Should my child take music lessons? |
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That depends on your child. Have they been asking to play an instrument (read "Instilling the Desire to Learn")? If taking lessons is your idea and not your child's, then it probably won't work out.
It is best to expose children to music not through music lessons but by taking them to music concerts, festivals that have music, listening to CD's, watching videos about the different instruments, etc. (see creating a musical environment for ideas) Most children get interested in playing an instrument when they have friends that play something or see other kids perform at school talent shows.
Music Ace Deluxe by Harmonic Vision ($79.95) is and excellent music computer program for children developed at Northwestern University. You can purchase it at www.amazon.com ($41.99) for a better price.
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What is a good age to start taking music lessons? |
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The answer to this depends on 1) is your child asking for lessons? and 2) do you have the time and energy to commit to this? Children are capable of different things at different ages. Younger children have less fine motor skills and very short attention spans. Older children have more coordination and have developed increased attention spans from attending school on a daily basis.
Taking lessons at a very young age requires more time and patience from the adult who will work with the child practicing at home. If taking lessons at 3-5 years old doesn't work out, remember, you can always try again at 6 or 7. You'll be amazed at how much more coordinated and focused they are in just a year or two.
It is very difficult for tweens and teenagers to start an instrument due to the increase demands of school and social activities. If you and your child decide to take lessons, both of you have to make sure lessons fit in your busy schedules!
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How much time should be spent practicing? |
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That depends on the level of the students. Beginners have less material to cover and shorter attention spans, so 5-10 minutes is normal. The practice session will increase in time as the student has more material and develops a longer attention span.
It is best to practice a little bit every day versus playing an hour once a week. The goal of practicing is to create habits that become automatic. How did your child learn how to talk, walk, even hold a cup? It was done on a daily basis where you tried, tried again, with much encouragement and enthusiasm. If you use this approach to practicing, you will have excellent results!
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Should I rent or buy an instrument? |
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VIOLIN |
Violins come in different sizes (1/16, 1/10, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 4/4-Full Size) for the different sizes/ages of children.
It is best to rent a violin for 3 reasons: |
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If the student decides to quit after 2 weeks. |
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Children have growth spurts and need a larger instrument. |
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Children can drop/bang their instrument causing costly repairs. Rental violins have insurance coverage included in the rental fee that will cover repair costs. |
Most parents wait until their child needs a full size violin (4/4) before buying an instrument. |
PIANO |
Buying a piano can be a big investment. Besides the cost of the instrument itself, you also have to pay for moving and tuning the instrument (which can cost several hundred dollars). A good alternative for a beginning student is to buy a keyboard. They are very inexpensive, easy to move and never need tuning.
What you need to look for when buying a keyboard: |
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Full size keys - same size as a real piano. |
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Touch sensitive keys - Loud when you press keys hard. Quiet when you press keys lightly. |
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Check to see if it includes the adapter, or do you have to buy one separately. |
It is best to buy a keyboard stand and bench/stool. The student needs to sit at a certain height for proper posture. |
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Is it true that Suzuki Students don't learn to read music? |
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Beginners on the violin need to focus on learning how to hold their instrument and have good posture first. Then they will work on developing the fine motor coordination of moving fingers and bowing to create good sound. Only after students can successfully navigate their instrument will they study note reading.
There is little to no success having beginning violin students read music when they can't even hold their instrument. This is equivalent to putting brand new drivers in traffic before they even know how to use the car !
Holding and playing the violin is very awkward and unnatural. Most beginners quit the violin because no one can stand the scratchy sounds that come from improper playing. With the Suzuki Method, the emphasis is on creating a good tone. Without that, there is no reason to read notes because it won't sound like that note anyway.
Piano is a little different from the violin in that there is instant satisfaction when you press the key. You could press the key with your big toe and it will still have the same sound, versus the violin which is a lot more finicky. The posture for the piano is more natural and students can see what they are doing better than on the violin. I prefer the Bastein Method for the piano over the Suzuki Method as a more thorough learning program.
Ultimately, the decision to learn note reading is up to the teacher. I have all my students clap and sing while looking at the music from the very beginning. I do this because the eye needs to be trained to follow the "little black dots". It is too jarring to never look at music and then have music put in front of you and expected to "read" it. (read Dr. Suzuki's thoughts on this)
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If you have other questions that you would like answered, please email me at carolsmusicstudio@yahoo.com |
Copyright © 2004
Copyright © 2004