By guest blogger Deborah Vogt ~ Wayland parent to three young musicians (violin, violin/electric guitar, trumpet)

While at a local coffee shop recently a young mother rushed over to me to excitedly share that her 8-year-old was going to start playing violin in the new school year. As this mom knew, my 21-year-old daughter started playing violin at the same age and is now in her senior year in college as a violin and music education student. This mom’s excitement over her child choosing to play an instrument was not lost on me and in the brief moments of our conversation, the joys and challenges of guiding my child through her first musical experience rushed back to me.

All too soon the curtain fell when the mom said, “But as soon as she doesn’t like practicing anymore, I’ll let her quit.”

This is a common refrain from parents of new musicians and it’s one that I’ve heard on numerous occasions as I’ve guided my own three children through their musical experiences. As my daughter continued to play violin throughout her elementary, middle and high school years, I came to learn that other parents thought she played well because she liked practicing.

This could not be further from the truth. She played well because she practiced, not because she liked to practice.

Our town’s elementary school offers third graders the opportunity to choose a string instrument to play throughout the school year. My now college senior came home the first week of third grade with a glow about her as she told us at dinner about the violin she’d seen at school, how beautiful it sounded when it was played by the teacher and that she wants nothing in the world more than to be a great violinist. Hearing her talk about being a musician lit up her face in a way we had never before seen, and her enthusiasm quickly became ours.

Up to that point, ours was not a musical household. The only thing my husband and I played with any regularity was the radio. Regardless, we had an 8-year-old who could think of nothing in that moment other than playing the violin and I wanted to help her to be the musician that she wanted to be. Thinking that getting my child from where she was to where she wanted to be musically took no more effort than making a checklist, we rented a violin (check), bought the required book (check), acquired a music stand (check) and unwittingly set off on a life-changing journey for us all.

Not surprisingly, my lack of a musical background meant that my ability to help my child was going to be my musical challenge. Somewhere in life, however, I had learned to identify middle C on a treble clef. This is the same clef, it turns out, that violin music utilizes. From a single note, I began my journey as a music parent. Thirteen years later our family’s musical journey presses on as I continue to exercise the lessons I learned when my life went beyond middle C.

Lesson 1: 
Playing music is HARD! The previously foreign shapes and symbols on an endlessly striped page mean that your left hand should be doing one thing while your right is doing something completely different and the resulting sound should be something less than painful for your audience. Practicing also means that you don’t just play that measure once, you play it again and again as muscle memory plays an important role in learning to play music. When frustration sets in, remind your child that what they are learning is difficult but that they are up to the challenge.

Lesson 2: 
Flattery will get you everywhere. My daughter always practiced in the living room while I prepared dinner for our family. When I heard her finish something the likes of Row, Row, Row Your Boat, I’d rush out of the adjoining kitchen and say something like, “Did you just learn that? You just learned that and played it so beautifully?! I can’t get over you!” Cue beaming child. I’d head back to the kitchen knowing that I just bought myself another 5 minutes of practice. Lather, rinse, repeat. Daily. Help your child to appreciate their successes regardless of size and they will start to see them, too. Learning to play music is a marathon, not a sprint.

Lesson 3: 
Learn their practicing currency. Discovering their practicing currency gives you a tool to use when there’s an objection at practice time. For example, it’s possible that your child’s favorite thing about playing is performing. Watch your child before, during and after a concert. What makes him or her smile? Does your child enjoy the excitement just before taking the stage, or is it the bow and the applause at the end? Possibly it’s wearing the snappy black bow tie or the silky white blouse that is part of the standard performance attire, or maybe the thrill of performing for special loved ones in the audience.

For my daughter, it was finding her family in the audience and then listening to us all the way home telling her how great the orchestra looked and sounded. So, when she was objecting to a practice, I’d say something like, “Remember when Grammy and Poppy came to hear you play last month? The orchestra sounded so great and we had such a terrific view of you up on stage.” I’d be bringing her back to this moment as I was nonchalantly setting up the music stand and taking out her music for practice. Without realizing it, she’d smile and start practicing having been just been reminded of why she plays in the first place.

Lesson 4: 
Practicing is a management skill. For a new musician, organizing a practice, even for 15 or 20 minutes can be overwhelming. Young musicians may know what to practice but not how to put it together in a way that helps them to be efficient in their task. Likening a daily music practice to my daily dinner preparation routine, I made ten music practice “recipes” on 3×5 index cards for my daughter.

Each recipe card laid out what made up that day’s practice, effectively taking the planning out of practicing, and making the practice itself more productive. Each card totaled to 25 minutes, which was my daughter’s practice length at that time. One card would read: 10 minutes scales, 5 minutes school music, and 10 minutes private lesson music. Another would list 10 minutes etudes, 10 minutes scales, and 5 minutes musician’s choice (anything the musician chooses – easy, hard, improvised) as that day’s practice. One card in the deck cut the practice down by 10 minutes.

She’d choose a different card each day from the face down deck and when each card was used up, we’d shuffle them and start again. An inexpensive digital timer with a magnet stuck to the music stand and enabled her to start and stop the timer according to the directions on the recipe card. After a long day at school or a busy Saturday, the practice recipe cards ensured a solid practice without the mental stress of planning it.

Lesson 5: 
Persistence pays off. We had been forewarned by my daughter’s instructor that middle school was the hardest time to keep kids playing instruments as music now competed with school sports, clubs, and social lives. This was absolutely true. With an extra measure of determination, we kept up with her practicing, her private lessons and the recipe cards and middle school turned into high school. There is no easy answer here. Persistence is key.

Top 10 music tips for parents whose kids want to play but don’t like to practice:

1.      Always remember that “I don’t want to practice” is not the same as “I don’t want to play.” They really, really are not the same thing at all.

2.      Learning how to play music is hard, quitting is easy. Help them to see that they can do hard things and that they get to enjoy the reward of improvement, one note at a time.

3.      Set them up for success: Have music stand, pencil, timer, metronome, instrument accoutrements (chin rest, rock stop, valve oil, etc.) at the ready for every practice. Be a sport every now and then and set up the stand, take out the music and pop open the case so all they need to do is to insert themselves into the picture.

4.      Be a supportive audience. If you can’t be in the room, be within earshot. You can’t compliment them if you can’t hear them. They want you to be listening.

5.      Praise their effort. Highlight what they do well, such as “Wow, I see that you are working on your hand position and I can hear the difference in your sound,” or, “I noticed that when you take a breath before you play, like your instructor suggested, your first note sounds much more confident.”

6.      Make music recipe cards. Use them for every practice. Update them, as needed.

7.      Allow them to be frustrated and help them to work through it. Tears may flow during especially frustrating times. That’s okay. Support them to work through it. Never offer, or [GASP!] threaten, quitting as an option.

8.      Observe how they act before, during and after a performance. These moments may offer clues to how they feel about being a musician. When practicing is especially hard or frustrating, take them back to a musical moment they enjoyed and felt a sense of accomplishment.

9.      Invest in a professional teacher to instruct, inspire & encourage your child to set and reach their musical goals.

10.   Don’t let their frustration become your frustration. Be the steady beat they need to do what they set out to do.

Editor's note: This article was written in 2018 and republished by permission of the author. 

Deborah's daughter Andrea, the young violinist in the article, graduated from the University of Noth Carolina with Bachelor's and Mater's degrees in Music Education. She is now a middle school strings teacher in North Carolina inspiring the next generation of young musicians.

Violinist age 14 plays Mozart's Violin Concerto #4 in D, first movement

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (born 1756) wrote at least five violin concertos between 1773 and 1776, when he was not much older than this student. He probably wrote them for himself to play in his position as concertmaster (first chair) of the Archbishop of Salzburg’s orchestra.

This one was written in 1775, when he was 19. He did perform it at the time – but after he left the orchestra, he updated it and made it harder for the new concertmaster (Antonio Brunetti) who took over his job! It’s nicknamed the “Military” concerto, and if you listen to the violinist’s opening few measures you’ll hear why – they sound rather like a brass fanfare.

We love it when our older students play beautiful works like this with ease, inspiring beginner and intermediate students with a vision of what can happen if they keep on practicing. But as we make sure to point out to them: students like this were also once beginners learning to pluck open strings, just like the young man in yesterday’s video!

For more music by Mozart, see here and here.

Violinist age 7 plays "Cross Lake Blues" by Joanne Martin

Parents are often surprised when we invite their very new beginner to play in an upcoming recital! But if the memory of your own childhood recitals makes your palms sweat - think again: our recitals are very supportive and festive events, where even students who’ve had only a few weeks of lessons can share pieces using just one or two notes, and find themselves enthusaistically celebrated for doing so. 

This jazzy piece from Joanne Martin’s “Magic Carpet” album is a favorite of our violin beginners, as all you need to play it is two open strings, A and E. In spite of that it’s a fun recital piece, and a great way to dip your toe into playing for an audience. Experiences like this get our students feeling comfortable right from the start with the idea of sharing their music with others - as you can see throughout this Music for the Community series. 

Violist age 18 plays Arpeggione Sonata by Schubert

Franz Schubert (1797 – 1828) wrote this sonata in November 1824, for an instrument that had been invented only the previous year! It’s the only major composition for the arpeggione - basically a bowed guitar – that is still played today, albeit by other instruments. 

The sonata was probably commissioned by Schubert's friend Vincenz Schuster, who was already a virtuoso of the arpeggione, even so soon after its invention. But unfortunately it wasn’t published till 1871, long after Schubert’s death – by which time the excitement about this new instrument had long since disappeared, along with the arpeggione itself.

Schubert’s beautiful composition lives on, though, and today it's usually performed by viola or cello. There are versions for other instruments, too — including double bass, flute, euphonium and clarinet for the arpeggione part, or with guitar or harp for the piano part. And now in the 21st century, interest in the aprpeggione has revived, with several composers writing for it - so perhaps we'll be able to hear it again as Schubert intended in the not too distant future.

For more music by Schubert, see here.

Pianist age 8 plays "Chant Arabe" by F. X. Chwatal

Franz Xaver Chwatal (1808 – 1879) was a Bohemian pianist, composer and music teacher. He was the son of an organ builder, who gave him piano lessons as a child. He wrote many pieces of lighter popular music such as this one.

Like so many other pieces we’ve featured, this one is in A – B1/B2 – A form, giving it a pleasing symmetry. In the A section, you can hear the pianist’s left hand playing one chord that’s repeated over and over, like the unchanging, rhythmic plod of the camels across the desert.

There are several singalong options here – try them all, and let us know in the comments which one you like best!

(A) In far-off desert lands, where the oasis stands, camels in caravans trail across burning sands.

(B1) Riders in flowing turbans sit / high atop the swaying animals;
(B2) Bells tinkling, jingling, sweetly ring / out across the desert air and gently tell us...

(A) In far-off desert lands, where the oasis stands, camels in caravans trail across burning sands.

 ~ or ~

(A) I am thirsty and hot; I am thirsty and hot; I am thirsty and hot; I am thirsty and hot!

(B1) I sure would like some lemonade; / Mother may I? Honey, yes you may.                                                                                                                  (B2) I sure would like some lemonade; / will you get some for me now? Just wait a minute....

(A) I sure like lemonade; I sure like lemonade; I sure like lemonade, when I’m thirsty and hot.

~ or ~

(A) Oh, it’s hot, very hot! Oh, it’s hot, very hot! Oh, it’s hot, very hot! Oh, it’s hot, very hot!

(B1) Softly the camels tread with their / heavy load across the burning sand;
(B2) Under the blazing sun they plod / on and on and on across the endless desert....   

(A) Oh, it’s hot, very hot! Oh, it’s hot, very hot! Oh, it’s hot, very hot! Oh, it’s hot, very hot!

Violinist age 14 plays "Sarabande" by Handel

It's probably no surprise that Georg Frederic Handel (1685-1759), an exact contemporary of Bach, also wrote many pieces featuring the dance forms that were popular among composers at the time. But it's hard to believe that the stately sarabande was originally thought to be a terrible influence -  it was described in a "Treatise Against Public Amusements" in 1609 as  "enough to excite bad emotions in even very decent people"! 

The Sarabande probably had its origins in Central America, in particular Guatemala and Mexico, in the 16th century. It was actually banned in Spain by King Philip II in 1583, thanks to the sentiments above - but that didn't stop it being performed. It spread to Italy in the 17th century, and then - thanks to composers like Handel and Bach, who often used it in their suites of dances - to France, where it became a popular slow court dance.

Having started his career in his native Germany, in 1710 Handel became Kapellmeister (Music Director) at the court of Prince George of Hanover. But in 1714 Prince George became King George I of England, and Handel's success in England led him to settle there permanently. His famous "Water Music" suite was performed several times on barges on the River Thames for the King and his guests. In 1727 Handel was commissioned to write four anthems for the Coronation ceremony of the next king, George II, and one of these anthems, "Zadok the Priest", has been played at every British coronation ceremony since.

Violinists age 12 and 16 play Bach Concerto in D minor for Two Violins, second movement

The beloved "Bach Double", one of the composer's most famous works, is usually recognized by its fast first movement. Here, though, we're featuring the lyrical second movement with its expansive, lilting melody. The two violinists have equal parts that weave in and out of each other in a soulful musical conversation in the flowery Baroque style, taking turns with the melody and the accompaniment, finally coming to rest together.

Bach probably wrote this concerto when he was "Kapellmeister" - Director of Music - at the court Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cothen between 1717 and 1723. This was a very happy employment situation for Bach - Prince Leopold, who was a musician himself, appreciated Bach's talents, paid him well, and gave him a lot of freedom to compose and perform whatever suited him. Much of the music of Bach that we've shown in this series comes from this time, including the orchestral suites and cello suites, as well as his music based on 18th century dances (here, here, and here).

Violinist age 12 plays "Allegro" by Fiocco

Joseph-Hector Fiocco (1703 – 1741), born in Brussels, Belgium, was a composer and harpsichordist of the late Baroque period. His father, Italian composer Pietro Antonio Fiocco, and his older step-brother Jean-Joseph Fiocco gave him much of his musical education. He also learned Greek and Latin well enough to be able to become a schoolteacher in both those subjects.

He became music director at the cathedral in Antwerp, so much of the music he wrote was choral and religious in nature. He also wrote two suites of pieces for harpsichord - but ironically his best-known piece is this Allegro for violin, played by intermediate violinists the world over. "Allegro" literally means "happy", but in musical terms it means "fast and lively", and that's certainly the case with this piece!

Pianist age 4 plays "Mary had a Little Lamb"

We've shown Mary had a Little Lamb before, on flute, but of course it sounds very different on piano. People are often surprised to learn that although the piano has strings, it's actually classifed as a percussion instrument. But percussion basically means "instruments that make their sound when you hit them," and that's what's happening here: when you press the piano keys, they operate hammers inside the piano, which hit the strings and bounce off again.

So an important skill for pianists is learning to touch the keys with enough strength for those hammers to produce a sound - but not so much that the sound is harsh. Although he's so young, you can see (and hear) that this young man is already doing an excellent job using the weight of his arm to drop his fingers into the keys, producing a round, ringing sound.

You probably already know that words to this song! But just in case:

Violist age 14 plays Telemann Concerto in G, first movement

Unlike many of the composers we've featured who were first taught music at home by their parents or other relatives, Georg Philipp Telemann (1681 - 1767) had an uphill battle to become a musician. He first had lessons from a local organist at age 10, and immediately became intensely interested in music - but his family was dead against the idea, and forbade him to take part in any musical activities at all. Nevertheless he carried on studying in secret - and managed to teach himself not only composing, but also the flute, oboe, violin, viola da gamba, recorder, double bass, and other instruments! 

He went to university to study law, but music was clearly his destiny, and he very quickly became a professional musician. In fact, he became one of the most prolific major composers of all time: he composed more than 3,000 works, including 125 orchestral suites, 125 concertos, several dozen other orchestral pieces, many sonatas in five to seven parts, nearly 40 quartets, 130 trios, 87 solos, 80 pieces for small ensembles, and roughly 250 pieces for keyboard!

His Viola Concerto in G major is actually the first known concerto for viola, and was written some time between 1716 and 1721. This mellow "Largo"  - a piece in a slow, broad tempo - is the first movement, giving the soloist the opportunity to show off the rich, deep tone of the viola. (See here for other viola performances.)