The Best Way for Children to Learn

Have you ever wondered how children learn to walk without attending 'walking' school, without anyone analysing their gait, the position of their heel to their toes etc.? Every child learns to walk, provided ofcourse that there is no physical disability, inspite of the lack of tuition. It is because they see everyone else doing it. They just seem to try it until they get it right and they invariably get it right. No parent tells them "Sorry, you've fallen over 5 times already......no more walking for you!.......you're just going to have to crawl for the rest of your life...." No one makes them compete for prizes with their walking. No one compares their walking unfavourably to other children older or younger. Yet, this is what we do to our children when they are learning an instrument. I have found that the best way for your child to learn an instrument is to be surrounded by people playing that instrument.......surrounded by good recordings of that instrument by players who have reached the highest standard on that instrument. In other words, we as parents need to provide the right environment in order for their 'talent' to grow. Did you know that Mozart's sister Maria Anna, nicknamed 'Nannerl' was every bit as gifted as her brother, but she simply lacked the opportunities given to Mozart who was four years younger and probably more marketable. Mozart, in fact, had no less than 1500 hours of music tuition before the age of 5 yrs. (how's that for hot housing!)We need to expect our children to play to the highest standard. We need to know that they will get there.....just like we expect them to speak their language or walk, never entertaining the idea in our heads that they might not have the talent, they might want to give up, they might not like practicing. Just as we don't walk slowly so they can learn by watching us......we do not play music at half speed so they can pick it up quickly. They play with their brains through their ears.....not through their fingers. They need to hear it as it is meant to be played. A child's auditory system is fully functional at 20 weeks in utero, however they have to wait over seven months before their sight functions. Hearing is how we learn everything because sound is physical and penetrates our brains in a physical way. There is no time for the intellect to get involved as with sight. Just think of how subjective the response to a painting is......yet sound is heard exactly the same by every person. It goes into our subconscious instantly and is recorded there forever. Plato said "To be the right kind of person, we need to listen to the right kind of music"......something to think about in our visually rich 21st century.So, what is the best way for your child to learn an instrument? I'd have to say the natural way. The magical way. The way they learn to talk in their own language, the way they learn to walk. And I'd like to say one more thing........what makes them fluent? Just think about the walking analogy.......when we learn to run, do we ever stop walking? When we learn to dance does our ability to run or walk diminish? Are your children playing pieces they learnt as beginners, are they playing scales and arpeggios, or do they forget these when they get onto "harder" pieces. They need to be constantly playing what they already know and adding on the new pieces as if adding onto their vocabulary.

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