| The
last round of applause could still be heard in the small
concert hall where three freckled-face boys were putting
away their instruments. "Gosh, we did all right!"
said Stan, the eleven-year old, to his brothers. "Fun,
too," said Gale, a year younger as he tossed his
music into a folder. "I say it was neat," said
Roy, snapping the lock on his half-size violin case. "And
now, refreshments." He followed his brothers out
to the reception lounge.
The program for the local Sunday Evening Club was over.
My husband and I were being surrounded. The gentlemen
nearest my husband beamed. "I bet you never have
to make those boys practice!" he said. "Indeed
we do," replied my husband. The pleasure on the man's
face changed to surprise and curiosity. "But the
way they play, I thought-" "They're regular
boys, full of the 'old nick'. And practicing doesn't come
any more natural to them than washing their ears,"
answered my husband. "But both are part of their
daily schedule."
Others crowded in, congratulating us on our three sons'
performance as if it had been something spectacular. I
couldn't understand. Was our family concert so unusual-playing
music together and in solo? This could have happened in
our living room most any evening.
"How do you get your boys to practice?" The
question seemed to come from several people. I looked
up at them, wondering how to answer, when my husband spoke.
"We teach them to practice, the same way we teach
them any habits-by daily repetition."
"Yes," I added, "most boys and girls have
to be told to go to bed, to take their baths, and to practice.
Our children are no exception." "But they play
as if they enjoy it," said the woman at my left.
"They do. After all, it's a form of self-expression.
And playing for others gives them an added sense of achievement.
But that doesn't mean they like to practice. It's our
job to see that they do practice. We help them."
"How?" came the blunt question. I thought of
how difficult it would be for a child to read and write
by himself. Only through daily help and practice does
it become easy and natural for him. Music is no different.
But there are ways to motivate this daily practice. I
tried to explain.
"First of all," I said, "we establish a
regulation: one hour of practice each day, to be finished
before 7:3O pm. I feel that if children know what is expected
of them, what they may and may not do, they have something
concrete to hold to. It gives them a feeling of security,
which is essential to their happiness.
"Each of our boys has different hours for working
beat. With Gale, the one who played piano for you, it's
early morning. As soon as his breakfast is finished, he
practices until school time, getting most of it done then.
He doesn't like to practice, but twenty lessons marked
good in his music notebook, brings reward. This year it
will be some special fishing tackle.
"With Roy, six years old, it's a little different.
He has many after-school sports. He practices best after
dinner. Radio and television programs come only after
his hour is finished. A composition well mastered merits
a Saturday movie, hamburgers for the gang, or a new baseball
bat.
"If their Saturday practice is finished before noon,
fifty minutes instead of the usual sixty is the rule.
But failure to complete their practice may prevent a family
outing, a trip to the beach, or a game of Canasta."
"Do they watch the clock while they practice?"
came the question. "We have no clock in the living
room. They check the time when they start. And after fifteen
or twenty minutes, they call out, 'What time is it, Mom?'
"If they waste time, I simply add an extra five minutes
and tell them it has been added. After the first few weeks,
it seldom happens." "But I thought children
should never be forced to practice. It might kill their
love for music," said a feminine voice in the group.
Let us look at it this way. Children are not mature in
their judgment. We, as parents, must enforce what is right
for them. If you review the early life of Haydn, Mozart,
Beethoven, and many others, you will find their training
was part of their daily schedule, and not because they
chose it to be. Free choice, in most things, is not for
children.
We know our boys are not genius material. They're normal,
mischievous youngsters, full of energy and curiosity.
And we want to give them as much preparation for a good
and happy life as we can. This means not only opening
the doors to the many experiences ahead, but taking them
by the hand and leading them. And one of these doors leads
to the enjoyment of music.
Music, a language of the feelings, goes beyond the printed
or spoken word. It holds no barrier of race, creed, or
nationality. One of the finest forms of self-expression
for all ages, music is relaxing, uplifting, and always
worthwhile. What better means of expression can we give
our children?
But to teach children music requires patience and daily
supervision. The latter is our job, as parents-just as
it's our job to enforce a reasonable bedtime whether they
approve or not. Yet many parents indulge in the belief
that it is wrong to hold a child to a daily practice period.
If he wants music, he must do his practicing on his own.
Is it because they, as parents, are content to take the
path of least resistance?
Let's look at it objectively. In a recent survey of our
penal institutions, it was found that only a scattered
few among the thousands of criminals had ever received
any regular musical instruction or participated in an
orchestra or chorus during their childhood. Music and
delinquency seldom mix.
To make the daily practice period more enjoyable and worthwhile
to pupils and parents, here are some suggestions based
on the seven notes of the musical alphabet:
Assist your child with practicing.
Be generous with your interest and praise.
Credit each achievement with some form
of recognition.
Develop the habit of daily practice.
Encourage note reading, rather than playing
by ear.
Facilitate note reading by a new piece
to reach each day.
Give interesting pieces, folk tunes and
musical literature written for children.
Each practice
period will then hold a continued interest and not so
much time will be spent on one tiresome piece. It may
take all seven keys to unlock your practice problem, but
try them before giving up. Music is one thing your child
will cherish forever!
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