It seems that children who are in sports have a lot of parental and family support. Their parents take them to practices, and many times the Dads are even the coaches, with the whole family coming out to the ball games or swimming/gymnastic meets. It's a fun, busy time of year for the families, with grandparents also attending the weekly games.
But what about the poor, lonely piano student? He/she gets dropped off at the teacher's house, gets nagged at every day to practice, and then has family support once a year at a piano recital. No wonder so many children quit music lessons.
I've always pictured parents as being the cheerleaders for their children. They encourage them, support them, tell them how great they are and attend all their activities. But sometimes parents need to step up their cheerleading routines to keep their children interested and progressing in their music lessons.
Some parents have told me they dance while their child is practicing the piano. One mother said she does her daughter's turn of dish washing in return for piano practicing. One family said their 3 year old comes running into the piano room from wherever he's been in the house, just to sing along with one of the songs he really likes that his brother plays. Another mother always stopped by Seven 11 and bought her daughter a muffin after her early morning cello lesson. All these families are being cheerleaders.
It doesn't take much to be a cheerleader. You just need to know how to:
- smile
- jump up and down
- be enthusiastic
- call out chants
- clap
- always be positive
Speaking of chants, how about:
2,4,6,8
who do we appreciate?
______________________ piano playing!
(your child's name)
Enjoy being a cheerleader this week!
Thanks for reading,
Cathy
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