Summer is the perfect time for your child to go back to the basics, and spend the extra time they have really honing their musical ability. Here are several tips to share with your child to ensure a successful summer of progress!
Tips to Share with Your Child:
- Practice your instrument at least 5 times per week. If you can fit in 7 days, even better!
- Spend a few minutes quizzing yourself on treble clef notes (AND bass clef if you are a pianist and/or vocalist!). You can type in “music note flashcards” on your cell to search for a practice app, or search a site like Amazon to purchase flashcards.
- Warm up at the beginning of each practice session with some scales. Try building your speed while maintaining good technique. If you are a vocalist, do vocal warmups that you have worked on with your music teacher. How clear are your vowels and consonants? How balanced is your posture?
- Play/sing old performance pieces and focus on dynamics and articulation. How smoothly can you play legato? How crisp can you play your staccato notes?
- This is a BIG one: Take a few minutes each day to sight read/sight sing a piece you have not performed before. Even just a few minutes a day will improve your reading ability!
- Review note names and lengths. Are you holding your notes for their full length?
- Review old music terms from your method books or notes, so they are fresh in your mind for summer and fall lessons.
Keep in mind that parental support and encouragement, especially for younger music students, is very important for the success of your child. Motivate your child to make the most of this summer and focus on the tips above, and they will be ready to perform more advanced music in no time!
Tiffany Sullivan
APA Music Director