First, I am not a Suzuki flute teacher but I recommend that all parents read Ability Development from Age Zero by Shinichi Suzuki. This book is great for expecting parents as well as parents with teenagers.
Second, I’ve listed as few ways you can help your child below:
- Provide a quiet, well-lit, private area where they can practice regularly. This can be a corner of the living room or in their bedroom but make sure it’s a permanent area for practice, an area where they can store their music books, stand, and metronome. An area without distractions.
- Take your child to live concerts often. The style of music doesn’t make a difference. Take your child to professional classical music concerts as well as jazz or rock shows. They will also learn from going to concerts given by amateurs or other children.
- Play music in the house. If you play an instrument or like singing, play and sing often. And play your collection of good quality CDs or recordings often at home.
- Be curious. Ask your child what they learned at their lesson today or ask to hear what they’ve been working on lately. Ask them to play their favorite piece for you. Ask them what is the hardest thing about playing the flute. You can have them perform in a more formal concert after dinner for the whole family or have them serenade you while you make dinner or fold laundry, play a piece for Grandma over the phone, etc.
- Frequency of practice is more important than length of practice. Please help your child practice everyday or at least 5 times a week. Help them establish a regular practice schedule. For younger children, these frequent practice sessions should be treated like play sessions rather than homework or chores.
- Attend your child’s lessons. Some teachers don’t want parents to attend lessons. I think it’s better if you do attend the lessons, especially for beginners or younger children. Siblings and friends however, should not accompany the students to lessons if possible.
- Ask your child for a lesson! Have him or her try to teach you how to make a sound and maybe how to play a few notes. It’s not an easy instrument to just pick up and play…even for adults! Make sure your son or daughter knows that you appreciate his or her hard work in learning to play the flute.
It’s the process of learning that is more important than the end result. Help your child practice in a conscientious and thoughtful manner. Practicing consists of many acts of problem-solving. We want your child to gain creative problem-solving skills in order to learn new pieces better and to become thoughtful and problem-solving adults.
I also highly recommend reading the 8-page article from Practicespot titled, “The Role of Parents.”
