Music Tip - Summer Practice Ideas

It's summer time and this can be a really great time to catch up on piano practicing or let the whole thing drop with a crash.  I encourage you to use summer as a time to have your child get in some great practice time.  But with vacations and company visiting and just life in general, it can be a real challenge.

How do you keep music a priority?  Make it one of the first things you do each day.  I know, I know, your kids do swimming lessons first thing in the morning.  But is there time to practice first, or do half the practicing before swimming?  How about right after swimming and an energizing snack?

The important thing is to find a consistent time and stick with it.  Right after lunch?  Before their favorite tv show? Dovetail it in with their chores?  Be creative, but be consistent-- if you really want your child to learn and be proficient at playing the piano, consistency is the key.  Otherwise, you might as accept the fact that you're paying for brain tutoring--which is great, but produces no musical skills. 

Be creative and think of some fun ways to plan in practicing this summer. 

**Use popsicle sticks that have the songs to practice or directions for playing them (like play song 4 X).  And of course half the fun of popsicle sticks is that you had to have eaten the popsicles first!

**Make a fun chart to keep track of practicing.
**Have a grab bag with fun cheap rewards that your child can choose from.
**Sit with your child and be a cheerleader--and you're only allowed to give positive comments.
**Keep tv off while the practicing is on.  Siblings read books and do art work.
**Have centers, with practicing being one of the centers.
**Schedule a family recital.
**Skype with grandma and show off new piece learned.
**Video tape child with your camera and show the "before" and "after" piece that is learned.
**Let your child earn privileges for computer time or ipad time or whatever time.
**Take a trip to the music store with your child and buy some easy fun popular piano music

As one of my mothers said to me after reading a handout I had given all my parents, "It sounds like it's up to ME if my child is going to practice and learn to play the piano." YEP.  It's always the mom's job.

Have a fun, productive, musical summer!

Thanks for reading,
Cathy

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Parenting Tip #86 Kindness Recital

July is the perfect month for sibling fights to escalate. The newness of school being out is over. Boredom is starting to creep in. The weather is getting hot and humid. And tempers start to flare.

So....

July is the perfect month to have a Kindness Recital. You’ve heard of a music recital, of course, where everyone shares what they have been practicing. Well, this is a “kindness” recital where you also share what you have been practicing—kindness.

You can make this as simple or as elaborate as you wish. First you need to decide on a date for the recital, say one or two weeks from now, and then you need to announce and explain to your family what you plan on doing.

Tell them that the purpose of a musical recital is to share what you have been practicing, and tell them as a family you are going to practice being kind. Define what you mean as “kind” and give examples so your children really understand. Kindness is the Golden Rule, it’s sharing, not hitting, taking turns, and thinking of another’s feelings. It’s being cheerful and obedient, letting your sister be first, and not arguing. It’s being helpful and not grouchy. It's using a pleasant tone of voice.

You could make a simple chart listing what kindness is, then post it and let family members put a star or sticker on it each time someone is kind to them. Or make a more elaborate chart where they can add a paper scoop of ice cream to a paper ice cream cone each time they do a kindness (and then go get ice cream after the recital, of course).

You could make little journals and have family members write down their ideas on ways they can be kind and list when they did it and how they felt.

Here’s a kindness song that you could sing during the week. http://lds.org/churchmusic/detailmusicPlayer/index.html?searchlanguage=1&searchcollection=2&searchseqstart=145&searchsubseqstart=b&searchseqend=145&searchsubseqend=b
You might have your children draw pictures or slogans and place them in rooms around the house to remind everyone of your focus. You could let family members ring a bell every time they are kind or someone is kind to them.

When you have your Kindness Recital, make it somewhat formal with all family members sitting down. Take turns letting family members tell about kindnesses that were shown to them and kindnesses that they did to someone else. You could applaud each family member or have them high five each other. Talk about the feelings you have felt during this practice time and how your home has been a happier place. 

Take photographs during the practice week of family members doing acts of kindness. Take photos during the recital and after it while you’re eating refreshments. Make the photos into a little book so that you can remember and be encouraged to continue being kind. You could even skype the grandparents and invite them to your Kindness Recital.

WE, as parents and grandparents, need to exemplify kindness in the way we talk to our children. In the way we treat our children. Teach and expect your children to be kind. And then…….the world will be a better place!

Music Tip #69 Skype music recital

Saturday we had the 1st ever Shepherd Family Music Recital via skype. It involved 5 of my 7 children who live out of state in 5 different states and in 4 different times zones. I invited my grandchildren a month ago to practice the piano/cello and then said we would have a little recital via skype. (By the way, the other two children not involved live in AZ with me, but they don’t have children old enough to play the piano yet)

I was very apprehensive that our recital wouldn’t work. I found out you have to get a group account from skype, either as a one day use or permanent account. I chose the one day use for $5.00. Each participant has to have the most updated version of skype, which one of my daughters didn’t. But she was able to quickly update and join us.

And it worked!! It was so fun to see my children/grandchildren from Utah, Illinois, Minnesota, Virginia and Florida all on the computer screen at the same time.

I chose who was going to play their piece next on the recital by giving clues to who the person was. They would raise their hand if the clue applied to them. One clue was: this person has had a lot of snow this winter. Everyone raised their hands except the Floridians! A funny thing my daughter, who lives in Florida, said was, “why are all of you wearing long sleeves when it’s so warm outside?”

We are definitely going to have another recital again. It’s great motivation to practice, it’s positive peer pressure (for adults to get a piece ready too), and it’s a wonderful way to keep long distance family close to each other. The refreshments are a little hard to figure out, though……