by Penny Mohr, parent of a student in the Artistic Expressions Program
I am a working mother and have been a Suzuki parent for nearly six years. My time after work is often hectic, cooking dinner, attending one after-school event or another, but our violin practice time is uniquely reserved for just me and my daughter. I credit this philosophy of teaching music with deepening my relationship with my child and honing my skills in patience. I remember attending a Suzuki lecture when my daughter and I first began the program where the speaker referred to the practice time we spend each day as a parent’s time to practice patience. I have taken that to heart. It is a skill that warrants practicing for everyone. During this time, I also work on my observational and listening skills, my sense of humor, and how not to be autocratic, but to encourage her to experiment and involve her in thinking about why one way of doing something works better than another. This coaching role is a lot of what we do as parents, and these skills carry over into my working day as well.
I admit it is not always easy. There were times, particularly when she was very young, when I had to dig deep into my well of creativity to keep her motivated. I often need to tap into my reserves of patience. However, I learned early on that scheduling practice for the same time daily, and allowing no excuses for getting out of practice were essential for avoiding evening fights and to see improvement in her playing. Now, we have developed our little rituals to make this a time we both look forward to – with mint tea and a small chocolate as the prize at the end of the practice. Our whole family has benefited from understanding of how dedicated, consistent and quality practice can produce such beautiful results, no matter what the endeavor.