Advice on how to encourage your child to practice

Getting your child to practice consistently and effectively does not have to be a struggle.  When I reflect on my early years studying the violin, I remember wanting to be good, but disliking the mundane task of practicing.  This is the key: practice does not have to be boring.  The most important thing to remember is that children want everything to be fun. Any instance which feels like a chore rather than playtime will turn the child off to the activity.  

When you become a parent, you are inevitably taking on a full time teaching position.  Whatever activities you decide to engage your child in simultaneously become learning experiences for you as well.  Often I hear parents say, “I can’t help her practice, I don’t know anything!”  Yes, the violin is a difficult instrument to learn, but at the intro stages it is certainly not beyond anyone’s ability to grasp.   It is crucial that the parent sit in on each lesson and pay careful attention to what is being taught.  Shinichi Suzuki even suggests that the parent learn to play a song in those first couple lessons, not only to better understand the violin, but also to give the child added incentive to learn the instrument.  If the parent expresses that it is too difficult for them to learn, the child will instantly feel that the task is near impossible to conquer.  Not only do children like everything to be fun, they also love doing things they can do well.  When a task becomes too difficult or beyond their reach they will quickly lose interest.  

While the violin teacher does play an important role in the child’s learning, the parent plays an even bigger role.  Telling a young child to go practice is never going to work. They will not be able to teach themselves or remember all the things from the lesson, and they will resent the fact that they must sit alone with the instrument for a designated period of time.  In those first couple years, practice time should be an occasion where the parent and child are learning together in a fun, relaxed manner, just as they did when the child was learning to speak. Children relish any chance they get to spend with their mom or dad all to themselves, completely focused on them.  Start out with just 10 mins a day and slowly bump up the amount of time.  Gauge their interest level carefully and be sure to stop or direct the practice in a different direction if they become fidgety or irritated.  If they have technique issues that need to be addressed, be sure to focus on one thing per practice session, to avoid making them feel as though they are doing everything wrong.  You might find that your child doesn’t like being corrected by you, so be creative.  Grab their favorite stuffed animal or doll and pretend like it is the “violin doctor.”  Use silly voices, play pretend, and your child won’t even notice that they are learning.  Take the practice session out to the garden to play for the flowers, change up the location often and use your imagination always.  

Another suggestion Suzuki offers is to make it an occasion every weekend where the child stands on a mock stage and performs what they learned that week for a parent or family member who does not regularly attend lessons.  At this time, you and their “audience” should only be concerned with giving them tons of praise, no corrections.  They will enjoy being the center of attention and it will boost their self confidence, making them want to strive to do even better the next week.  

If you can’t find the time to sit down and practice with your child every day, then at least make a point to bring them into the kitchen with you while you cook to keep you company, or something to that effect (put a practice mute on their bridge to make it less intrusive). Children often do not like to feel that the violin is isolating them from the action of the household.  

Another key is to make the violin accessible to them at all times.  Hang it on a safe hook near their playthings, so they associate the violin with a toy that they are free to pick up and play with at any time.  If you hear them practicing on their own, don’t make a production of it, avoid your urge to run into the room and exclaim, “oh you’re practicing all on your own!”  

Remember that the violin is similar to every other muscle building activity, it is better to work out the muscles everyday for short amounts of time (even just 10 mins) rather than large spans of time once or twice a week.  At all costs, avoid nagging your child to practice, find other ways to encourage them.  

If your child studies from the Suzuki Method Books, the CD that comes with the book is essential.  You will find that your child learns much more rapidly if the CD is listened to every day.  It is, however, not necessary to make them sit down and listen to it.  Instead, put it on while they eat breakfast, while they’re drawing, or during any activity that they enjoy.  They will automatically come to associate the music with the positive activity they’re engaged in.  Dance around the house with them to a Strauss Waltz or Beethoven Symphony, and you will end up with a joyful, music loving child, no doubt!  

See link: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/words/he-or-she-versus-they

if you have issues with my use of “they” in reference to a singular noun

A Thanksgiving Tribute: Keeping Culture Alive

I have spent the past week immersed in the ruminations of Einstein from a collection of writings amassed into a singular text entitled, Ideas and Opinions.  If you have not yet experienced the great pleasure of reading these pages, I strongly encourage you to pursue the purchase with haste.  

Although many decades have passed since the words were written, somehow it feels as though Einstein wrote them yesterday.  His insight is consistent, pure and profound in the simplest manner, as if he is writing chapters for the book of life. In Einstein's eyes, we were each born with a purpose: to contribute in some way to the betterment of society.  Think of the warm, illuminated house you are in at this moment, of the computer you sit at, the internet you survey.  None of these things sprung into existence of their own accord.  Many others before you devoted their lives to make it so that you today have the ability to acquire those things.  Now, as Einstein suggests, it is our duty to contribute to humanity in a similar fashion, giving back in gratitude for what we may easily take for granted.  

Did our ancestors toil and trial relentlessly just so we could watch YouTube and heat frozen food in minutes? I am inclined to say, no.  Those scientists and artists who contributed to humanity throughout time have un mistakenly shaped the world we know in every way.  Now the alarm sounds for us. Will we preserve the past with care and nourish the great ideas of our time, or will we relax in our easy chair and cease to care for the preservation of our intriguing species?  What can we offer in thanks for what we have been given?    

I admit, it did not take much pondering before I realized my role as a musician in this world is significant.  As a proponent of an artistically challenging instrument, my lifes work strives to keep culture alive.  In Einstein’s own words, “It is just as important to keep culture alive as to solve specific problems.” The violin itself  is a relic of the Enlightenment, a proud era in our history when scientific and artistic endeavors were heaving with productive, creative genius, much of which we now look upon with awe.  If we were to allow Symphonies to fade from public attention it would be no less destructive than disregarding Newton’s law of universal gravitation.   Great music enlivens our entire brain and reveals to us the genuine splendor of cooperation.  

When the Voyager Golden Record was launched, works by Beethoven, Mozart and Stravinsky were among the few on the track. Their stardom will quite literally reach the stars.  It is their music which we deem worthy enough to share with the other intelligent beings in the universe. 

 
Alas, a world dank with war, competitive hatred and lack of empathy can not be tolerated if true greatness is to be achieved by mankind.  Cooperation, understanding and camaraderie should be at the forefront of our goals if we wish to survive among our sentient neighbors in the abyss of space.  

Recreate yourself

A great deal of us are undoubtedly slaves to the system, working our days away with people we don’t really care for, doing things we would never choose to do if it wasn’t for the nagging impetus of mandatory obligations.  In reality, it is how we spend our recreation time that truly defines us.  

Try not to get caught up in concern as you recall countless hours spent on Facebook.  That time is lost, but no worries.  You can file those guilty pleasures away in your “leisure time” folder.  What I’m talking about is recreation time, which entails a good deal of exertion on your part.  Essentially, this is the time you spend engaged in things that are both exhausting and exhilarating.  You do them for fun, not for pay, unless you’re lucky like me. In high school, I played in two Youth Symphonies, performed in plays and practiced for sometimes 8 hours a day.  All of this I did without a paycheck. Now, as a professional violinist, I am still doing what I would be doing regardless of financial gain.

On this note, I was pleased to find a number of 'Part Time Scientist' communities popping up.  Getting four professional degrees will surely not harm your chances at success, but it won’t offer satisfaction unless you pursue it for pleasure rather than profit.  Incredible crowd sourcing tools like Foldit have allowed hundreds of “non specialist” online users to solve protein structures that have long stumped scientists.  Do a bit of digging on Sue Hendrickson (the woman who unearthed the largest T-rex) and you’ll find she was nothing more than an amateur paleontologist before her big find.  Leadbeater and Miller coined a new term for this type of person, “A Pro-Am pursues an activity as an amateur, mainly for the love of it, but sets a professional standard.”  

Obsession, love, passion.  Fiery emotions lead to remarkable results.  This is no secret, but somehow we manage to forget it on a regular basis. The comforts of predictable patterns and routines are alluring in the present, yet so damning over time.  We become absorbed by our daily toils and forget to reflect on why we are really here.  We exist not to make a living, but to live.  

*Ken Robinson’s bestseller, The Element, is largely responsible for the ideas I have expressed in this post.  

Self Reflection

      Learning the violin is a difficult task which involves a great deal of self-reflection and personal discovery.   A person who cannot harmonize with others, (that is, sing or play in tune) has not yet learned how to self-reflect.  To this individual, admitting that he is wrong is a difficult task because reflection has not yet been discovered as a means to improvement.  Those who succeed at the violin with advanced proficiency have intuitively learned that self-reflection is the only way to improve at such a trying instrument.   When students correct out of tune pitches, it shows me that they understand the role of reflection.  When a student does not correct intonation, even when playing with the aid of a tuner or keyboard,  it sends me a signal that he is still developing the ability to reflect upon his own sound in relation to the actual pitch.  If the student sings the piece and then begins to correct intonation, I know that he is honing the skill to hear his sound for what it really is.  

      But intonation is just the tip of the iceberg.  Violinists must be able to critique their practice habits, tone production, vibrato and considerably more.  This sort of personal reflection will no doubt carry over into other areas of their life.  The most brilliant of performers are those who have finely crafted the ability to listen critically to their own sound and take a necessary course of action to correct flaws.  A student who reaches a high level of ability, but does not pursue violin as a career, will unknowingly retain the capacity to “reflect and correct” in whatever avenue of life he may pursue.  To reflect upon oneself and to constantly correct those actions which do not serve positive purposes, is to discover a healthier, happier way of life.  

      Young children are capable of learning this ability early on, but only if the right example is set by parents and teachers.  It helps for the child to hear, “I was wrong. From now on I will not do that.” In this way, the adult sets an example for the child, who intuitively mimics the actions of adults.  It will not be a big deal for such a child to admit, “I was not in tune. From now on I will practice with more diligence.” 

Enhance your child's aptitude for music

      When a child begins to learn the violin, he is doing more than just training his fingers and limbs to move in new ways.  He is learning to both read and speak a new language (through something other than his vocal chords!).  The earlier a child begins learning the language of music and how to speak it through the violin, the easier it will be for him (as with any activity that requires skill).

      Infants and children alike enjoy listening to sounds that are familiar.  Their tolerance for repetition is much greater than that of adults and they enjoy learning in a manner which we unfortunately become faded to with age.  Infants and toddlers pick up on their mother language with ease primarily because their love for learning and repetition is so great.  From day one, parents speak to their infant and the child develops language.  If parents were to play a certain piece of music for their infant as frequently as they said a particular word, the infant would develop the same innate understanding for music as he does for language.  

      Putting on a recording of Mozart or Chopin every time the child played or ate would effectively enhance his propensity for those composers.  He would come to adore those pieces which were played repetitively in his youth, particularly if he listened while he was engaged in a positive activity.  Even if it does not seem like the child is paying attention to the music, you would be surprised what their unconscious mind soaks in.  Often they will recall events, like the music in a concert, even better than the parent who was seemingly paying better attention.*

      All children learn at a different pace, and this should be noted when teaching them anything.   Inevitably, it does not matter how long it takes them to learn, what matters is that they are all capable of achieving mastery on the instrument, so long as they are taught in the right way (in the violin studio and at home).  There is no such thing as a child who is “not musically inclined.” The only real difference from child to child is the way they extrapolate information from their surroundings.  Both parties (parent and teacher) need to be actively involved in finding out how the child learns best.  All children react well to positive learning environments and repetition.  

      Suzuki noted this phenomenon after years of experience teaching young children the language of music through the violin.  There are a handful of things we are born with, (facial recognition being one of them)  but besides these base instincts, our environment serves as the craftsman to shape who we become.  This should never be overlooked by adults when they are dealing with the most curiosity driven beings on the planet.  The Suzuki Method for Violin points out that the best teachers are those who never stop learning with the same passionate curiosity as children. 


*Suzuki tells of a story where a father took his young daughter to a Symphony Concert.  The daughter squirmed in her seat the entire time, staring at the audience more than the performance.  Some time later a piece from that very same concert came on the radio.  The daughter exclaimed to her father that she had heard that song at the concert, and even remembered the name of the piece.  Her father--having forgot which pieces had been performed--retrieved the program and was astonished to find his daughter recalled the event better than he had, despite her apparent lack of attention during it.  

From cavemen to conductors: what has changed from then to now?

      As I stuck my feet into the icy waters of a breathtaking mountain stream this past weekend, I was in a surreal place of mental purity. When I returned from the sojourn, my body was worn and tethered, but my mind was refreshed like a brand new palette.  My dreams were vivid and meaningful and my waking mind was focused and creative. 

      I took a liking to anthropology in my undergraduate studies because I saw it as a way to understand music from the core of its existence in our lives.  One of my professors, Dr. La Lone, would open each class with a ring from a tibetan singing bowl.  The perpetual, calming lulls from the bowl captured our conscious awareness, or “monkey-mind” as he referred to it.  This idea ties nicely to my last blog post concerning the practice of interpreting our erratic conscious, which flows like a babbling brook endlessly streaming into our awareness. After being engulfed in the natural world, I realized that my monkey mind--or wandering conscious thoughts--returned as I became engaged once again in the obligations and transactions of the modern world.  

      There was a long time in our history where humans were doing nothing more than gathering, hunting and procreating. Stressors came not from faulty relationships or loss of possessions, but instead from life threatening perils.  Although many situations in our lives today may seem life threatening, very few of them actually are.  Despite the change in perception we are experiencing through our increased access to knowledge and ease of life due to technology, the wetware of our human bodies is essentially the same as it was in the paleolithic era.  Take the the appendix for instance.  Referred to as  vestigial organs, there are a number of devices our bodies still retain which are no longer needed for 21st century endeavors.  You and I are not born as modern humans: we are old-fashioned humanoids born into modern surroundings. William Starr points to this in his writing, The Suzuki Violinist:

"Babies, whether born in primitive times or in contemporary times, start at the same point and receive environmental stimulation according to their respective periods, growing up as adults suited to the era in which they live."

The hormones cortisol and adrenaline may have helped us to put on pounds and run from predators in our history, but today they merely serve to amplify situations which should not be amplified.  This can help us to understand why our hands shake or voice quivers when we perform; these hormones increasingly serve as detriments to our present scenarios.  Our bodies are equipped to deal with lions and rivers, not bank statements and violin recitals.  

      Having an awareness of the limitations and faulty wetware we are dealt from birth can allow us to gain a more rewarding appreciation of the Symphony Orchestra in performance. Simply acknowledging that the performers are no more adept in music than their ancestors of past eras is a natural wonder that none should fail to grasp. 

Sources and further research:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn13927-five-things-humans-no-longer-need.html#.Ud7OPD770cp 
http://www.livescience.com/11317-top-10-useless-limbs-vestigial-organs.html
http://www.entelechyjournal.com/robinsonwilson.htm 

Your brain on practice

      In order to attain a high level of mastery on the violin, it is crucial to understand the mechanics of our brains, as many great pedagogues have demonstrated.  With this in mind, I wasn’t surprised when I uncovered a commonality between Ivan Galamian’s Principles of Violin Playing & Teaching and neuroscientist David Eagleman’s latest book, Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain. 


      Both texts bring out an explicit fact: our brain is jam-packed with antics and we are completely unaware that we are the subject of its pranks.    
Why is it that when we hear a recording of our own voice, or of the “voice” we develop through the violin, we are taken aback with astonishment that the sound is not what we expected...or wanted?  


      Galamian coins this as subjective listening.  We feel as though we are hearing the sound correctly, but our wishes and expectations covertly mask the actual sound being produced. Our brain persistently conceals the reality of our interactions with the world to make everything more rewarding.  While this may help combat self-hate, for a violinist it can be incredibly detrimental to advancement.  The squishy organ in our head will gladly tell us we are in tune and intime even when we are not.  Eagleman illustrates this phenomenon in relation to hearing, sight and time perception.  He also points out that these seemingly straightforward devices we use throughout our lives to interpret the world are mere constructions of our brain.  


     So how can we possibly defeat something so innate?  Well the good news is, as Galamian tells us, we can train our brain to hear more objectively.  It’s not easy business, but there is a reason violin teachers have always stressed the importance of using a tuner and a  metronome in daily practice. Recording yourself frequently is another way to catch mental mishaps. But these devices alone will not save you from the toils of your brain. 

     There are three key areas Galamian points to, which need to be addressed every time we practice: building time (technicality), interpreting time (musicality) and performance time (complete run through of a work or passage as if you were in front of an audience).  But this is just the start.  How can we use our brain power more effectively during these stages of our practice? 


      When the unconscious majority of our brain is allowed to mechanically regurgitate notes, our conscious mind (the area of our brain we converse with regularly) becomes free to wander to beaches and meadows.  Typically we refer to this as auto-pilot mode.  In this instance, our mistakes go unnoticed and the music becomes stored in the unconscious area of the brain, as is.  If practiced repeatedly in this manner, the errors will inevitably come back to haunt us. 


      Here’s the problematic part: do the great virtuosos turn off their conscious mind when they perform?  Eagleman makes the point that in athletics, fastball hitters and world cup tennis players don’t have time to consciously think about the moves they make. All of their motions and reactions have been tediously stored in the unconscious area of their brain during practice. When it’s game time their conscious self is better left on the sidelines.  Similarly, the pro golfer is at a disadvantage if he becomes overly analytical.  The unconscious area of his brain has stored the motions necessary to execute the perfect swing, leaving his conscious clueless and confused as to how he actually does it. 
As violinists, our practice environment is quite different from the actual performance scenario.  But if we envision the performance space and audience, we can train our brain to shut out the conscious chatter and instead allow ourselves to enjoy the music we have spent hours conscientiously cramming into our unconscious mind.  If you’ve ever found yourself saying, “whoa, what are my fingers doing?!” during a performance, then you can recall all too well how this lead to unfortunate blunders. 


      With repeated scrutiny, our conscious awareness can learn to listen effectively and overcome the urge to relay false information to the unconscious storage systems that make up the majority of our brain.  Also, by making performance time an integral part of our daily routine, we can train ourselves to resist unnecessary conscious babble and convey the music with finesse.   Remember, the first step to improving your brain (and ultimately, your practice) is acknowledging its shortcomings.    


      Walk down the practice room hall at a music school and you’re sure to  hear someone practicing with the metronome pulsing loud and clear. “Good for them!” is your initial reaction.  But then you stop to listen and notice they are ahead of the beat.  In this instance, you are perplexed by their inability to play on the beat when they can clearly hear it. Having noted this, you may find yourself making the same mistake in your own practice.