A Parent Guide to Music Education by Shirley Strohm Mullins
Our society values music for its intrinsic beauty, its meaning, its sheer joy. Imagine celebrations, social or religious events, football games, television, inaugurations and parades without music. We value music because it touches our hearts and souls.
As parents, sooner or later you will be faced with a decision about music education for your child. You may have already started your youngster with piano lessons. Perhaps a note came from school recently, explaining the beginning instrumental program and you are wondering what to do or the choir director from your church may have called to invite your son or daughter to join the children’s choir. Just how important is music education for your child and how can you help your child benefit from the music opportunities in your community?
The recent report on Excellence in Education has received wide media coverage and attracted the interest of a broad segment of the population. Unfortunately, the report has been misinterpreted by many as simply a “back to basics” directive. This interpretation is simply not valid and parents who want the best education for their children should be wary of jumping onto the 3R’s bandwagon. “Back to basics” does not mean eliminating or watering down the humanities and the arts. Paul Lehman, Past President of the Music Educators National Conference, made this comment at a recent Arts Leadership Conference in Columbus, OH: “The purpose of education is the pursuit of truth and beauty and the development of human capacities; not merely the training of individuals to serve as consumers and producers of consumer goods”.
Our society values music for its intrinsic beauty, its meaning, its sheer joy. Imagine celebrations, social or religious events, football games, television, inaugurations and parades without music. We value music because it touches our hearts and souls.
Getting Started
Unless you live on a deserted island, your child’s music education started years ago. Music pervades our society from morning until night, from canned music in elevators to television and radio. How, in the midst of this environment, can you guide your youngster’s music education?
Take the initiative by offering your children an interesting balance of music to listen to at home. For example, check out a variety of recordings from the library, playing music you enjoy as well as other styles. Let your children listen to the radio, especially those stations that play a wide assortment of music from classical to country to folk.
Then ask your children which music they like best. Their answers may surprise you. Most children love Baroque music- Vivaldi, Corelli, Bach-responding physically the strong beat of the fast sections. When our first child was three, she repeatedly asked for the record with the leaves on the jacket so she could dance. That particular record was Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. By playing music as background while your children color or build with blocks, for example, you will be guiding their music education in the process.
Your child’s first music experience will probably involve singing familiar nursery rhymes, hymns, or holiday songs. Many childhood activities include singing in which everyone takes part freely. If you notice that Johnny cannot carry a tune or sings off key, don’t assume that he is without musical talent. Hearing a sound and being able to reproduce that sound are two quite different concepts and many children who are not yet physically mature have difficulty reproducing the sounds that they hear correctly. Just assume your child has talent and forge ahead. Youngsters don’t need perfect pitch in order to enjoy a lifetime of music.
Music Lessons
There are many ways to begin formal music instruction. Some families start their children with piano lessons, which include basic instruction in harmony, rhythm and note reading, listening, finger dexterity and independence of the hands. Piano lessons offer a general knowledge of music and make any subsequent study much easier.
Another way to begin lessons for your child is through the Suzuki method for violin, cello, piano or flute. The founder and great violin teacher, Shinichi Suzuki, believes that every child has musical talent and that the early childhood years are the time to begin developing this talent.
His approach uses the child’s innate ability to listen and to repeat what he has heard. Children learn to speak native language in this manner, by listening, imitating and receiving praise from their parents. This same technique is used in learning to play an instrument.
Parents are expected to attend music lessons with their child and to assist with home practice. For information about the Suzuki program in your area, write to Suzuki Association of the Americas, Batterson Building, and P.O. Box 354, Muscatine, Iowa 52761.
A rule of thumb for starting children with music lessons is “the earlier, the better”. This may mean Suzuki violin at age three, piano at six or clarinet at ten. Children become involved in many activities (such as sports, scouts, and 4-H), and I find that the earlier they develop musical skills, the more likely they are to continue participating in music programs throughout their school years.
Quality Instruction
Music lessons with a private teacher are an excellent way for a child to begin an instrument but how do you select the right instructor for your child?
You can start by checking a teacher’s track record. Do his students play well? Do they seem to enjoy music? Ask questions about the teacher’s background and training as well as his or her ability to work well with young children. I once heard a school band director recommend a percussion teacher to the parents of a young drummer. After giving the teacher’s credentials, he added, “…and besides all that, she is a very nice lady.” The teacher should also be patient, sympathetic and helpful, have a sense of humor and, most important, like children.
Successful progress on any instrument depends on regular practice at home. Maintaining a daily practice schedule by having a special time to practice, just after dinner or right after a favorite television program, helps children establish the habit of routinely playing their instruments. Youngsters who develop good practice habits and take a regular weekly lesson (or twice weekly for younger students) usually make steady progress. Those who lose interest and drop out have often never advanced past the beginning stage. As one exasperated teacher said to a student, “You can’t quit- you never started!”
Scholarships
If you think your child is talented and you cannot afford private lessons, ask your music teacher or school principal about scholarship help. Sometimes local service organizations or clubs can provide assistance. Arts councils, programs for the gifted and private citizens will often help a youngster. Don’t let a lack of funds keep your child from participating in music.
As a foresighted approach to help alleviate such problems, you might consider starting a scholarship fund to help your school’s music program. When my mother passed away, our family searched for a special way to honor her memory. She loved children and music and had been a staunch believer in quality education. Within two years, friends, relatives and community members had donated over $5,000 to a scholarship fund in her name. The interest now provides scholarships for music lessons and instrument rental for deserving children.
School Music Programs
Your child may bring a note home from school inviting you to visit the general music class or beginning instrument classes. Go to the meeting and ask questions about the instruction, the instrument rental and purchase plans, and when and where lessons are given.
Your child will probably be given a musical aptitude test. This is merely a tool used by music teachers to identify a student’s talent and interest. It is not to be used to determine who participates in the school music program. All children have the right to participate, regardless of the results of these tests.
Shirley Strohm Mullins conducted the school and community orchestras in Yellow Springs, Ohio, taught string methods at Central State University and Cedarville College, and wrote articles on music education for Clavier and the instrumentalist. Her first book, “Teaching Music: The Human Experience”, was published in 1985 and is distributed by Boston Music Co., 9 Airport Drive, Hopedale, Massachusetts 01747.
She is the recipient of numerous grants and awards, including two from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation and one from Northwood Institute’s Creativity Center.
Mrs. Mullins conducted workshops throughout the United States on a variety of topics, including motivation, confrontation, grant writing, public relations, discipline and orchestra development. She served as an educational consultant for William Lewis & Son and G. Leblanc Corporation.
Reprinted from Leblanc Bell, Fall 1986
Volume IX, Number III
G. Leblanc Corporation, Kenosha, Wisconsin
