Motivational Book
I’ve been reading the very first motivational/self-improvement book published in the U.S. and it’s rather dubious title is: Think and Grow Rich written by Napoleon Hill. The book has been a staple for many American entrepreneurs since the 1930’s. As a book that teaches the organization of accomplishment there are many fantastic principles that can be applied to artistic work with your child.
Power of the Master Mind
The one that I wanted to talk about today is what Hill calls the Power of the Master Mind. Which in common 21st day language would be called a “Think Tank” or “Brain Storm Group” “Vision Cast” or something similar.
A Spirit of Harmony for a definite purpose
Gandhi was perhaps one of the last century’s greatest examples of someone who used this concept in a positive way and according to Hill, his method was in “inducing 200 million people to coordinate, with mind and body, in a spirit of harmony for a definite purpose.”
Our greatest Challenge
Looking at this from an educators point of view I see that here is our greatest challenge as teachers and parents working with musical children. How can we creatively adopt this method of Gandhi in our everyday actions with children?
Become beautiful and lovable people as adults
One of the ways that I have seen this method begin to work is to become beautiful and lovable people as adults. Then really begin to apply the idea to “be the change that you want to see in the world. “ Once this is apparent in our actions, words and intention children begin to want to be around us, and it is far easier to ask them to practice a certain technique or learn a difficult concept.
Bruce Anderson's Re-phrasing Suzuki's philosophy
Children love to learn, you can not stop them from learning!
It just depends what they will learn. And they will learn whatever is put into their environment. (this is a paraphrase of a teacher with a great heart, Mr. Bruce Anderson.)
Children will want to spend time with us
So let us work to develop our own love of music, our own creativity, our own love of learning and by being beautiful and loving people, children will want to spend time with us, and will want to learn from us. I believe that they will learn from us whatever we model for them, at first accepting it as the way things are, and later realizing that they have a choice as well to become who they want to be.
Tips:
Practice being curious about your world with your child.
Help yourself find joy and fun in the day and talk about or show it to your child.
Treat yourself to something indulgent and out of that indulgence approach the “work” of practice with your child as a joyful and potentially playful activity!
Share your deep thoughts or those of others with your child and elevate the practice time into one of self improvement beyond a physical skill to a holistic practice.
Children grow up
Enjoy this time with your child, it will be over and finished very soon. (and perhaps this is some hope for parents who are overwhelmed… :-) children grow up and usually do not want to spend their teenage and older years working alongside of a parent figure as they develop their individuality.
With Love, Joy and Hope,
Ben
P.S. Tune in tomorrow for a talk about Revealing the Invisible - a concept that most parents are aware of, and that I was taught by a parent in Tacoma
Showing posts with label suzuki. Show all posts
Showing posts with label suzuki. Show all posts
Friday, January 9, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
The Mystery of Artistic Motivation
(Note: Snag Island Studio was closed yesterday due to Flooding, Make up lessons TBA)
Separation
While there is a mystique surrounding the artist and how he or she becomes inspired to create, we as educators and schools and parents often believe that we understand how to teach the mechanical side of the arts. And so there can be a separation between the Motivation, and Inspiration and the Technique and Mechanical aspects of art.
The need for motivation
After several years of working with parents of music students I’ve come to realize that as important as the technique is, and I do believe that proper technique is essential for a musician to develop. The more pressing need is to find ways to motivate the musical child. Dr. Suzuki teaches that it is through the environment that a child will learn, and so it is through the environment that we must work to motivate the child.
We can not expect a child to be self motivated to practice. So how do we help to create a motivating environment?
Tips
Attend Classical Piano Concerts.
This is perhaps one of the most powerful ways to motivate your child long term. The strength of having a real performer right in front of the child casting a musical spell over the audience is magic for the child's motivation! They now have a clear picture and sound in their heads of what they can do if they continue to practice. I was inspired to begin piano lessons after attending a high level student recital!
Sign up for a summer piano camp.
This is a huge motivator for students as they are with other young musicians, practicing on the same pieces, going to the same classes, learning from exciting new teachers, in an environment that is designed 24-7 to educate and motivate them! Summer camps become a ritual for the families that start them.
Plan to go to the State Suzuki Festival in September.
This is a state wide festival that is set up like a day camp, the only difference is that the teachers are mostly local to the state, and there is a Graduation concert for students who have passed a level in the Repertoire. This is only a one day event.
Come to every Recital and Home Rehearsal.
Bring family and supportive friends and teachers to the recitals. Make a big deal out of their accomplishments and enjoy the fun afterwards!
Participate in a multi-piano concert.
Students form a piano team and work with their team to prepare and perform their repertoire! These concerts can build great friendships and give the piano students a chance to work with their peers in a non-competitive environment! These take place every two years in Sacramento, every Three years in Seattle and every 18 months in Matsumoto Japan!
Wow, out of time this morning already! See you tomorrow
With love, joy and hope,
Ben
Tomorrow we’ll take a look at You and Me Time
Separation
While there is a mystique surrounding the artist and how he or she becomes inspired to create, we as educators and schools and parents often believe that we understand how to teach the mechanical side of the arts. And so there can be a separation between the Motivation, and Inspiration and the Technique and Mechanical aspects of art.
The need for motivation
After several years of working with parents of music students I’ve come to realize that as important as the technique is, and I do believe that proper technique is essential for a musician to develop. The more pressing need is to find ways to motivate the musical child. Dr. Suzuki teaches that it is through the environment that a child will learn, and so it is through the environment that we must work to motivate the child.
We can not expect a child to be self motivated to practice. So how do we help to create a motivating environment?
Tips
Attend Classical Piano Concerts.
This is perhaps one of the most powerful ways to motivate your child long term. The strength of having a real performer right in front of the child casting a musical spell over the audience is magic for the child's motivation! They now have a clear picture and sound in their heads of what they can do if they continue to practice. I was inspired to begin piano lessons after attending a high level student recital!
Sign up for a summer piano camp.
This is a huge motivator for students as they are with other young musicians, practicing on the same pieces, going to the same classes, learning from exciting new teachers, in an environment that is designed 24-7 to educate and motivate them! Summer camps become a ritual for the families that start them.
Plan to go to the State Suzuki Festival in September.
This is a state wide festival that is set up like a day camp, the only difference is that the teachers are mostly local to the state, and there is a Graduation concert for students who have passed a level in the Repertoire. This is only a one day event.
Come to every Recital and Home Rehearsal.
Bring family and supportive friends and teachers to the recitals. Make a big deal out of their accomplishments and enjoy the fun afterwards!
Participate in a multi-piano concert.
Students form a piano team and work with their team to prepare and perform their repertoire! These concerts can build great friendships and give the piano students a chance to work with their peers in a non-competitive environment! These take place every two years in Sacramento, every Three years in Seattle and every 18 months in Matsumoto Japan!
Wow, out of time this morning already! See you tomorrow
With love, joy and hope,
Ben
Tomorrow we’ll take a look at You and Me Time
Monday, January 5, 2009
Scheduling Peace
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could simply tell students the what and the why of musical practice and then trust that they would take care of the rest?
Children do not have this capacity
But as I have observed, most children do not have this capacity for self motivation, self control and self direction in achieving musical goals! In fact if you have a child that has all of these characteristics consistently then “take them to the doctor!” they are not normal healthy children is what Dr. Kataoka used to say to parents.
So how do we help children to develop self motivation and other self directed attributes?
I have been researching this for the past eight years and it is through observing successful parent/child teams and also searching through Suzuki’s philosophy that led me to a few observations that I would like to share:
Scheduling Daily Practice at a consistent time and following through in a peaceful manner is perhaps the greatest key to helping children learn a musical instrument.
Some tips:
The Practice Alarm
some parents use a daily alarm to create a “third party” that controls the start time - that way the child and parent do not have a daily battle of wills to determine when the practice will happen.
Morning Practice is best
I recommend that the practice be in the morning before other tasks and school are begun, that way both child and parent are rested and can focus on the daily assignment before the stresses of the day tire and distract them.
Timing lessons and being fair
Timing lessons and being consistent and fair with the timer will allow that child to build a sense of ownership for the time spent and awareness of the difference between practice time and play time.
Once the issue of a start time is established and a daily alarm (either internal or external) is set and the practice is approached from a peaceful and focused manner by the Parent then children can begin to learn how to improve their music talents. This is a first step for young creatives to learn how to become self motivated as well!
Tomorrow we will be talking about Pizza Party Markers - or How to Develop Long Term Motivation in your Child! See you then, Ben
Children do not have this capacity
But as I have observed, most children do not have this capacity for self motivation, self control and self direction in achieving musical goals! In fact if you have a child that has all of these characteristics consistently then “take them to the doctor!” they are not normal healthy children is what Dr. Kataoka used to say to parents.
So how do we help children to develop self motivation and other self directed attributes?
I have been researching this for the past eight years and it is through observing successful parent/child teams and also searching through Suzuki’s philosophy that led me to a few observations that I would like to share:
Scheduling Daily Practice at a consistent time and following through in a peaceful manner is perhaps the greatest key to helping children learn a musical instrument.
Some tips:
The Practice Alarm
some parents use a daily alarm to create a “third party” that controls the start time - that way the child and parent do not have a daily battle of wills to determine when the practice will happen.
Morning Practice is best
I recommend that the practice be in the morning before other tasks and school are begun, that way both child and parent are rested and can focus on the daily assignment before the stresses of the day tire and distract them.
Timing lessons and being fair
Timing lessons and being consistent and fair with the timer will allow that child to build a sense of ownership for the time spent and awareness of the difference between practice time and play time.
Once the issue of a start time is established and a daily alarm (either internal or external) is set and the practice is approached from a peaceful and focused manner by the Parent then children can begin to learn how to improve their music talents. This is a first step for young creatives to learn how to become self motivated as well!
Tomorrow we will be talking about Pizza Party Markers - or How to Develop Long Term Motivation in your Child! See you then, Ben
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Musical Ritual
All children like rituals.
Birthdays Christmas and Recitals
Think of birthdays, every child anticipates their own and their friends birthday parties! Another big one for children here in Tacoma is Christmas and Hanukah (which has just come and gone,) and then the excitement and desire to perform in the Seasonal music recitals. These are rituals separated by large spaces of time and children love to dream about these events, they get excited for these events long before they come around! I wonder at times how to build an environment that will synchronize with a child’s natural love of ritual.
Bored observing in Japan
When I studied in Matsumoto and observed the teachers work with many different children it struck me how boring the process was for me as a non active observer, and I justified that as my lack of understanding of the language, perhaps I would get more excited about watching lessons for 6 hours in a row if I could only better understand the conversations! But after teaching for 7 years in Tacoma I have come to realize that I was bored not from any lack of understanding, but because there is a certain ritual to lessons that is repeated over and over. And this is how children learn best.
Explaining what is a Ritual?
Perhaps I should explain what a musical ritual is. Dictionary.com describes ritual as “any practice or pattern of behavior regularly performed in a set manner” through my several years of teaching children and coaching parents on how to practice creatively and productively at home this secret of having and maintaining a specifically musical ritual is one of the most important to! Some people have the wrong idea that creativity can not be taught or directed and that children should be left free to develop this most enriching human trait. Dr. Suzuki never taught this. His message to us teachers and parents is that it is up to us to create nurturing environments where children’s creativity can develop and flourish. It is my sincere hope that more and more parents and educators will embrace this profound belief of Dr. Suzuki’s.
Creative Parents
Over the last 7 years many highly intelligent and creative parents have participated in creating truly beautiful daily musical rituals for their children in my Suzuki Piano Studio, they have done this after learning of the importance of shaping the child’s environment and out of a desire to nurture their children’s creativity in the realm of classical piano playing. I would like to share some of the ideas that they have told me they are doing because I believe that their desire to nurture their children as parents is so powerful that they have in turn become highly creative individuals in creating beautiful environments for their children to flourish in.
The Candle
One parent has a special piano candle that she and her child light together as they start their daily practice, it is a candle that they have picked out together and one that has a pleasing aroma that brings out feelings of peacefulness and something that the child is interested in. - one note on the safety of this practice - as an avid candle user myself, I would recommend using soy based candles as they are from a renewable source. Also please look for naturally scented candles as the synthetic fragrances can effect children and adults negatively.
Piano Games
Another mom has found a set of fun games that her child loves to play and these are designated as “piano games” only to be played after the daily practice session! What a creative idea! All children love games and linking a fun game to a specific daily activity reinforces a love of that activity and motivation to accomplish the work before.
Hugs and Tickling
A Third Parent has taken the time to devise a certain physical ritual where she and her child always play a ticking game and hug after their daily practice! How wonderful for the child to know that whatever the practice was like that there will always be some fun and unconditional love expressed at the end of the practice!
Fun and Loving
So a musical ritual is about creating a pleasing, fun and loving time together with your child on a daily basis! Rituals help that process by setting up expectations for certain beneficial and pleasing activities for the child and the parent and these are linking into the practice.
Practical Notes for parents
Some practical notes on musical ritual. I have noticed that the parents who consistently have motivated children and are excited about learning have tailored their musical ritual to their child and themselves, what works for one parent and child may not for another. These parents also stick to the ritual as long as it is age appropriate and appeals to the child’s sense of self worth and fun! When a child grows and matures their rituals may change and shift but the habit of building consistently pleasing and fun aspects into the daily practice of classical music is maintained!
Tomorrow's topic
Tomorrow I will be talking about “scheduling peace” in your musical practice.
With Joy, Hope and Love,
Ben
Birthdays Christmas and Recitals
Think of birthdays, every child anticipates their own and their friends birthday parties! Another big one for children here in Tacoma is Christmas and Hanukah (which has just come and gone,) and then the excitement and desire to perform in the Seasonal music recitals. These are rituals separated by large spaces of time and children love to dream about these events, they get excited for these events long before they come around! I wonder at times how to build an environment that will synchronize with a child’s natural love of ritual.
Bored observing in Japan
When I studied in Matsumoto and observed the teachers work with many different children it struck me how boring the process was for me as a non active observer, and I justified that as my lack of understanding of the language, perhaps I would get more excited about watching lessons for 6 hours in a row if I could only better understand the conversations! But after teaching for 7 years in Tacoma I have come to realize that I was bored not from any lack of understanding, but because there is a certain ritual to lessons that is repeated over and over. And this is how children learn best.
Explaining what is a Ritual?
Perhaps I should explain what a musical ritual is. Dictionary.com describes ritual as “any practice or pattern of behavior regularly performed in a set manner” through my several years of teaching children and coaching parents on how to practice creatively and productively at home this secret of having and maintaining a specifically musical ritual is one of the most important to! Some people have the wrong idea that creativity can not be taught or directed and that children should be left free to develop this most enriching human trait. Dr. Suzuki never taught this. His message to us teachers and parents is that it is up to us to create nurturing environments where children’s creativity can develop and flourish. It is my sincere hope that more and more parents and educators will embrace this profound belief of Dr. Suzuki’s.
Creative Parents
Over the last 7 years many highly intelligent and creative parents have participated in creating truly beautiful daily musical rituals for their children in my Suzuki Piano Studio, they have done this after learning of the importance of shaping the child’s environment and out of a desire to nurture their children’s creativity in the realm of classical piano playing. I would like to share some of the ideas that they have told me they are doing because I believe that their desire to nurture their children as parents is so powerful that they have in turn become highly creative individuals in creating beautiful environments for their children to flourish in.
The Candle
One parent has a special piano candle that she and her child light together as they start their daily practice, it is a candle that they have picked out together and one that has a pleasing aroma that brings out feelings of peacefulness and something that the child is interested in. - one note on the safety of this practice - as an avid candle user myself, I would recommend using soy based candles as they are from a renewable source. Also please look for naturally scented candles as the synthetic fragrances can effect children and adults negatively.
Piano Games
Another mom has found a set of fun games that her child loves to play and these are designated as “piano games” only to be played after the daily practice session! What a creative idea! All children love games and linking a fun game to a specific daily activity reinforces a love of that activity and motivation to accomplish the work before.
Hugs and Tickling
A Third Parent has taken the time to devise a certain physical ritual where she and her child always play a ticking game and hug after their daily practice! How wonderful for the child to know that whatever the practice was like that there will always be some fun and unconditional love expressed at the end of the practice!
Fun and Loving
So a musical ritual is about creating a pleasing, fun and loving time together with your child on a daily basis! Rituals help that process by setting up expectations for certain beneficial and pleasing activities for the child and the parent and these are linking into the practice.
Practical Notes for parents
Some practical notes on musical ritual. I have noticed that the parents who consistently have motivated children and are excited about learning have tailored their musical ritual to their child and themselves, what works for one parent and child may not for another. These parents also stick to the ritual as long as it is age appropriate and appeals to the child’s sense of self worth and fun! When a child grows and matures their rituals may change and shift but the habit of building consistently pleasing and fun aspects into the daily practice of classical music is maintained!
Tomorrow's topic
Tomorrow I will be talking about “scheduling peace” in your musical practice.
With Joy, Hope and Love,
Ben
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