Purchasing an instrument for your child isn’t the only thing that you can do for him and his musical education. If you have your child enrolled in lessons, there are many ways to support him. You will find that your dollars are well spent if you follow these guidelines for supporting your music student.
- Provide a quite space where he can practice.
If he plays the guitar or trumpet, he can practice anywhere as these instruments are portable. If his instrument is the drums or the piano, make sure that he has enough time to practice without interruption. Brothers, sisters, and their visiting friends, barking dogs, and curious cats may be a bother to a student who is willing to focus. - Encourage your child to practice.
Perhaps he needs a daily reminder. When the student has practiced, he will be prepared for his next lesson, play with confidence, and learn new material more easily. Both teachers and students recognize that a lesson has gone well if time flies. Only when the student has practiced his previous lessons will there be a good lesson. - Be prepared for the lesson.
This is not about practice but about being in a ready mindset. Make sure that he is not hungry nor thirsty, that he has rested a bit after school, that he doesn’t delay the lesson to change out of his school or sports clothes nor need to interrupt the lesson to use the water closet.
As his parent or regular caregiver, you may already know his patterns during the day, for example, when he may feel the most tired, if he is more attentive after dinner, etc. Take these into consideration when scheduling weekly lessons. Saturday mornings may not work for you, per se, but you may see that he is awake and energized just after breakfast.
