My son takes piano lessons from an amazing musician and student from Radford University. The RU student comes to our house to give an hour long lesson every week. Grateful cannot begin to describe how my husband and I feel about this arrangement or about the incredible quality of instruction our son receives.
Early on, the instructor shared his philosophy with us that playing music, including practicing, should be something the child wants to do, not something forced. And, that the music played should be music that interests the child. As parents, we agreed philosophically with the instructor and, consequently, my son has picked the songs he wants to play and practices when he wants to which works out to be about twice per week. Even though we agreed this was OK, I could not get rid of that nagging feeling that more practice by my budding musician was needed.
In a recent conversation with another mom about how much time our sons spent practicing (her son is taught by the same instructor) she shared with me her clever plan to get her son to practice regularly. She told him she would pay him $1 per day for 30 minutes of practice for 30 days, providing he did not miss a single day. If he did miss, then he would have to start the 30-day count all over and lose his "investment." Her son, like mine, enjoys a challenge. He agreed to the arrangement. When I presented this option to my son, he, too, jumped at the chance to earn what he considered to be an easy $30.
The result has been successful on many levels. I'm thrilled to hear my son practice more often. His skill and confidence improve daily, and he's looking forward to buying a new skateboard with his money. Meanwhile, our home is now regularly filled with Beatles' tunes ("Paperback Writer" and "Your Mother Should Know"), as well as the rhythmic jazz of Booker T & the MGs. There's definitely more than one person getting rewarded in this deal.
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