Guide for New Parents of String Musicians

Guide for n ew Pa re n t s of Strin g Musicians

Dear Parents, Congratulations, you are now somebody’s biggest fan and proud audience member. The String Program at The Knox School is special for many reasons, not the least of which is that students will learn a new language and how to use it together with others.

I am happy to explain all the reasons why this is a wonderful opportunity for your children but I suspect many of you know this already. You may email me for more information at eric.diflorio@knox.vic.edu.au For now, I thought it might be handy to give you a few tips on how to proceed from here. If, like my parents, you aren’t already a musician, I can imagine you are wondering how you can support your child.

Please read on and always feel free to get in touch if you would like to chat about your child’s progress or challenges.

I wish you good luck, good humour, and the gift of selective hearing.

Eric Di Florio Head of Strings

Help your child remember to bring their instrument and book home on Friday afternoons.

Beginners need to touch and play their instrument for about ten minutes as often as possible. If they can play for ten minutes on a minimum of four days per week, it’s a good start.

Ask your child to show you what they are learning while you are doing something like preparing dinner, or putting away the shopping.

Your interest in their progress will have the biggest influence on their success.

Help your child remember to bring their instrument and book back to school on Friday mornings.

If you have a routine at home, see if you can find a place to slot in ten minutes of instrument practice. It could be just before going to bed, straight after school, directly before a favourite television program etc…

After your child plays you something, ask them how they think it went. This may not happen quickly so we need to help them see their own progress and be able to acknowledge when they are improving.

Congratulate them for hard work. If you notice they have made some improvements, comment on how hard they must have worked.

Children love to earn your praise. If they aren’t improving yet but you know they are working hard, congratulate them for their maturity and for sticking with it anyway.

You can anticipate a leap in understanding soon.

Understand how easy it is not to practise and try not to be annoyed if they don’t feel like it today. See if you can get them to just play you one song anyway and skip the practice. This is the best way to get them to at least play the instrument once each day and will help them enormously. It really is the frequency of practice, not the quantity of time that is paramount at this early stage in the journey.

Thank You

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