How many times have we heard from adults that they wish their parents didn’t allow them to quit their musical instrument when they were younger?

There comes a time in a large percentage of music students’ lives when they want to quit their instrument — and more often than not, parents allow them to do it.  But is the child quitting … or is the parent?

I remember wanting to quit the trombone when I was in middle school.  Honestly, it’s hard to remember why.  It could have been peer pressure, boredom, or something else — but I had my mind made up.  I shudder to think of what my life would be like now if my mother had decided to quit as well and give in to my pleas.

Ultimately, it is important to understand that when it comes to music education and other transformative activities that require some grit in order to succeed, most children go through a period of time where they must succeed despite themselves.  They must be encouraged and supported through the tough times, not given a pass.  It is only at a certain point that children — and parents — can make an informed decision to quit their musical instrument, and that point is usually much later, not sooner, than one may think.

Here are a few ways that parents are the ones that quit music instruction, and some thoughts on overcoming the tough times with our children that are bound to occur:

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Dear Board of Education Members:

Usually someone like me is writing to you at the end of the year, pleading for no cuts to be made to our arts programs.  But I decided to be proactive and write this at the beginning of the year — instead focusing on discussing with you ways in which our programs should grow and prosper, not just survive.

Too often, our community is forced to defend the arts in the face of budget season, but we can do better than this.  We need to utilize this “quieter” time of year to not only celebrate the arts in education, but to discuss ways to fully incorporate it into the lives of our children so that we rarely need to discuss dismantling our programs ever again.

I believe it’s important to start this year by reminding ourselves of what the goal of our community is in regards to the education of our children.  In my view, we are charged with at least these three things:

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Greatness in teaching is just as rare as greatness in any other profession. Although it’s impossible to offer a prescription of qualities in order to cultivate great music teachers, understanding these qualities can give all would-be teachers a standard of excellence to strive for, and guide schools and parents toward what they should look for in current and prospective teachers.

Here are just a few characteristic traits that I believe all great music teachers have:

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Playing a musical instrument is fun, of course.  But school administrators, teachers, parents, and students all have a different idea of what “fun” actually means when it comes time for the arts in schools.  I believe that without a unified definition of “fun” as it pertains to music education, more music programs will continue to be cut from school curricula.

I’ve written about why music programs are cut from school, and one of the reasons is that it is not treated like — or approached as — a core subject in the curriculum.  Music is not a “frill” subject — quite the contrary.  Music education has many magical benefits that we read about when it is taught masterfully and supported by the entire school community.

Even after several studies of music’s powerful effects on the brain have been completed, too many parents think instrumental music is simply a fun break in the day that requires little work.  Music teachers are nervous to add rigor to their classes in fear of students quitting, and school administrators don’t know what to think — they just don’t want their schedules to be complicated and need their state report cards to look good.

Here are a few ways learning instrumental music is (and isn’t) fun in a school setting:

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While it is true that I spend most of my time writing about how important it is to begin (and then continue) musical instrument instruction in school from a young age, it is also true that children can still experience the incredible benefits of music education at any time during their K-12 school years.  As of today, school systems do not have enough structures in place to accommodate students who wish to begin instrumental music instruction when they are in upper grades.

Whether a child wants to begin playing an instrument in high school from scratch, or they played at a young age and quit but want to get back into it, it’s possible as long as the school schedule and culture allow for it.

Students should not feel as if they need to get private lessons in order to experience instrumental music in school if they did not start an instrument at a young age.  Not only should students feel comfortable with starting an instrument in their later K-12 years, schools would be wise to create opportunities for this to happen.  Too many school music programs are “runaway trains” by high school, meaning that there are a set number of ensembles filled with students who are playing at an advanced level with little capacity to accommodate beginners.  More beginner ensembles, classes, or independent study opportunities in middle school or high school is one solution that can allow for new students to successfully enter these programs.

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It’s the beginning of another school year, and hundreds of thousands of school children around the country have chosen which instrument they want to play and have taken it home for the first time.  It’s exciting, to say the least, and possibly the beginning of a life-long journey towards a love of music, learning new things, and molding a growth mindset.

That said, learning an instrument requires skills and traits that children may not have experienced yet — and that parents haven’t thought (or known how) to teach.  That’s the beauty of instrumental music instruction, especially as part of school curricula.  However, it’s important that parents are prepared for that moment when their child plays their first notes … and they don’t sound all that great.

Here are 3 things parents need to be prepared to understand about their child learning a musical instrument:

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If parents listened solely to most administrators and school leaders, they would believe that it is impossible to schedule instrumental music into a school day already packed with state mandates and test preparation.

There is no doubt that scheduling music into a school day is difficult, but there are plenty of schools in our country — and around the world — that value music’s role in education and prove it through dynamic scheduling.  They believe that not having music as part of their school curricula would be irresponsible and, in some cases, damaging to kids.

In my experience as a teacher and district administrator, where there is a will there is a way when it comes to scheduling the arts.  Educators at great schools organize their school day and staffing to reflect the central role of the arts and dedicate ample time to their practice.  These educators understand that it takes creativity and a strong belief that school music lessons, over time, leave students feeling great about all aspects of school; many times the lessons transform their lives forever.  In short, the amount of time students are given to engage with music is completely linked with the quality of their music (and school) experience.

While it seems that most schools schedule instrumental music two days a week (or less), successful schools choose to make music education a priority; finding creative ways to stretch both time and money to make daily music a reality.

Note that I use the word choose.  It is a choice to bring great arts instruction to students.  Nothing is impossible, as long as all stakeholders in the school system are committed to music as a core subject.

Here are ways that schools can at least help increase their instrumental music instructional time, if not bring it to children five days a week:

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“Public School Cuts Music Programs; Teachers Lose Jobs”

“High School Music Program Slashed”

“Budget Cuts Affect Music and Arts”

We see those headlines in the news all the time.

During every budget cycle, teachers, parents, and music advocates hold their collective breaths hoping cuts will not come down on their programs.  This is because music and the arts are often at the top of the “cut list” — but why is this?  Board of Education members aren’t necessarily “music haters”, and community members (at least on the surface) don’t want to see music leave the school curriculum.  But the cuts keep on coming year after year, and some feel powerless to stop them.

Nevertheless, the cuts are wrong and in many cases are not in the best interest of the systems and the children they serve.  When it comes to budget cuts, schools in other countries and great districts in our country do not cut the arts first.

Here are a few of the main reasons why music is cut from school each year, and some thoughts about how they can be avoided:

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As a parent, one of the best things that I can hope for is that my children have the wherewithal to make their way through life armed with a wide variety of skills and a “can-do” mindset.  As a teacher, school leader, and professor, I have seen way too many young adults who are incapable of navigating their way through “real world” problems, and need someone’s help (usually mine or their parents’) — many times for the smallest things.

Parents protect and handle so much for their children these days that they prevent them from growing into the people they want them to become.  Amongst other things, we do math and english homework for our children and call up teachers when the final grade isn’t to our liking.  Ultimately, however, what we are really doing over time is preventing our children from acquiring “self-efficacy”.

Self-efficacy is defined as having the belief in our abilities to complete a task, reach goals, and manage situations.  The journey towards self-efficacy for my children began when they were born, of course.  But school — and the way I help them (or don’t help them) navigate school — is where self-efficacy can truly be learned.

While every subject has its own peripheral life lessons, instrumental music instruction is one of the most incredible ways to learn skills that lead to self-efficacy, and parents would be wise to ensure that their children experience this instruction in their K-12 schooling.

Here are ways that learning to play an instrument builds self-efficacy:

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Most parents and students start the summer with the best intentions as far as instrumental music practice is concerned.  Some families choose to rent their instrument for the summer months and not return it to the store/school.  Some even buy a new instrument at the end of the school year as a gift to their child, hoping it serves as a motivational tool for the upcoming summer months.  And many families return the rental instrument and take the entire summer off playing.

Either way, school is about to start — and quitting musical studies should not be an option.  Most students quit at the end of the summer, especially if they think they have lost their skills.  Picking up an instrument for the first time after a long layoff can be so frustrating that a student will not want to continue into the next school year.

It doesn’t need to be this way!

It’s easy to get your child back into playing shape so that they start the school year off with confidence and excitement to make music all over again.

Here are some tips to go from “out-of-shape” to “playing ready” in no time:

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