Playing an instrument develops more than musical skills - it helps children how to plan time and set goals. By helping your child be organized for practice sessons, you will be helping them develop skills that will carry over into other academic subjects.
1. A metronome and a folding music stand are useful for at-home practice.
2. Get to know your child's band director.
3. Create an environment where practicing is easy:
a. Set aside a place for practice.b. Schedule a regular time for practice.
c. Participate in the practice session. Actively listen and offer praise and reminders to rework a portion of the music if necessary.
d. Set up a supportive environmnent for your child - encourage practice and don't hound them to stop because you want peace and quiet. Never use practice as punishment.
4. Parental responsibilities
a. Be patient in repeatedly reminding your child to practice.b. Remind them to work on new music first.
c. Recommend isolating the problems - a few notes or measures - and working those out slowly. Remember the computer phrase "Garbage in , garbage out".
d. No beginner plyas his instrument beautifully and expect only gradual improvement.
5. Organization is the key!