Music lessons with no practise ?
How do you learn to play a musical instrument? Is it by just listening to instructions, reading a text book, watching a DVD or listening to music on your MP3 or iPOD? If a teacher said your child could learn to play the piano this way you would probably be astounded. How can anyone be expected to play a musical instrument without considerable time spent on the instrument practicing? The more you do the better you become. It’s no surprise that the same combination of theory and practice is just as essential in Maths, Science and English as it is in music.
Learning retention is significantly enhanced through practice in doing ( see the Learning Pyramid, and the K2 Mountain ) which accounts for 75% retention in a subject compared to just 5% associated with listening to the lesson theory. At school however, there are a number of limitations to the practical opportunity. During a 45 minute lesson you may be surprised at how little time your child gets to practice through using - or even sharing a piece of equipment. The current answer to the practice in doing element at home is mainly in the form of homework, but the text and exercise book approach has a tendency to isolate the parent from providing practical mentoring support to their child.
Keen2learn allows parents access to the teaching resources used in school to support the key stages of the National Curriculum. These modern resources use technology in the form of CD ROM’s on line tuition, apparatus, books and learning games to reinforce the classroom theory. More importantly they allow you to join in to encourage your child to practice in their own time and pace. Kids get great fun from increased proficiency, and you can see the difference in and out of school. Just like learning a musical instrument a little frequent practice is far better that a cramming session just before an exam. Don’t wait until end of term report, use the teacher to guide you and give support at home throughout the term to give your child the greatest chance.
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