Keeping It Going
There were times people asked, "How did you get AJ to practise piano everyday?"
I know, it is not easy, especially with younger children. Maybe for a start, when they were interested with that musical instrument, they will voluntarily take it out to practise. As time goes by, it gets harder & harder to see this initiative.
AJ is no different. He would rather read or write than practising piano. Thus, we, as parents, have to strike the balance between enforcing and motivating. *Tough*
These are few 'tried & tested' things we did to motivate him to carry on:
(1) Going for Concerts
Whenever there is any suitable concert for him to attend, we will try to bring him there. The concerts we have brought him to were not restricted to having piano performances, we have brought him to concerts by the Singapore Chinese Orchestra & the Singapore Wind Symphony too. The purpose is to exposure him to different types of music & instruments.
(2) Watching DVDs/Recorded Shows
We watched DVDs on musical performances or the recorded ones together. They can be performances by Lang Lang, opera performances, acapella performances, etc. We have not tried Chinese opera show though. :)
(3) Performing for Others
Sometimes we would get him to practise the song for someone special. For example, '爷爷 (paternal grandfather) in Kuala Lumpur loves to listen to this piece, could you practise this so that you could play for him when we go there?', 'XX (his good friend) would definitely love this piece, we could record this piece for him/her as a birthday present!', 'We heard this hymn in church this morning, maybe you could try playing?', 'Mummy loves this song very much, maybe you should learn it so that you could play it while I sing?', etc.
(4) Parents as Entertainers
Daddy would sometimes offer to be the accompanist, playing recorder or harmonica. Mummy would sometimes be the clown, who would dancegracefully to the beats of the music, or sing along.
All these strategies work so far. We may have to come out with more ideas in time to come. Then again, we hope that as he grows older, he would be more sure of his passion (be it music or not) & pursue it passionately himself.
I know, it is not easy, especially with younger children. Maybe for a start, when they were interested with that musical instrument, they will voluntarily take it out to practise. As time goes by, it gets harder & harder to see this initiative.
AJ is no different. He would rather read or write than practising piano. Thus, we, as parents, have to strike the balance between enforcing and motivating. *Tough*
These are few 'tried & tested' things we did to motivate him to carry on:
(1) Going for Concerts
Whenever there is any suitable concert for him to attend, we will try to bring him there. The concerts we have brought him to were not restricted to having piano performances, we have brought him to concerts by the Singapore Chinese Orchestra & the Singapore Wind Symphony too. The purpose is to exposure him to different types of music & instruments.
(2) Watching DVDs/Recorded Shows
We watched DVDs on musical performances or the recorded ones together. They can be performances by Lang Lang, opera performances, acapella performances, etc. We have not tried Chinese opera show though. :)
(3) Performing for Others
Sometimes we would get him to practise the song for someone special. For example, '爷爷 (paternal grandfather) in Kuala Lumpur loves to listen to this piece, could you practise this so that you could play for him when we go there?', 'XX (his good friend) would definitely love this piece, we could record this piece for him/her as a birthday present!', 'We heard this hymn in church this morning, maybe you could try playing?', 'Mummy loves this song very much, maybe you should learn it so that you could play it while I sing?', etc.
(4) Parents as Entertainers
Daddy would sometimes offer to be the accompanist, playing recorder or harmonica. Mummy would sometimes be the clown, who would dance
All these strategies work so far. We may have to come out with more ideas in time to come. Then again, we hope that as he grows older, he would be more sure of his passion (be it music or not) & pursue it passionately himself.
Since he is into Chinese songs recently, I acted as clown to entertain him.
Please bear with that horrible, squeaky voice.
I hope I can do better with 小城故事 (his next target).
Please bear with that horrible, squeaky voice.
I hope I can do better with 小城故事 (his next target).
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