Klarinet Archive - Posting 000268.txt from 2000/04

From: "Dee D. Hays" <deehays@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Student motivation (or lack thereof)/ Lame Excuses
Date: Fri, 7 Apr 2000 14:17:47 -0400

----- Original Message -----
From: "Kevin Fay (LCA)" <kevinfay@-----.com>
Subject: [kl] Student motivation (or lack thereof)/ Lame Excuses

> Ann Satterfield noted:
>
> >>Then there is occasionally the opposite difficulty-- that parents think
> the lessons are important but the student doesn't.<<
>
> I was asked once by a parent, "how much should I make my kid practice?"
My
> answer -- which I still believe correct -- was "zero." I am of the
opinion
> that enforced practicing does no good, and often harm. It bores the kid,
> hurts the parents' ears and is generally hard on the poor clarinet, too.
>
> Not that practicing is overrated -- but effective, efficient practicing
only
> happens when (a) the student has some idea of what they want to
accomplish,
> and (b) wants to get there. This is as true for my own practicing as any
> middle-school kid.
>

I think you have a good point here. Kids that are forced to practice are at
risk. However I used to successfully trick my older daughter. I would tell
her to just go up and practice for 5 minutes on whatever was giving her
problems. I would also tell her that after the five minutes were up she
could quit. She'd get so focused on what she was doing, that I would have
to go up a half hour to an hour later and make her stop (I could hear when
her embouchure was giving out). On very rare occasions she did stop after
the 5 minutes but since that was the bargain I accepted it as OK. The
required 5 minutes is short enough that there is little risk of making a kid
hate music.

If you do try the 5 minute trick and they stop after the 5 minutes, just
accept it without getting on the child and then do the same thing the next
day.

Dee Hays
Canton, SD

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