The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #79074 Message #1430152
Posted By: SharonA
08-Mar-05 - 08:09 PM
Thread Name: Getting children to practise
Subject: RE: Getting children to practise
This is probably not an issue for MBSLynne, but I think it's well worth mentioning anyway: Make sure that your child/student is using an instrument that is of good quality and in good condition!! Nothing is more discouraging than trying your best to play but feeling as if you don't "sound good", when the fault is actually with an instrument that is out of tune, or has keys that stick, or needs new strings, or is simply so cheaply made that the tone is lousy.
When I was a child taking piano lessons, we had to give recitals at the local community center, on an old piano that was not only out of tune but had some keys that would not play at all! I will never forget the panic and the shame I felt when I struck a key and no sound came out. I suppose that some of the other students learned the lesson that "the show must go on", but I only learned stage fright.
Another thing I found unmotivating about childhood piano and clarinet lessons was the requirement to play tunes I didn't know, in order to proceed from one section of a lesson book to the next and from one book to the next. Now, I'm not familiar with the "grade" system mentioned in this thread, but it sounds as if it might be similarly structured. When I took up the guitar in college, I was motivated to teach myself because I wanted to play my favorite songs, and I've stuck with it whereas I've long since stopped playing the piano and the clarinet. So I wonder if, in MBSLynne's case, the kids might be more motivated to practice if they were learning music that was more interesting -- more relevant -- to them.
As has been suggested by others, perhaps a request by a relative to learn and perform a song for him or her at an upcoming family gathering would help... not necessarily a song the relative likes, but maybe a song that you know the child likes. (For example, if the kid watches TV, what is his favorite show's theme song?) And, of course, make sure the kid gets plenty of praise and encouragement at the performance.
Performing at the parent's local folk club may be more intimidating, since most of the audience will consist of strangers to the child. However, some members of my local club have brought their kids in on occasion to perform a song, and the applause does seem to be appreciated, even when the children duck their heads and smile shyly. Positive reinforcement is always good, so if someone else's kid sings at your folk club, be sure to give him or her a compliment afterward; even if the performance wasn't "all that", he or she deserves praise for the intestinal fortitude to have given the performance.