Commitment to Music Lessons for Parents

At some point, every parent will have to wrestle their children out the door when it’s time to go to lessons. However, music lessons are rarely the reason for a student’s reluctance to get in the car and head to the studio.  Here are 5 tips for parents to proactively avoid pre-lesson meltdowns and keep your child excited and committed to music lessons!

1. Don’t make music lessons the bad guy.  While not always possible, it is best if children do not have multiple other activities on piano lesson day.  Avoid pulling children away from another beloved activity, interrupting playdates, packing up from a picnic, leaving early from other extracurricular activities, and even abruptly turning off a favorite TV show. This causes children to feel like they are missing out on something by attending music lessons. However, when lessons are the chosen activity for the day, they become the main opportunity for fun and excitement.

2. Don’t rush and cram.  Avoid having children cram in a practice session right before a lesson. Children won’t have adequate time to correct mistakes, ultimately causing more stress during the lesson.  Children who spend 30 minutes practicing right before a lesson then struggle to continue to focus for additional time during their actual lesson.

3. Set them up for success.  Children who are well rested and well fed learn best. When possible, allow time for their children to decompress, eat a healthy snack, and receive some parental attention before lessons. A physically, mentally and emotionally balanced child is a happy music student.

4. Keep up with current events.   Before heading to lessons, parents should remind children of the fun things happening in their lessons and around the studio. Parents need to read their children’s assignment book and weekly email communications to gain insight into studio activities.

5. Address unrelated anxieties. Unaddressed anxiety can be debilitating for a child.  Children who have experienced a stressful situation at school or extreme anxiety prior to lessons should have time to calm down, steady their breathing, and regulate their bodies and minds.  If this is not possible, then parents should inform the instructor so support and understanding is provided.

Contact The Music Studio of Noel Smith to register for music lessons today!!

Noel Smith

mrs.noel.smith@gmail.com

614-929-8512