Should I Sign My Child Up for Piano Lessons?


So the school year's here! That's great news for teachers. But for parents -- well, you all are busy people. And you want to choose carefully what activities to sign your child up for, knowing there's only twenty-four hours in a day and only so much you can do in twenty-four hours. So the question: Is piano right for my child?

   Let me share some of my thoughts on the subject! Because yes, I agree, piano isn't for everyone. Just ask my brothers. ;) Here's some questions you can ask yourself.


  1. Does my child have talent? You probably won't know this one before they take piano lessons. However, if it's a matter of deciding whether to return to lessons or not, this question should be a key factor. You could always do what my parents did. They had each of us take piano for three years, and then worked with us to make a decision from there. (Like I hinted at above, my two younger brothers figured out that fixing bikes and building things with Dad was more up their alley than music lessons. And that is perfectly all right!) 
  2. Does my child love listening to piano music? If they love to listen to it, that’s a pretty good indication that eventually they will love to play it. I was one of those children – I loved to listen to a good performance, but hated to practice myself. Eventually the spark caught. A love for music is the first step in loving to make music. 
  3. How many other activities is my child involved in? Let me be completely truthful with you: If your child has piano on Monday, soccer on Tuesday, ballet on Wednesday, drama on Thursday, and track and field on Friday – everybody's going to end up frustrated. Understand your limits and your child's limits. They'll be much happier and progress much better in whatever they're doing if they don't feel overloaded with extracurricular. 
  4. Do I support my child’s music? Or, in other words, what do you think is important for your child to be involved in? Once you’ve answered the questions about talent and potential enjoyment, it’s time to prioritize. If you’re more excited about their hockey games than their piano recitals, they will know. 
   Speaking of starting the school year, next week I'm really excited to share with you all the fun things that happened the first week of lessons! I'm also hoping to share some plans and ideas I have for this month and school year. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

And to this I said Amen

Image
 (Note for those who may not know: The word "Amen" comes from an ancient word -- whether Greek, Hebrew, or some other language, I do not remember -- that expressed agreement with truth. It is a transliterated word; that is, it's very similar to the original word in the original language. One person claimed it was one of two words that has been transliterated rather than translated across all languages, the other word being Hallelujah. Fun fact for the day. 😀)    Again, I had writer's block and didn't know what to write about. All I could think about was how it's February, it's a theme month, and I haven't finished planning the theme, even though the month has already started. So, once more, I turned to Pinterest . (If that link doesn't work, let me know, because I'm not sure it will actually take you to my Pinterest profile.)    This time, instead of music humour, I found this beautiful musician's prayer. And I went, "Yes! That is exa
Read more

Gloves: For More than Keeping Your Child's Hands Warm

Image
   Snow swirls around the streets of Leningrad, Russia. Pedestrians pull winter coats tighter around themselves. Car lights shine through the flurries. In one large, multi-story building, a window on the corner of the building is lit. Inside the room, frost decorates the window panes. The only occupant – a young man, with a spark of life in his blue eyes – turns out music, gorgeous music, on the upright piano against the wall. He wears a heavy overcoat and plays with a pair of medium-weight, knit gloves – for his dormitory room has no heat.    At this point in the narrative, the music teacher jerks his enraptured student back into the present – modern Edmonton, a warm and very comfortable music studio, and the two Yamaha baby grands sitting side by side – with this question:    “ Have you ever practiced with gloves on?”    Ahh . . . no, I hadn’t. My house always had heat?!     My music teacher, undeterred by my blank look (which he had undoubtedly seen many times before!), resp
Read more

When Music Teachers Meet

Image
It was Sunday evening, and various members of  PMTA  were gathered at one member's home for the Annual General Meeting. Since I've only been a member for less than a year, this was the first time I'd been to one of their meetings. As we were setting up for supper, I asked the president, "So, what goes on in the meeting?"    She looked at me, and her face instantly displayed drama. With gusto, she replied, "You'll be thrilled, and chilled, and ... bored out of your mind!"    LOL!    That's the great thing about hanging around with other artistic minds. There's plenty of room for drama. :)    Seriously, though, I like getting together with other music teachers, because all of us can talk for hours about music. :) It was a lot of fun comparing notes back and forth and getting to know some of the other teachers. I pick up ideas from these exchanges, including other teachers' favourite methods and new things to include -- or new ways t
Read more