May 7, 2004
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from the Founder Featured Article Ask the Music Wizard Music Tips Music Links C Notes |
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Touching
The Heart Awards Show July 17, 2004 Hyatt Regency, LA Bright Start & The Remedial Reading & Learning Center will spotlight TEACHERS at their 1st Annual National Touching the Heart Awards, which recognize and spotlights teachers who are making a difference in today's community. |
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Dear Friends, Welcome to HearMePlay.com's
online music magazine written by musicians for musicians! With spring
nipping at our heels, it is time once again to prepare for summer
concerts and festivals while enjoying twinkling stars and hypnotic
melodies of night creatures returning from winter's slumber. Over
the past few months, HearMePlay.com has expanded in many ways, and
we are proud to continue to serve the needs of an ever growing music
community with our global network of products and services for performers,
teachers, students and parents.
HearMePlay.com came about, in large part, because of my own frustration in locating, evaluating and purchasing teaching books and other resources for my private piano students. As a conductor and accompanist, I also found it difficult to locate scores and parts for my own concerts. I would typically call several stores in several states only to learn that it would take 6 to 8 weeks to get what I wanted. Shortly after launching HearMePlay.com, friends and family were also enjoying the benefits of our simple user interface, powerful search engine and vast assortment of quality products distributed by a global network of publishers. Word has quickly spread over the past year, and we are so thankful for all of our customers who have helped us create and maintain our unique online community. As we celebrate our first anniversary, we are proud to have already served musicians worldwide, from Australia to Singapore, Germany, France, Canada and across the United States. Today, HearMePlay.com features over 100,000 sheet music titles, books, scores, recordings, music methods and more! We are expanding our inventory every week, and are also proud to bring you this new monthly online music magazine - Middle C - with hopes that you will continue to enjoy our dedication to sharing resources with a global community of musicians. Happy Spring! John Goodell Parenting Musical
Kids "I remember the first time I played a scale on the piano," reminisces Michele, a career pianist. "It was like I was breathing air for the first time. With just that simple scale, I had discovered my passion - and I was only five." Michele continues, "I loved music, and thankfully, my parents recognized that. They were very instrumental in developing my musical talents. But they also insisted that I maintain good grades in school. The main thing was that my parents listened to me, and if I needed help, they were there for me." Patti, on the other hand, doesn't remember her son's musical gift so fondly. "It became a constant challenge for us," she stated. "We wanted so much for our son to succeed in music that he was attending every regional event possible. And, if he lost the competition, we felt that he needed to practice more. This resulted in a lot of tension between us." "Finally," continued Patti, "he just opted to drop out of concert band his senior year to focus on other school activities." Shortly thereafter, Patti read an article about parents who push children to perform. She says, "It was like a light bulb went off. I was the mom on the sidelines, pushing her child to drive the ball and score." Patti discovered that parents who raise musically talented children aren't immune to the pitfalls that often befall parents of athletically gifted children. In fact, in some cases, musically gifted children may be more prone to pressure to perform. "We placed high expectations on our son, both musically and academically," stated Patti. "But I'm glad we finally heard that our son wanted to experience other aspects of life." Music instructors, such as Dr. Noah Getz, Associate Professor of Saxophone at American Universitys and after-school instructor at the Levine School of Music in Washington, D.C., frequently encounter well-meaning parents. "Music is a great endeavor. It teaches long term goals, commitment, confidence and working every day to reach the bigger picture. Scholastically speaking, children who are involved in musical endeavors tend to be better students, receive higher grades, and are more likely to complete post-high school education." "The problem is, however, that kids today have a lot of pressure to perform and perform well," he says. "The important thing to remember is that even if music is your life, like it is mine, you still need to find balance. Keep an eye out to learn how to apply other aspects of life into music." Getz, who comes from a family highly involved in music, says that encouragement from family is important. But, he emphasizes that children need balance to mature as whole persons. He explains, "Math is important because it can be used in the rhythms and times, or in determining the types of notes used to create a specific sound. English and writing are also great because they help children think in sentences, which can help with lyric development and composition structure. It's all about perception." While commitment from family is important, Getz advises parents to also: 1) Encourage music diversity through the introduction of music from different eras. If your child is nuts about rock and roll, consider introducing a bit of traditional or jazz into practice routines to keep your child challenged. 2) Check in at the end of each practice session or lesson, and help your child to formulate goals. This could include working on scales, specifically fingerings, and developing new practice routines. 3) Make the most of practice sessions by organizing the session into mini-sessions. For example, a one hour session could be broken into four, 15 minute increments. Spend 15 minutes on articulation, then 15 on technical issues, and so forth. 4) Show interest by participating with your child. Pick up your trumpet, tune up your voice or tickle the ivories along side your child. Even older children model after parents. If you have a passion for music, it's likely you'll pass this on simply by participating with your child from time to time.
------ Dr. Noah Getz is an associate professor at American University and an after school instructor of Levine School of Music in Washington, D.C. He is also a Music Wizard at HearMePlay.com. He can be reached by email at nhgetz@yahoo.com. Dear Music Wizard, My daughter seems to do well in practice, but in performance or competition, she seems to freeze up. I've tried to encourage her by telling her to focus on winning, but that seems to make things worse. Do you have any suggestions about how I can help ease her performance anxiety? --Whitney's mom
Adults and children are often prone to looking at the "big picture"...winning rather than performing in the present (the here and now). You can help your daughter by teaching her to focus on the process of performing (e.g. warm up routines, scales, fingerings, etc.) rather than the outcome (e.g. winning or losing). You may also find that working with a performance coach (in conjunction with your music instructor) will assist you in determining the triggers that set off performance anxiety, how to stop them dead in their tracks and how to help your daughter refocus on the process of performance rather than the outcome. Best Wishes, Amitabh Rao -------- Interested in becoming a music wizard? Get great exposure, unique recognition and a personal discount code for unlimited orders! Take pride in building a valuable resource for the music community and utilize this creative outlet for your expertise. Send inquiries to wizard@hearmeplay.com. Young musicians perform for many reasons. Children may perform because they enjoy the competition, like the social aspect, engage with being part of a team, and enjoy the challenge of setting goals. As a parent of an aspiring musician, you can help your child gain a performance edge by: 1) Emphasizing a mental focus on the process of performing, instead of results or trophies. We live in a society that focuses on winning, but winning comes from working the process and enjoying the ride. Teach your child to focus on the process of performing and the challenge of engaging in one song at a time, instead of the number of trophies acquired. 2) Refraining from performance-day coaching. During a performance, it's time to just let your child perform. All the practice should be set aside, because this is the time that your child needs to learn to trust in the training. Too much coaching (or over-coaching) can lead to mistakes and cautiousness. Save the coaching for practice, and use encouragement instead. Say things such as "Just do your best. You've learned everything you need to know to perform today. Good luck!" 3) Help you child to separate self-esteem from achievement. Too many parents (and even instructors) indirectly teach children to attach self-worth to the level of performance or outcome. Help your child understand that they are a person FIRST who happens to perform, instead of a performer who happens to be a person. Success should not determine a person's self-esteem. ------ The National Association of Music Education Robyn's Nest - Parenting Network Music
for Kids National Association for Gifted Children Comprehensive List of Internet Resources for Music Educators HearMePlay.com is dedicated to helping musicians make a living in music. In every issue of Middle C, this section will feature fundraising ideas/concepts, grants and scholarship opportunities for those in schools, and individual artist grants. Unified
Application for Conservatory Admission Mockingbird
Foundation Chamber
Music America
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