly skilled musicians after time. I’ve even had a few of these formerly mediocre musicians tell me that they want to pursue a career in music. Their enjoyment and passion grew into something more over time.

I fully understand, accept, and embrace the fact that most of these children will not pursue music as a profession in the same way that most math students will not be mathematicians, most science students will not become scientists, and most history students will not become historians.

We pursue music to develop our brains. We pursue music to appreciate beauty. We pursue music to appreciate a challenge and learn to overcome obstacles. But most of all, we pursue music to be human.

And that is the one thing we know ALL students will be — human.

Practicing — is it worth the fight?

You and your child are still near the beginning of your journey, but I’m sure one very important word has already become an integral part of your child’s music experience:

PRACTICE. 

Listen, few people like to practice — it’s like musical homework!

I know that practicing can be a fight that you don’t want or need. I also know that most of you are not musicians and may not know how to help your child be successful in it. That’s ok. It’s not so much WHAT they practice, but THAT they practice, even if it is for just 10 minutes. In your role as a parent, you can make a big difference when it comes to practicing. You don’t have to know anything about their instrument or about music.

Helping your child set aside a regular, dedicated time for practice over these initial months can have a dramatic effect on their trajectory as a musician!

What does regular practice look like? For a beginner, shorter, frequent sessions are better. It takes time to develop the ability to practice in a focused, sustained manner. Set a schedule and try and stick to it so they develop a routine. As they work through their materials, prompt them with, “that was great… can I hear that again?” Or, “AWESOME! You should play that for your brother/sister/parent.” You will trick them into practicing without them even knowing it! Sneaky? Yes! But it works!

The key to guided practice is a consistent schedule and repetition. If you can get them to sit down regularly and play things multiple times, the improvement will be significant! Please know that YOU are a crucial part of setting up your child for success in music, and I’m here to help you.

If you have questions or struggles, please feel free to reach out to me.