how to make everyone happy
…with the right amount of activities and a focus on music
One of the most distressing things I encounter is students doing too many things. And that also means, parents are doing too much.
“She’s got soccer, dance, a new club, and language class, plus more homework. Now I’m back to work full time myself, and I can’t figure out how to get her here!” -sentence heard last week from an actual parent who loves taking violin lessons with her daughter.
This was an especially distressing development since she loved violin lessons and loved doing them with her daughter! Often this complexity starts from a good place: plenty of enthusiasm and curiosity to try lots of things, and a desire from parents to give their kids every possible opportunity to succeed in life. But it so often ends up with strung-out parents and unfocused, exhausted kids.
Are virtual music classes the solution?
One option that came out of the pandemic: virtual lessons. In addition to being safer when in-person classes aren’t an option, this solution can work wonders for parents who are dealing with multiple commutes and sibling activities. In our Morristown studio we offer the convenient option for members to have up to one virtual lesson per month at your convenience! But even though many music schools are still utilizing virtual classes, it is difficult to retain interest and morale without the dynamic interplay of in person classes. And from a parent’s perspective, if the real issue is the volume of activity the kids are involved in, virtual lessons won’t help. If the culprit is our tendency to do too much ourselves…we need to step back and take a different look at the problem. The pandemic created a space for thinking about our work/life balance. Many people are trying to reclaim space for the things that we work for--joy, meaning, purpose and contribution to others.
If you work a lot, read this article on the Future of Work.
How to get it all in one place
Kids need to explore, to be social, to move their bodies, to accomplish things, and to enjoy their sensory experience of the world. They also need a chance to interact with others and respond with their own contributions. Do you have to program five different activities for each of these needs, or can you get them in one place?
When done correctly, violin lessons are that place.
Music lessons in general operate in multiple cognitive and behavioral channels that are critical for child development. Violin requires an even higher level of awareness because of the sensitive balance required to gain just the right touch. Violin is as “athletic” as any sport, in the sense of body coordination and dynamic focus. While the need to read both particular moments and the overall direction of a piece is common to musicians; a violinist must also balance the two sides of her body doing different things.
The effect is one of total immersion in body and mind.
Add in the way music affects the heart, and you have a deeply satisfying experience for both you and your children. So here’s a question as you go about your week, aware of all the things on your plate. If doing one thing crosses so many multiple cognitive and social/emotional learning channels, why not do that thing?
Could violin lessons be the answer for you? ~~~
Satisfaction = Happiness!
Join Edward’s Violin Studio where members get the Happiness Factor AND the kind of unique discipline and character development that only comes from violin.