Parents - FAQ

Q. Why does my child need a metronome?
A. To learn to play in time you should really have a metronome. Being able to keep time with your fellow musicians is one of the most important things for any musician. Metronomes are great when practicing to ensure that you keep a standard tempo throughout the piece of music.

Q. How can I help keep my child's instrument in tune?
A. Hopefully the pegs on your child's instrument have been “set” well so that all it needs is an adjustment to the fine tuners at the tailpiece. You can purchase a tuner, either the digital/electronic type or a manual “note sounder” or pitch pipe. The manual version will allow you to hear the proper note and then adjust the fine tuner to match the note by ear. The digital/electronic type will have an indicator that will show if the note being played is sharp or flat and allow you to tune with the fine tuners until the indicator is at “0”. If the peg has slipped, it is best to have the child's instructor retune the instrument or bring it to your local string shop. Take a tuning lesson at your local string shop. (This service should be free of charge).

Q. How often should my child practice and for how long?
A. For the beginner a good general rule would be a minimum of 20 minutes daily. This should increase to 25-30 minutes daily as the student progresses. If you incorporate some time with scales and some time allocated to songs, this should not be difficult. A good 20 minutes of quality focused practice beats 30 minutes of “hurry and get through it”.

Q. How can I encourage my child in the program?
A. Praise, praise, praise. Sit in on their practice, go to their performances and ask them to teach you about their instrument. Be Involved

Q. Why does my child need a music stand at home since they have them at school?
A. This insures proper form and puts them in the “practice mode”.

Q. How do I know when my child is ready for the next size instrument?
A. The instructor will let you know when the time comes.

Q. When should I consider a “better quality” instrument than the student model?
A. If the student has progressed through the sizes to a full size (4/4 Violin, 15” or larger Viola, 7/8 or 44 Cello or ¾ Bass) it would be the appropriate time to consider moving them to a higher quality instrument. Hearing and feeling the advantages of an advanced instrument also provides motivation for the student as they are no longer “outplaying” the instrument. Every student eventually outplays the beginner level instrument and can become frustrated when they don't “hear” the results of their actual progress.

Q. What sort of maintenance should my child do for their instrument?
A. Wipe the instrument down with a clean lint-free polish cloth after playing. Purchase some string cleaner and some polish and use as needed. Normally a clean polish cloth and a “wipe-down” of strings and body will do as routine maintenance with polish and string cleaner less frequent. Watch for “slipping pegs”, hard to turn fine tuners, broken windings on strings and take them to your servicing outlet for maintenance. Any problems with bows, such as loss of too much hair, hard to tighten adjustment screws, etc, should also be taken in for maintenance or replacement.