Getting the most out of music lessons

The weekly lesson is only a small part of

your child’s musical journey.

 

Here are our top tips for developing

your child’s love for music making:

​

• Rule number one = music must be fun!

  • Yes, learning an instrument takes effort, but music should be a source of joy & pleasure ​for all our pupils, while they are with us and for the rest of their lives.

  • We recognise the relationship they develop with music whilst with us will have an enduring impact.

• Praise, encouragement & interest

  • The most powerful thing you can do is show interest - if your child perceives you are interested in their music making, they are much more likely to see it as worthwhile.

  • Be generous but sincere with your praise & encouragement.

  • Ask them to show you what they have been practicing.

  • Encourage them to explore what they can do with their instrument: create their own tunes, try copying tunes they’ve heard on TV etc.

• Make practice easy & satisfying

  • Set up a practice area

    • enough space to play properly​

    • a music stand at the correct height

    • a safe spot to store their instrument & music

  • Set up a music bag​

    • A convenient way to keep their books together, ready for practice or lesson​.

    • designate a home for the bag near their instrument.

  • Regular practice time

    • ​​a little & often is better than one long, arduous session.

    • Try a few different times to work out which works best for your child: before school, after school, after dinner etc

    • Young children may only manage 5-10 mins at a time.

  • Reward chart​

    • Download our free reward chart here.

    • We encourage pupils to log each time they practice on the chart and collect a stamp or sticker as a reward.

    • There are 50 spaces: discuss with your child an appropriate reward for reaching 50.

• Play music with others

  • One of the quickest ways to improve is to play with other musicians

  • Encourage your child to join music groups at school

  • Other opportunities:

    • Join a choir

      • Singing regularly benefits all other musical skills

      • Little St Mary's Junior Choir for children aged 3-7

      • Contemporary Youth Choir for 11-25 year olds, free, accessible and inclusive, led by one of our own teachers, Yvonne!

    • Join an ensemble

      • ​Mawson Road Community Orchestra is a friendly local orchestra welcoming players of all ability levels

      • ​Cambridge Holiday Orchestra runs during school holidays

      • Greenshoots is a friendly folk group in Melbourn

      • Cambridge Gamelan Society is a group dedicated to performing Indonesia gamelan music - very fun and accessible, and they offer taster sessions.

      • ​

• Listen to professional musicians

  • Go to concerts

  • Search YouTube for famous players, groups & orchestras

  • Listen to radio channels such as Classic FM

  • Watch documentaries on TV

    • Note: 'reality' shows such as X-factor and Britain's Got Talent focus on sensationalism & emotional drama, and do not give a realistic representation of how to best obtain enjoyment from music, so these are best treated as light entertainment.