Musical Insurance

It often starts with an email or a phone call.  A parent says they notice that their child is very musical and wants to have them in Kindermusik to encourage the development of their skills.  And so begins the journey.

There is a reason that Kindermusik asks parents to be involved in the music learning environment.  It is so much more than crowd control.  Very young children take their clues from their parents about how to respond to music.  If mom is enthusiastic about using the instruments, the child is more apt to be experimental.  If mom enters in with the dancing, the child will dance with more abandon.  If Dad helps with the home projects, the together time translates into "music activities are important and worth my time."

As your child finishes Kindermusik for the Young Child™ and moves on to private music lessons there is one thing that will insure your child's success:


a parent's involvement.

But how do you stay involved as your child gets older?

*Take them to live music. *Encourage them to join the choir, or Orff ensembles in elementary school.  *Offer private music lessons - piano, violin, guitar, voice, flute,  anything they are interested in.  *Go to their recitals and school concerts.  *Listen to them practise and tell them sincerely how much you love to hear them play.  *If you have a music background, offer to play a duet with them.  *Encourage them to join the band in Junior High School - **and find a school that has a fantastic band teacher!  *Play music in your home.  *Sing out loud.   *Give them opportunities to make music with others in extra-curricular venues such as church or after school bands.

If parental involvement is the biggest factor in insuring long-term musical enjoyment, what is the most important thing a parent can do?  That's a topic for next time.  Can you guess?