subject: Music Education for Parents: Preparing Yourself and Your Child for a Music Program [print this page] Music Education for Parents: Preparing Yourself and Your Child for a Music Program
The old saying goes "It is better to learn from the mistakes of others than to learn from your own mistakes". The choice of enrolling your child in a music program is no exception.As a professional music instructor, I see this all the time. The only reason why a parent enrols their child into a music program is because that was a lost dream of the parents; they wanted perform or attend a music program themselves. This is the same as the obsessed father trying to mould his 5-year-old son a star pitcher or quarterback. Many times these parents did not even talk with their children about a music program and they certainly did not put much thought into it. They just enrolled their child into the first music program that they saw or are referred to.It is even harder to believe that in some cases the parents did not even take the time to consider what the child likes; do they prefer to sing, dance, draw or play with numbers. They simply decide piano or guitar is the way to go and boom, the child is in a music program. As a result, the child starts to hate everything to do with music and the music program. Their only memories of their experience in a music program, is that it is a time of pure misery.I don't mean to imply that these parents are overbearing dictators whatsoever. They start out with a two-sided discussion that turns into a lecture about the value of education and work ethics, but it still leads to the child being enrolled into some type of a music program. But if you were to ask, "How do children react to such lectures?" there's only one true answer, and that is negatively! Your child is not interested because they never were interested in playing an instrument or participating in a music program. Combine this with the public school system and its own agenda concerning music programs and education; now you have created an almost intolerable mix.If the parents understood their child better and had the skills to avoid this situation in the first place, everyone would have been happy and the home would have been peaceful. In fact, their child may have even developed an interest in a music program on their own.There are many challenges in a child's education, especially in the arts. I ask all parents to only look at things with a positive point of view. If you really want to sign your child up for music lessons or hire a private teacher, take the time to talk with your child to see if that is really what they truly want. Throwing your child into a music program they do not want to be in is not good for anyone."There are no bad students; there are only bad teachers." Parents can also be regarded as teachers, actually parents are the very front line teachers of their children.
