- How much should a student practice?
- How can I encourage my child to practice and become more interested in their musical studies?
- Who do I contact if we are unable to attend a class or a lesson?
- When should we decide to stop providing lessons for our son or daughter?
- What is meant by a “curriculum-based” music education?
- Why should our family enroll with the Midwest Music Conservatory?
One of two practice regimens should be established before a student participates in their first lesson. Traditionally, music instructors have stated that thirty minutes daily is the best approach for learners ten and older. Understanding that schedules today may not be consistent from day to day, establishing a 180 Minute Minimum Practice Guideline is vital. Students either will play thirty minutes daily or be given the option to total 180 minutes over the duration of one week.
In either instance, the location of their music studies and the weekly schedule should be the same. For instance, if a student has sports practice on Tuesday nights, they may choose to practice longer on Monday and Wednesday and that remain consistent. When a sports schedule changes, so should their music studies. If a student is fortunate to have 4:00 to 4:30 p.m. available every day after school, then that should be their regular time – even when they don’t feel like practicing. Music should be as much a part of their routine as their school, sports and recreational activities.
It should also be noted that students under the age of ten should be held to shorter time frame for practice. Students who are pre-K through the third grade should be working on their instrument in fifteen minute intervals. The main thing is, you guessed it, stay consistent! Practicing and playing music should be a regular part of their day.
Here is a list of several suggestions to help inspire and encourage your learner:
- Subscribe to music magazines.
There are plenty of music journals, quarterlies, genre and instrument oriented publications to choose from. Pick one and broaden your learner’s education. - Rent or collect DVDs of musical performances.
Watching a history of America’s great jazz musicians or even trying a live performance of Yanni may even surprise you. - Attend music performances often.
Check your local paper for community and high school performances. Support local music by attending and sharing in the experience with are performers. - Have a small budget set aside for music downloads and purchases.
Experiment with what you listen to as well. Find out what makes a few of your learner’s favorite artists tick by listening to their influences. - Allow your learner to take every opportunity to play for others.
No matter how insignificant playing a simple melody or chord progression may seem, letting your learner play for others is an excellent habit. Arranging two minutes for your learner to perform for an attentive family member or visitor in the home is a great confidence builder. - Don’t forget to sign them up for the Conservatory’s free theory classes.
These classes are available for all students who enroll with the school and intended to enrich their musical sensibilities. Students who participate in our theory program will be ahead of the curve in the public and private systems for music education. - Invest in additional methods, songbooks, instructional videos, etc.
Students should always add to their music library those songbooks or methods that are just fun to play. Give them plenty of options to practice through. Visit the Conservatory bookstore and see what may inspire them. - Make sure that they have all of the right accessories.
Changing the strings on your child’s instrument or rewarding them with a new metronome shows that you are paying attention to their progress and they will appreciate that.
Please contact your instructor directly when you are unable to attend, giving them as much as of an advance as possible for absences. On your first lesson you should receive phone numbers and an email address from the instructor. If your instructor is unavailable, you may leave a message at the Conservatory with Matthew Kovis or Sue King 636-527-5558.
As part of our philosophy here at the Conservatory, we believe that everyone can study music. While there will always be great performers who are perceived as being born with an innate talent, the great majority of musicians have learned by way of pragmatism, a consistent ethic made of both practice and play. When a child or student becomes obstinate to practicing over a three month period of time, it is important to assess why they are impeded in their progress.
If it can be determined that a learner truly enjoys music, but is not consistent in their practice, then a few questions should be asked:
- Does the learner have the appropriate instrument?
Sometimes, making a change to a different instrument is the best thing that a learner can do. Having an instrument that fits our “character” is important for learners to identify with as they develop and grow musically. Before stopping a learner’s music studies altogether, discuss some alternatives. - Is it clear to the learner and the parents, that they understand the necessity of practice?
Often, learners become frustrated that they have not experienced the development that they expected due to misunderstanding the very nature of the endeavor that they are participating in. A practice routine is non-negotiable for all learners. A 180 Minute Minimum Practice Guideline must be established from the outset. This means that a learner should clock a total of three hours of practice time per week to progress in a positive manner week to week. - A learner should be given a minimum of six months to begin to establish their practice routine and determine their level of interest. There have certainly been students whom I have worked with for a period much longer than six months, who have had the "universal light turn on” and really began to embrace their instrument. They may have benefited from making a decision earlier on, but knowing when a learner will be granted a level of inspiration is hard to determine, so six months is a bit of a guess at best. Depending on the instrument, six months may be the earliest that a learner can begin to make music, while other learners playing the piano as opposed to the technically more challenging violin, will have an earlier reward by simply striking a key. Ultimately the decision rests with the parents, but don’t give up on your child too soon, they may surprise you.
- Have you considered changing instructors?
Music study is both pragmatic and relational. While the choice to move a learner to a different instructor may be uncomfortable for both the teacher and the learner, it is a choice that should be considered. Changing instructors within the Conservatory may be infrequently requested, but it is an option that is open. Currently, our teachers are contracted to teach music within a curricular framework, though the curriculum is determined by the instructor. Instructors working privately with their students may choose a different curriculum and certainly have their own chemistry that works well with some students, then less effectively with others.
If you have asked these questions and tried some of these suggestions then it may be in you and your child’s best interest to quit. Ultimately, these issues and goals should be discussed from the very beginning. Follow the 180 Minute Minimum Practice Guideline as soon as your child enrolls and be firm when you have to. Having an established plan will give you and your child an easy benchmark to refer to and better informed decision to continue or to stop music studies.
While the word curriculum may sound stern to a child who is weary of more scholastic hurdles, it is used to define how our teaching faculty may assess each student’s progress. The curriculum produced by the Conservatory faculty is flexible, but can be better understood in the following ways:
- With a system put in place to accommodate student interest with valid assessment, progress may better be determined, and then rewarded. By defining distinctive criteria, the Conservatory has the ability to produce better students as they achieve general benchmarks in performance and move through Levels.
- Using a generalized criterion to cross instrumentations, instructors are free to shape private lessons that better fit each student’s needs and interests. As the instructor, parent and student work together to select material appropriate for the student’s Level, assessment can be understood more easily within the curricular framework.
- For a curriculum to be effective, it must enable students to have the results that they desire when they begin working through guidelines. By selecting the best materials, employing sound methods of instructing and assessing each student’s musical journey, our faculty desires its students to enjoy their growth and be fulfilled in their pursuit.
The Midwest Music Conservatory is first a community school of music education. That means that the school is locally owned, operated and interested in serving the West St. Louis County area by shaping the next generation of musicians. It is a community school because it seeks to fill in the gaps that public and private school systems are unable to fill by offering a grounded and holistic music program focused on children pre-Kindergarten through students in the 12th grade.
At the Conservatory, our teachers work together in assessing their teaching methods and practices with others that are a part of the faculty. While each instructor is given the freedom to be creative in reaching their students, they share a common interest with their co-instructors to be thorough in the development of each individual. Not only will our faculty be in cooperation with one another in music education, but they are the immediate contacts with families to nurture each student in their creative growth.
In closing, the paradigm from which the Conservatory is designed and operates is to make complete or well rounded musicians. This cannot be done perfectly, the science of education and the creative aspects of music are not exact. Music and its longevity will always have an element of curiosity and spiritual inspiration that will remain elusive, even to the greatest musical minds. May the Midwest Music Conservatory serve as a repository of music fundamentals and exploration to you, your family and to the community it serves.