HOW DO I KNOW IF MY CHILD WILL MAINTAIN HIS/HER INTEREST?
I get asked this question rather often. "My child has asked for piano lessons, how do I know if he/she is really interested and will carry on learning for a long time?"
Tough one. Noone knows.
Sure it's easy to get most children interested in the piano - it's like a new toy to them, and a REALLY big toy. But getting them to maintain the interest requires work from all parties - the parents, the teacher, and the child.
It is, in a way, a financial risk for the parents when embarking children on piano lessons, or any other lessons on a musical instrument. It is one of the many gambles that parents have to take, so just be prepared to have a few more strands of white hair, and you'll do fine.
Once a child starts his music education, it must be instilled upon him/her that this is just as important as school is. Music education should never be taken as a "by the way", or as a "only if you have time after your school homework" kind of activity. When such ideas are instilled upon the child, it is very likely that the child will end up neglecting the piano and does not spend as much effort in practising and learning the instrument.
Before a child starts any lesson, prepare him or her, that he/she cannot just call it quits as and when he/she likes. Prepare the child, to spend at least half an hour everyday playing the piano, at a specified time. Do not postpone that practice time for other activities, like shopping, swimming, extra school homework, etc. Daily piano practice sessions should be conducted like clockwork, just like going to school is, and just like eating regular 3 meals is. They may "hate" you for a while (just like they will when you force them to complete all the extra assessment books), but in the process, they will learn not just music and piano playing - it helps to develop a level of discipline and perseverance in them, to handle their lives ahead.
Music learning is a long-term activity - with lots of delayed gratification. More on practising is covered in another article.
© pianoforte@babeypaws
2008
The above article is written
based on my own opinion and from my own experience, as a former music student
and a current music teacher.
Do NOT reproduce any parts or whole parts of the article in any form or manner.