Making Music A Family Affair

Making Music A Family Affair

Teaching siblings from the same family presents a variety of challenges and opportunities.  On one hand, if the siblings are close in age and at all competitive, music lessons can become another manifestation of sibling rivalry.  Or, in the case of the family pictured above, music can become an expression of the loving bond that knits the hearts of a family as one.  

These 3 sweet sisters are close in age and started group lessons via the Let's Play Music curriculum at the same time.  At the end of the first year, the older two sisters were ready to advance to the keyboards, and we decided the younger sister would do better repeating the first year of the curriculum. During that first year of instruction, she was a shy withdrawn, insecure student: always allowing her older siblings to take the stage.  The following year she began to open up; Her smile became brighter and she was able to find the music within herself. 

This first year on the keyboards she has been so excited to learn how to play Halloween is Coming using both a major and minor chord.  In the Let's Play Music curriculum, students learn to play chords and self accompany as they sing along.  As this sweet young lady came to take her place at the piano in her very first piano recital (Music Marathon) she seemed excited; anxious yet confident.  I asked if she wanted to sing by herself or have someone sing with her, and her initial choice was by herself.  As she played the first 2 chords, she suddenly stopped and whispered that she wanted her sisters to come sing with her.  The two older sisters and her mother quickly took their place behind her at the piano and they all sang together.  Confidence returned as she was strengthened by the support of those loving family members.

It was in this moment, that my mission as a music teacher was fulfilled.  I teach to bring the joy of music to others.  I believe whole heartedly that parental involvement is an important key to the success of a music student.  But most importantly, I believe in the POWER of music to strengthen relationships, facilitating the bond of a parent, child and siblings.  In this sweet moment, the simplest of songs unified a family in support of a developing musician.