Your child brings something to the table: perhaps a well developed musicality, sustained interest in lessons, previous lessons, the presence or lack of aural discernment, a habit of singing, confidence or a fear of failure, great or undeveloped hand-eye coordination. There are so many factors that affect success in any endeavor, we as parents may not fully understand where our child is in the developmental process, or that there are simultaneous developmental processes going on. Do you have realistic expectations of your child? As your child’s teacher, we value the knowledge you bring of this precious person. However, as we work with your child, we see that development in one area hinges upon another skill that doesn’t come as easily. And then there are the ‘intangibles’ – confidence and persistence. Some children seem to be blessed with these qualities; I assure you, they are the minority. But they are so necessary to success in life as a whole! And so we come back around to this idea of PRACTICE, also known as “playing at home”, and how teacher and parent together can encourage your child while enjoying the process.

First Things First – Valuing the process, and the teacher.

We need you! No matter your level of involvement, from “Laid-back” to “Super Committed”, your regard for your child’s experience at The By Ear Musician Studio is more caught than taught. Music lessons are generally considered extra curricular, and therefore, in each family, there is a value placed upon lessons relative to other things that your children, or other family members, are involved in. If home playing time is consistently excluded from the schedule in favor of interests driven by others – whether in favor of another individual or even family activities – these decisions directly affect the student’s attitude, interest, and willingness to persevere through the occasionally tedious aspects of effort required to excel. It would be beneficial to give some thought to the value you want your child to have toward their involvement in music education, and to also consider how you, or any person of influence, might be reflecting that value. Sensitivity to choices that either support or undermine your child’s efforts is a real concern from your teacher’s viewpoint. We love our students! Therefore, we want to give them our very best, to help them be their very best. We believe that the value of music extends far beyond playing a particular piece well, and even beyond a satisfying relationship with their teacher. While we try to make lessons fun, it is very serious fun to us! We ALWAYS want to hear from you, so although our studio structure allows for only occasional interaction with most parents, we are only a phone call away. We welcome you to call or email us with any questions or concerns you might have about your child’s participation in our programs.