Children need strong listening skills for success at school and for their social and emotional development. Find out how listening skills can easily be developed at home. more
Learning in music can be affected in many ways by dyslexia. Here are ten ways to maximise your dyslexic child's chances of musical enjoyment and success. more
The process of learning to read and play or sing music is complex and interesting. The better informed parents are, the better equipped they can be to help their child. Some of the ways in which we learn are explored here. more
You want your child to gain the most from music lessons so it is important to make practice time comfortable, enjoyable and, possibly, sociable. Organise your family schedule to make practice time fit in with other commitments so that your child knows you think music is important. more
You can help your child to succeed in a music exam by helping to make sure she keeps to a workable practice plan. Here are some suggestions. more
Why aural perception is important for music students. Why aural tests are included in ABRSM, Trinity, AMEB and London College music exams. How music exam candidates can do better at the aural tests. more
Dyslexia can affect learning in music. A music teacher giving a child one-to-one lessons is ideally placed to notice dyslexia traits and may be able help your child to develop useful strategies for reading music. more
How much music practice is needed for a child to develop into a competent musician depends on the quality of practice, how often practice is done and how long is spent practising. more
You can help your child to learn how to play new pieces and sing new songs by facilitating repeated listening. more
Parents want to understand more about music practice and how they can help but sometimes there is insufficient communication between teacher and parent. It could help your child's motivation if you were to sit in on music lessons or be there at practice time, but not in every case. more
Writing letter names into a musical score might seem, to a young pupil, like an easy way to get started with playing a piece but, as teachers know, it's not a good solution. It can be difficult to convince students that writing the notes in will prevent them from learning to read music successfully. more
Ideally, your child's music lesson will be a template for what should be practised at home. When children understand this they are able to practise mindfully. Here's an example of putting that principle into practice. more