Category: On practicing

Great news! I have an EASY and PAINLESS way to improve your child’s enthusiasm for practicing at home, or increase their learning of new pieces if they already love to practice. My older son went from tears of frustration at missed bowings and rhythms and forgotten notes, to saying ” I love cello, Mom!’ and giving me a kiss AFTER TWO DAYS of my listening experiment! My younger son went from exhaustion and whining in learning Twinkle with little discernible progress, to saying “Mom, don’t help me! I know it all!”, followed by his eagerly playing

the entire Twinkle theme at least 5 times in a row.

What did I do to make this magic cello happiness come over my household?

I listened to Michele Horner’s brief talk called ‘Listening Like A Maniac!” on the Parents As Partners Online Seminar and followed her advice for two days. First, I found the repeat button on my CD player (marked REP)

which I had never noticed before, and the repeat Setting (under “Settings”) on my ipod, which I also didn’t know

existed. While my boys were playing, talking, eating, even playing a video game with the sound off (!), I put on their current piece on repeat for 30 minutes or so in the room where they were, even though this meant bringing the CD player out from their

room and moving it from room to room a few times. I would then switch to their next pieces and their polished recital piece, each on repeat for a while. No one commented, and the boys happily played in the house while getting a massive dose of targeted listening!

The thrill came when I asked each of them to practice and got no resistance (unusual for them), and instead had two boys actually eager to play. When I heard the ease and musicality with which they each played, I was hooked!!!

Michele’s argument, which I urge you to listen to on her online post, is that if we are indeed trying to teach our children with Suzuki’s mother-tongue approach and wanting to give them a rich environment filled with the language we want them to learn, they need to be hearing their pieces many, many times a day instead of listening to the whole CD once a day (2-3 minutes of their piece!). To hear Michele as well as many other inspiring voices from Suzuki teachers and parents around the country, check the information emailed to you about Parents as Partners from the Suzuki Association of the Americas. This wonderful online resource only last a few more weeks!

I challenge all of us to try this Listening Experiment with our kids and see what happens…..you are welcome to post your thoughts (and results!) below….

Happy listening!

This may sound crazy but it is the best thing that ever happened to my students and my own son on the practicing front!!

The idea is simple: you practice every day without missing a day (excluding lesson and group days if you want) and mark each day on a chart up to 100 days. If the student is away (on an airplane only!) or very sick one day, they can complete their practice via listening repeatedly to the recording that day (always a great idea any day!!). There can be special small prizes for each milestone of 25, 50, 75 and of course…100 days! My students in years past have been treated to a personal ice-cream date with me upon reaching 100 days of practice, and certificates, ribbons, and medals for the other milestones. My younger son wants a lego from target upon reaching his goal, and I am happy to oblige if we do indeed have 100 days of less difficult (hoping…) practice.

What I have found from doing this with my older son is that once you take away the option of not practicing, it is SO MUCH EASIER to make it happen every day. The more days the child plays consistently, the easier the routine becomes, the more motivated he/she feels, the

easier it is to play, the happier the whole practice dynamic is……and before you realize it you have a consistent practice routine happening in your house and a much happier and more motivated young musician!!

A few ways to do this:

• make a chart with 10 rows of 10 boxes for your child to mark off or put stickers in
• have your child write the number of each day on a special paper
• mark a calendar with a music sticker for every day your child plays

NOTE: on those super busy, over-tired days the child just needs to play SOMETHING on the instrument….this is much better than missing the practice, so just go with it and don’t get worked up that it wasn’t a “real” practice. Doing 100 days of practice stresses consistency above all and the message that practicing every day is part of family life.

GOOD LUCK! You won’t believe where your child (and you) will be after 100 days……….!!