You play a vital role in the musical education of your child, and you can be successful at this even if you don’t believe yourself to be musical! Supporting your child at home is easy and fun — if you can teach them to wash dishes, you can help them develop a healthy practice routine at home, and I will assist you along the way. In the meantime, there are only a few things you need to keep in mind to ensure that your child enjoys music as part of their life for years to come:

1. Can my child be in band and still play on sports teams? ABSOLUTELY! We wear many hats in a small school! Most sports at school and many that the school does not offer can be worked out so as not to be a conflict with band in the first year or two. (Soccer, Basketball, Track, Travel Ball, Baseball, Gymnastics, Dance)

2. Understand that your child’s instrumental music experience is just as (if not more) crucial to their growth as human beings than any other subject. Music is much more than a “special” or a “frill” subject — it is a core subject, and it should be approached that way by all of us. When taught with healthy rigor, it is often the most enjoyable subject during the school day, and the home practice should be treated as an essential part of the homework routine. When taught well and minimally supported at home, the craft of learning a musical instrument develops fortitude, willpower, and metacognitive skills that parents stay up at night hoping their children have when they grow up.

3. Don’t let your child quit too soon. All children are capable of enjoying a successful 5-12 music experience with a little support. By not letting your child quit, you are sending a clear message to everyone in our school system that you believe playing a musical instrument cultivates crucial “non-cognitive” skills that matter so much in the grown-up world. Spend 5-10 minutes a night helping your child create a practice routine and they will be far less likely to become frustrated and quit too early in their studies.

4. Do I have to buy an instrument?  NO! Please don’t! There are a lot of “good deals” out there that will end up costing you more in the long run.  Plan to rent an instrument until your child decides that they want to stay in band for more than just this year…(but see #3!) If your family already has an instrument that your child will be playing, if it has been sitting for more than a year, you will want to have it looked at by a repair technician to make sure it is in good playing condition.  Most music stores, like Playground Music that visits us, or MIssissippi Music in Meridian will look at your instrument and give you an estimate of the cost to get it into good playing condition. 

At the beginning of every school year I am not only passionate about growing a new generation of musician, music lover, and future patron of the arts — I am determined to arm our children with the tools to become great thinkers, citizens, and lifelong lovers of learning. I will take care of the musical instruction on my end, but the actions of parents assisting their children’s practice at home, accompanied with a long-term commitment to their children staying in our school music program, will ensure that they receive the best education our schools have to offer.