Music Lessons: Guide Your Child to Play a Musical Instrument

by Stephanie Stein Crease

Named one of Publishers Weekly's Best 100 Books of 2006.




Providing guidance for parents who want their children to enjoy learning to play a musical instrument, this resource teaches parents the best ways to encourage children's musical talents. Key guidance is provided for the trickiest hurdles of helping children learn how to practice and navigating their impulse to quit by encouraging them to take pride in their progress despite the frustrations of the learning process. Commonly taught methods—including Suzuki, Kodaly, Dalcroze training, and the Orff approach—and instrument selection are discussed in detail, as are tips for choosing the right teacher. Up-to-date resources and references for youth orchestras, national and regional organizations, outreach programs, and school advocacy organizations, and supplementary materials for various ages and stages of ability, are provided.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

216 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Bri]

Good intro to musical pedagogy for parents. Wish there had been more tips about how to make practicing fun and enjoyable, especially for younger ages where it needs to be supervised.

[Danielle]

I read this book to get the parents' perspective on their child's music teacher (me), but found it all interesting. There was a very helpful review of music pedagogy theory which I will pursue with more specific books on the Kodaly, Orff and Delacroze methods.
I thought the last chapter was excellently done. It described the hype surrounding music as a magic bullet to guarantee your child is smart, well-behaved, and happy, and why that isn't necessarily true, but that music is still a good thing.
I thought the author wrote well, and while I would have preferred more sources (since a lot of what she said she seemed to be getting from a specific source, but then didn't cite it) I still found the book to be a helpful overview of children's music lessons. Oh, it also had lists at the end of each chapter for selected listening, additional reading, and websites. A great resource for parents.

[Lynnea]

I really want to give this book 2.5 stars...
Maybe because I have a somewhat musical background, much of the information seemed very elementary and non-helpful. (Such as explanations on different instruments...)
However, I received some good insight on practicing feuds - and some things to share with my children that I believe will really help. There is a section (beginning on page 132) dedicated to what practice means ("to make the uncomfortable comfortable and to turn something hard into something easy and fluid")

[Kristin Anderson]

Since I already have a musical background, I found most of this book NOT very insightful. I am the piano teacher to my own two boys, so just thiught it might be an easy quick read containing good tips. Mainly I came away with the desire to continue having my kids be involved in music and playing musical instruments. I am so grateful my parents gave me the opportunity to play the piano and oboe and hope to instill in my kids a love for music as well.

[Tamsyn]

This was a great book full of good advice. I'm actually in the beginning stages of writing a book myself, and this book has been the closest thing I've found to what I want to write about. It has summaries of different methods, how to find a good teacher, helps for motivation, and advice for purchasing instruments. This book is definitely a keeper.

[Sue]

Other than the chapter that recommended the appropriate ages to begin studying different instruments, I didn't find any useful information in this book. To me, it also felt like the writing had a snobbish, east coast (New York), elite musician attitude.

[Christy]

Good overall information as I begin this path of music lessons with my oldest child. I felt like it lacked a real strong viewpoint - the author seemed to hold back from any hard and fast suggestions and opinions.

[Amy]

Helpful with sharing ideas about practicing, music and online resources to share with your kids.

[Tami]

Good overview when you're thinking about starting your child in music lessons.

[SuzanneG]

An overall good book on things to consider when considering a child's path for learning an instrument. Loved the comparison of different philosophies and types of music instruction.

[Gillian]

good book for rereading at different stages of kiddos' development