Blog categorized as Parents

The first conversation between music teachers and parents can be the spark that ignites a lifelong passion for music making - or the moment that parents decide music lessons may not be for their child. Responding to parents’ initial inquiry into music lessons can be challenging especially when paren...

With September just around the corner, it’s time we start thinking about how to set the tone for a fantastic year of music making! Writing an introductory letter to our students’ parents is a great way to share our enthusiasm for teaching, outline our plans, and create a collaborative s...

Welcome back to "Working With Parents". In Parts 1 and 2, we took a look at past parent/teacher interactions and recent research into parental involvement. For Part 3, let's weave all this information together and consider - How can music teachers and parents work together given the many l...

Welcome back to "Working With Parents". In Part 1, we took a look at past interactions between music teachers and parents. For Part 2, it's time to take a look at what recent research has to say about parental involvement in their children's musical journey.

Every where I go - it seems music teachers have questions about parental involvement. Should music teachers require parents to attend their child’s music lessons? Is it advantageous for music teachers to require parents to monitor their child’s practicing at home? How much should parents be involved...

What do you do when parents request lessons for a month to see if their child likes it before they make a commitment? Do you tell them it's better to make a one-year commitment, as progress can be fairly slow at the beginning? Is there anything music teachers can do to get parents to change their mi...