Three easy ways to motivate your child in their music lessons

SINGAPORE — If you are a parent, you might have the experience of your child coming up to you, eyes shining with excitement and saying: “Dad, Mum, I want to learn the piano!” You swell with pride at your child’s artistic inclination, stride to the best music academy and sign them up for classes, convinced that you are grooming the next Lang Lang.

Fast forward three months later, the initial enthusiasm of a musical instrument has worn off, and now, your child simply cannot be motivated or bothered with practice. For many parents, this is an all-too-familiar scenario. It begs the question: “How do you cultivate the intrinsic gift and love for music in your child and make those music lessons worth their while?”

CULTIVATE MUSIC APPRECIATION, CHANGE MINDSETS

We all know the benefits associated with music for a child’s development. Exposing children to music helps them identify sounds and rhythms, movement and expression. Research has uncovered that learning a musical instrument not only helps in the development of children’s motor skills, cognitive abilities and increase in neural activity but also in the broadening of their emotional horizons and even language abilities.

The reason children sometimes lose interest in their instrument after initially starting off excitedly is because music could have turned into another ‘forced discipline’ where they feel obligated to practice. Therefore, changing their mindset and helping them see it in a different light will in turn inspire and motivate them to regard it as an enjoyable activity.

I would encourage parents to take their children to concerts where there is an interactive element. It could be a Christmas production or performances where the performer or musician would engage the audience. These would be good opportunities for the children to meet some of these performers in the flesh and see that they too, are just like them.

Parents can bring their children to the pre-concert/post-concert talks where they can learn so much more about the music and associate it with something more tangible. I often have children coming back and sharing with me excitedly on what they sat through and how they would like to perform like those musicians one day.

CREATE A HOME ENVIRONMENT THAT FOSTERS MUSICALITY

Through observation, I also notice that when parents are actively involved in their children’s music learning, be it joining them in classes or creating a home environment that constantly excites them towards what they are learning, the children tend to excel more when it comes to picking up the instrument.

A simple but great way to nurture your child’s musical ability, and to show them that music is not confined only to 45-minute lessons, is to immerse your home in music and actively listen to music with your child.

It does not have to be the oft-recommended Mozart but rather, exposing your child to a variety of musical genres and styles will expand their horizons and enhance their aural skills, while boosting enjoyment of music in itself. You could also make music come alive at home beyond the musical score sheets by sharing with your child stories behind the music or even watching documentaries on successful musicians which detail the determination and passion behind a life of music.

Personally, the most specific example for my upbringing was the extraordinary Disney movie Fantasia. I was enchanted and awe-inspired by the kaleidoscopic range of emotions, colours, and images that could be associated with music. To this day, I believe Fantasia taught me to associate music with so much more than just sound. Parents should always explore ways in which music can be seen as something full of life and colour.

FIND THE RIGHT SCHOOL, CHOOSE THE RIGHT INSTRUMENT

Formal music lessons provide a structure which is essential for creating a good foundation in music for your child. All children have equal potential, and while certain aptitudes or strengths may manifest themselves in different ways, it is the responsibility of the teacher to help discover and develop natural talent. This is why it is especially important to find a teacher that not only connects with your child but is also a highly-qualified musician in his or her own right.

My mother interviewed nearly a dozen teachers before finding the right fit for me. This had more to do with the chemistry and approach as there were teachers who may have been more discipline-oriented, but she felt that those teachers would kill my love of music. I am very thankful that my mother invested the time to find the right teacher.

Choosing the correct instrument is of course an important factor and often, the choice of instrument can be a hard one to make. However, when children are very young, learning the piano or violin in an individual setting is recommended as they are excellent instruments for developing a strong foundation. As they grow older, the choice of musical instruments open up even further as they develop the physical strength for larger brass or string instruments.

There are other factors that can help nurture musical interest in a child. But getting these fundamentals sorted will a long way in helping your child grow and sustain his or her love for music.

Lawrence Holmefjord-Sarabi is the managing director of Aureus Academy, one of the foremost music schools in Singapore. He started learning piano only at the age of 11 and comes from a teaching lineage that traces back to Beethoven himself. Lawrence is is an active pianist in the international scene and was the first American pianist accepted in the history of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore.