Many parents struggle with getting their child to do guitar practice mostly because they make it complicated. There is in fact a very simple way to motivate your child to practice but it may not be what you were hoping for. You see there is this common held misconception that children should have a passion…
Tag: parents
Why do the most successful guitar students expect to fail?
But hang on a minute. Aren’t successful people positive thinkers? Weren’t we told that self fulfilling prophecies determined our outcomes? Well it turns out that a sign of a successful person is someone who is usually quietly expecting to fail. They don’t want to fail of course and its certainly not their plan to fail…
5 Ways to Inspire Yourself to Practice Guitar
The majority of people who take up guitar do so because they were inspired by a guitarist, band or song. When they made their guitar purchase they were excited and imagined themselves practicing everyday but somewhere along the way the fire went out. Guitar practice began to feel like a chore. Even when they could…
When will you get around to learning guitar?
I often get asked when is the best time to start guitar and my answer is RIGHT NOW! The problem is the ‘right now’ answer does not always feel right wouldn’t you agree? Perhaps you are moving house, about to go traveling, having a baby, have no money or are just not in the right…
How to start your child learning music
So where do you start? Music learning is similar to language. Its starts with listening (exposure) by playing music at home, singing songs from 20 weeks from conception (or sooner as I am sure the practice won’t hurt). What songs should you play or sing? Remember its like learning a language so although most music…
Does measuring your practice make a difference?
Whenever a new student would begin lessons I would spend a portion of the first lesson asking them to fill in a daily practice log. Now most were happy to go along with my request but not all. Some students would feel it unnecessary, pointless or even over the top. Comments like “Guitar is just…
Guitar lessons at school… Good or bad idea?
Many parents receive a note from their child’s school offering guitar lessons at their school. This will seem appealing because it’s convenient and won’t require them to be driving their child to and from lessons. My personal observations show that students who learn outside of school almost always do better for a very good reason….
5 misconceptions about learning guitar. No. 2.
People with short fingers don’t make good guitar players. I distinctly remember as a teen people commenting on the size of Jimi Hendrix’s hands. To a naive beginner with average fingers playing Hendrix style guitar seemed impossible. This affected me so much so that I didn’t even bother with Hendrix at the time and just…
“How do I get my child to practice music without the tears?”
If you are a parent with a child who refuses to practice their musical instrument it can at times feel like a pointless waste of time. Most parents in this situation are left wondering what to do and whether there really is a solution. There are two common schools of thought in this debate. Lets start…
Your child not practicing guitar? 5 things NOT to do
1. Do not stop their guitar lessons. Some parents will use this tactic out of frustration but the result is nobody wins. Talk to their guitar teacher and if they are unable to help then find a new guitar teacher. 2. Do not yell at them. Some parents resort to screaming at their children but its never…
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