Welcome to Succeed With Music.

My guess is you are either a music teacher or a ‘music parent.’  Either way, there will be times that you get frustrated.  Frustrated because your students or your own child doesn’t practice in a way that works.

‘Effective music practice’ is a well-kept secret.  Most kids wouldn’t recognize effective music practice if they tripped over it.  Many parents have never been introduced to it.  And music teachers think they have communicated it, by telling kids about it over and over and by modeling it weekly.  But so often the message does not get through.

Although teacher, parent and child all use the same words ‘music practice’, not much communication happens.  Parents pay money term after term for tuition but often see only slow growth in their child’s ability.

I have been frustrated and perplexed about this for some time.  I am not only a music parent but also a violin teacher.  So I know what happens in the music lesson, as well as what happens during music practice at home.

What happens in music practice?  Often the child disappears into the lounge room and makes some noises for the statutory 20 minutes.  Mum and Dad are pleased because they think the music practice has been done.  But often the child just reinforced the same wrong pattern that they played to the teacher last week.  Did they actually correct the things they were asked to?  When they learned the new section, did they learn it correctly, or their own unique version of Bach’s Minuet?  Did they play the scales they were asked, or conveniently forget?  Did they even look at the sight reading? 

Did the child actually listen to the noises they were making, or was their mind wandering to something completely different, and they never even heard the sounds they made, let alone make a critical evaluation of them?

This common scenario leads to slow progress, de-motivation and eventually quitting.  The parent can spend a substantial amount of money on this process, let alone the time running children to and from lessons.

If you want to break out of this vicious cycle, then this website is for you.  I want to offer lots of valuable hints and suggestions for breaking free of old habits and introducing new and effective strategies for making progress with music.

You don’t have to have a child prodigy to succeed with music.  You just have to apply the basic principles of effective training which are after all, common sense. 

Feel free to print this page and give it to a friend or your music teacher.  Most of all I wish you great success as you implement some of the practical hints that you will find here.

With best wishes,

Elizabeth Robinson

Succeed with Music

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