Hello!!!

I teach clarinet in groups and in all groups there is a child who can't keep up. I know they don't practice but I don't kow how to make sure they do! It is really annoying!!!
Does anyone have any good ideas?

Thanks

Practice diaries. The parent signs it after they do so much practice a week. No practice, no signature, 3 strikes and they get a warning, 3 more and you're out!

That'll only work if they're quite young, and haven't worked out how to forge their parents' signature!

Hi Rosie.clarinet
I don't teach clarinet but I am sure this is a problem all teachers face. Encouraging a child to love their instrument and want to get better on it is a HUGE part of teaching. Try not to see the child as annoying but see it as a challenge. Have you tried to find out why these children don't practice? It could well be they don't understand why they should, what they should be doing, can't find the motivation etc. etc. Understanding the importance of practice takes time. Try and talk to each of these children in a sensitive, open way. Its hard, but try not to judge. As a teacher maybe you always loved the clarinet and practiced no problem but remember all children are different. Encouragement, goals, rewards, understanding and giving them small tasks to complete all help. There is a very good book called The Practice Revolution by Philip Johnston which discusses how to get great results from the six days between music lessons. Perhaps do a google search for it.
Good luck

Rosie,

There was an almost identical post from a piano teacher a few weeks ago and quite a few suggestions. I can see the value of having a parent sign a 'practice' form, but I think there will be some parents that won't like this.

Perhaps it's better to be clear from the start about the importance of practice, how lack of practice affects the others and how it affects you as a professional. Put it all into an official looking guide that you give to parents at the beginning.

With a problem child it's best to act early. Inform the parents as soon as there's a problem and send them a note each time it's clear he/she didn't practice. Then, they can't act all surprised when you ask to withdraw him later.

You could try what our school does: have a little diary (cheap notebook) that they keep in their clarinet cases for parents to read. Spend a few minutes at the end of each lesson writing one or two words, eg 'Excellent!', 'Well done' etc. Get the parents used to receiving feedback and communicating.

Remember it's not fair on the others to waste time like this.

Steve.

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:All my pupils have a note book in which I write exactly what they need to do, but not making it too wordy.
When the parents collect their child, I am able to briefly discuss what we have done in the lesson and what they need to practise for next lesson. All the children are given an excellent/terriffic/great sticker for some aspect of the lesson that they have done well.It really works! There's nothing as rewarding as having a child arrive for a lesson and cannot wait to tell you what they have achieved at home, while they are still standing by the front door!
good luck, Rosie!

Barbara

Thanks everyone!

I think a practicew diary will help!

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All the children are given an excellent/terriffic/great sticker for some aspect of the lesson that they have done well.It really works!

Yes this works with the little ones, but what about the teenagers???

Violinia

Well try and make them understand the importance of practicing, and if they don't do have a right go at them. My violin teahcer has had a few goes at me before (and rightly so...i had actually done no practice for the week) and that sort of stung me into making sure i practiced.

Practice notebooks work for all my students. Try to find out why there isn't much practice being done. Send a note home to the parents explaining that so much practice is needed daily if they are to continue. If you can't solve the problem of the one child in each group, could you not group all the weaker ones together? If they are all at different levels then that wouldn't work.

QUOTE

Yes this works with the little ones, but what about the teenagers???

Personally, I wouldn't waste my energy. I'm old enough to remember when certain kids got forced to learn instruments because it was the done thing. Not many of those people continued past 16. If a teenager doesn't feel any deep desire to play his/her instrument, I would ask what on earth they're doing, wasting their time on lessons.
Perhaps they were forced into it, or a 9-day wonder?
My eldest son is almost 13 and still loves his trumpet lessons. If he started to lose interest, I'd try and encourage him, but wouldn't force him to continue. I've seen how that has a very negative effect on their desire to learn.

Steve

Here are some excellent practise books that I use with my students check out the link you can also get some free samples of these books from Philip himself if you are really nice to him.

http://www.philipmorrisbooks.co.uk

I regularly use the blue ones, the yearly ones for the advance student and my own children use the red pocket ones for group instrumental tuition at school.

I find the books are really well set up and all my students even the youngest can tick the boxes of the pieces/scales and SR they have practised. It is also good on looking back on progress and showing them how some weeks practises were better than others.

I think that this is not an uncommon situation in schools.
If they play sports in a school team then they don't usually train outside of school... playing an instrument can be seen in the same way.
The instrument lesson can be treated as a break from other lessons. Also the non contact with parents does not help, you may even get parents who actively discourage practice at home.

QUOTE (stevensfo @ Apr 18 2005, 08:12 PM)

If a teenager doesn't feel any deep desire to play his/her instrument, I would ask what on earth they're doing, wasting their time on lessons. Perhaps they were forced into it, or a 9-day wonder?

I agree with that. I think children should be given the chance, but if they don't practice then its their loss. Many children want to be able to play something - without having to learn. Some of them see their friends playing the piano and want to play as well but they don't realise how much work is involved.

i teach private piano lessons, what i do is that i talk to the parents. mine are mostly young kids, the parents usually do the work for me.

another method i use is the reward system, since mine are young girls i buy stickers like hello kitty, power puff girls, hamtaro and such. when they managed to play a piece well within one week they get to choose a sticker.

for older students i nag. every week until they manage to get the piece right, i also go through older pieces to make sure that they can play them and remember what has been taught.

used to teach groups until i gave up as timing was horrible. group lessons are a bit tricky, its hard to be everywhere at once. what i did was to alternate between individual and group performance, peer preasure seems to help a bit in the practice pattern. ^^

In my clarinet class group, not everyone is at the same level so the better people do harder stuff whilst the lower people do easier stuff

QUOTE

Many children want to be able to play something - without having to learn.

One of my daughters was like this on piano.
She did realise it for herself before she was 13 though.
Pity really, I think she would have done well.