Page 5 - North Haven Magazine Issue 12 Winter 2020

Ask

If your child truly complains and says they hate
the instrument they are playing, what do you do?

he first thing is to ask why? Is your child struggling, does
Tyour child feel behind the other children in their class, or is
it that they are not finding the time to practice, or may need
a more personalized instruction. Most times, signing up for
private lessons will ease their anxiety & your child will start
feeling the confidence to play their instrument in their groups
in school. Also, find out what instruments your child’s friends
are playing? Sometimes they want to play what their friends
play so that they are able to sit next to them in band. Consulting
with your child’s band instructor is always very beneficial to
arriving with the best way to handle this situation.

How do you pick the right instrument for your
child?
sually the child picks the instrument that they would
Uwant to play. My brother wanted drums in the worst way
& suffered through 3 years of accordion, before my parents
finally said let’s compromise and settled on guitar. My brother
liked guitar, but his passion was in drums & although he took
lessons for 3 more years on guitar, I can’t help but wonder
if he would be a drummer today. Parents could always make
suggestions & guide their musical journey, but music is in the
passion of the musician. Let them choose their instrument,
even if it is drums.

What is the best age to start voice lessons?

f you have a 3 year old that loves singing around the
Ihouse, that is awesome! There are music for tots classes &
Kindermusic classes that would be great for your child to start
hearing & feeling Rhythm & pitch. Generally, I recommend that
they take piano lessons as young as 4 years of age first. Piano
lessons will teach the student how to read notes, rhythm, and
pitch, especially if the student sings along while they play. It
provides the future singer with a solid foundation that puts
them at a distinct advantage over performers who has had
no instrument background. Then they may begin their voice
lessons at 7 or 8 years of age. I know that a few vocal teachers
will disagree with me, however, it has been my teaching
experience that what is best for the student is to teach them
how to correctly place their voice to keep their vocal cords
healthy. After all, your vocal cords will be with you for the rest
of your life.

Have a question for Mary? You can email her directly to
[email protected]. If used for publication, only first
names will be used unless you prefer to remain anonymous. Did
this help you? Tweet me @MusicMinotti and let me know what
you think. Thanks!

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