Being a Suzuki music teacher I thought daily practice with her would be the simplest thing in the world.
It's amazing how quickly you forget what you teach on a daily basis when you suddenly have to do it yourself with your own child.
I was surprised by how my instinctual reactions where not what I meant for them to be.
I was surprised by how hard it was to remember to practice for a few minutes daily at the allotted time. (on numerous occasions I forgot and squeezed it in right before bed. Yikes!)
I was surprised by my need to pressure her to do the things she had done well the previous day but didn't want to do today.
I am constantly surprised by the things she knows purely through observation and listening (even though I know better).
I am constantly surprised by her motivation to play when other students arrive at the house for lesson (even though I know better).
As a Suzuki teacher, I do not practice with my child perfectly. I have already made mistakes. The great thing about our kids is that they are resilient and very forgiving. So we keep trying. We keep doing our best and we do what we can do. Perfection is not the goal. It is the journey that we take together.
Right now my goals when I go to practice with Margaret is to remember SMALL STEPS, to LEARN WITHOUT PRESSURE, and to continue to LISTEN & OBSERVE as much as possible.
If you are just starting out with lessons or maybe even just struggling getting back into the practice routine, try analyzing what you are doing. Most likely if you are taking small steps, you are relieving pressure and if you are making a point to listen and observe, you will be motivating yourself to do more small steps. It's a loop to success.
On the other hand, if you are just playing through piece after piece and not isolating anything, most likely you are feeling overwhelmed because every practice is the same and not going anywhere. Progress comes from isolating the small steps and practicing them over and over and this is also where the fun of practice is established because we feel accomplishment and want to accomplish more.
It's also important to remember to go at the speed of the child (or whatever age the student is, adults included), this is part of the no pressure as we all learn at different speeds. We can develop these high hopes especially in starting them so young, that if they can just do a little bit everyday, they will be soaring through Book 1 by the time they are 3. It might be a possibility, but it's not worth having deadlines or expectations on a 2 year old. They have always taken their time, from smiling to sitting to crawling, walking and talking, and will continue to learn things in their own time. All we can do is model and encourage and support.
I continue to support my daughter when she practices her twinkle variations (even though she still won't say Ti Ti Sh Ti correctly and refuses to say Mississippi Mississippi because Mississippi Hotdog is better).
I encourage her every time she practices a bow, even if it's when I'm trying to get us out the door, or when she picks up her violin with the worst posture and sweetly plays and sings twinkle little star.
As a perfectionist, I have to remind myself that she does not need to do every detail perfectly. As long as she is enjoying the process, enjoying learning, and finding joy in music, that is what matters and that is what keeps me going and her. As long as I continue to model, I know she will one day add that last Ti to Ti Ti Sh Ti (oh please I hope so!).
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