In May and June we celebrate Mother’s and Father’s Day, respectively. Each of these occasions is dedicated – and rightly so – to all our wonderful moms and dads. But did you know that February is National Parent Leadership Month, dedicated to recognizing the important role of parents in raising physically and emotionally healthy families?

If you are a parent yourself, you know what a huge responsibility you have nurturing your children. Not only do you provide them with all the necessities of life – food, shelter and clothing – but you also teach them right from wrong, instill proper values, and generally make sure they are well prepared to face all of life’s challenges. You can never take a vacation from being a responsible and caring parent – it’s a 24/7, non-unionized job!

We are not about to give you parenting advice – after all, nobody knows your child better than you do. But we will say this: from our experience teaching music to kids of all ages, we can univocally state that parents play a key role in helping their kids develop interest in music and encourage them to keep on practicing.

Support system

We see this every day: the most dedicated and motivated students are those who receive their parents’ guidance, encouragement, and support. No, we are not referring here to Leopold Mozart, who tutored his prodigious son from an early age and helped shape Wolfgang’s musical genius. Rather, we are talking about “average” moms and dads who understand the benefits of music education and make sure their youngsters learn, practice, and make progress.

Keeping your child motivated to play an instrument is not always an easy task – some kids lose patience and /or get bored. If you left them to their own devices, many would probably give up after a few lessons. This is where parental oversight and guidance are crucial.

Of course, it’s not always easy to keep a child’s focus and motivation level up – we know that. Here are a few tips to help you along:

• Never force your kids to learn a specific instrument – just because you love the piano doesn’t mean they will. Respect their right to choose – and support their choice.
• Make sure, however, that your child’s instrument is a good fit for his or her age and size – not too large or too heavy to handle. Likewise, gently steer your child toward an instrument that matches your living conditions. For instance, if your apartment has thin walls, drums may not be the most neighbor-friendly choice.
• Getting kids to practice in between lessons is often a daunting task. But without practice there will be no progress, and this is where you can help. Set up a daily practice schedule that is manageable for both you and your child. Also, use your creativity: rather than telling the child he or she must practice 30 minutes a day, set musical goals such as playing the first eight measures of a piece without any mistakes. Next day, have the child play the next eight measures – and so on. It doesn’t matter how long it takes – it’s getting there that counts.
• Never forget to praise the child for the effort she is making and tell her how proud you are of her progress.

Remember: behind every motivated child is a parent who inspires!

Let’s work together!

There is no question that you play your parental role very well – not only in helping your son or daughter’s musical development, but also in hiring the best teacher in New York City.

Our instructors know the…score, but when they come to your Manhattan, Brooklyn or Riverdale home or office to give a music lesson in, they are counting on your support. It may take a village to raise a child, but it takes a great teacher and a caring parent to keep that child enthusiastic about learning.

Photo by unknown, available under Creative Commons License

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“When she started to play, Mr. Steinway came down personally and rubbed his name off the piano.”
~Bob Hope

Actually, we at New York music school are pretty sure that never happened, but this very funny quote suggests that tone-deaf people shouldn’t subject their fellow men to their music.

Does this sound familiar to you? Does everyone around you run for the hills, and does your dog hide under the sofa with his paws over his ears when you start to sing or play?

Or maybe you’d like to learn to play an instrument, but you think you can’t because you have been called “tone-deaf?” This is the same as saying you can’t dance because you have “two left feet.”

However, rest assured that neither condition is terminal; in other words, both can be “cured.” Of course, we can’t talk with any level of expertise about the feet, but we do know a thing or two about overcoming the syndrome humorously referred to as  “Van Gogh’s ear for music.”

We don’t actually know whether the great painter could belt out a tune either before or after he snipped off his ear, but we have seen plenty of cases of people who enjoyed singing or playing an instrument, even though they (and everyone around them) believed they were tone / tune-deaf. Fact is, not everyone is a natural talent, but most people can (and do) become proficient at music through work and practice. That’s the truth and don’t let this message fall… on deaf ears!

Tuning in

In its strictest sense, tone-deafness means the inability to distinguish different pitches. We have all heard tuneless warbling or instrumental renditions that sound more like a subway train screeching to a stop than a piece of music.

However, before you call someone (or yourself) tone-deaf, know that this condition is actually very rare – only about 1 percent of the population is truly “amusical.” The rest of the people believed to be tone-deaf actually aren’t, even if they happen to sing / play off-key.

As the late comedian George Burns put it: “”I love to sing, and I love to drink scotch. Most people would rather hear me drink scotch.” (Though Burns was no Pavarotti, he certainly wasn’t shy about singing in public).

So the question is, why can’t some people carry even the simplest of tunes? There may be several reasons for that.

Imperfect pitch

Of course, we can’t generalize because each individual case is different, but some of the common reasons may be:

• Poor hearing: Impaired hearing can certainly diminish our ability to distinguish different pitches, sounds, rhythms, etc.

• Lack of concentration: This happens when you learn to sing or play a particular piece, but you are distracted and not focusing all your mental energies on music. Learning to play is like mastering any subject: you must pay attention!

• Poor control of vocal muscles may be another reason all your songs sound as exciting as a dentist’s drill.

• And perhaps the most common culprit of all: lack of practice. In this particular case, your flat notes are not due to tone-deafness, but, rather, to not having regular practice sessions.

Music to your ears

If the first of the above-mentioned reasons is responsible for flat notes and off-key sounds, we suggest you have a hearing test and follow whatever treatment the specialist suggests. A good hearing ability is essential not only for playing music, but for life in general.

But if you are “tuned out” because of the three other reasons – distracted mind, poor control of vocal muscles, and lack of regular practice (at least half an hour a week with a teacher), our lessons from New York music school can help.

Our teachers will come to your New York home or office, and give you vocal lessons or teach you to play an instrument. You will have an excellent, comprehensive training that includes not only the actual music part, but also all the other essential elements mentioned above. So all the music you sing or play will be easy on the ear!

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Photo Credit: foxypar4

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