Evangeline Keeley and Ann Germani from the Manitoba Registered Music Teachers’ Association have some great suggestions to help ensure that your child has a successful start to their musical studies this fall.
September is around the corner, and for many people, it means not only the beginning of the school year but also the start of extra-curricular activities. Music lessons, very often are the first thing parents think about when getting their children enrolled in outside of school activities.
President of the Manitoba Registered Music Teachers’ Association (MRMTA) Evangeline Keeley, and Vice President of the MRMTA Ann Germani have some suggestions for parents wanting to get their children started in the study of music.
The first step on the road to good music education is to get in touch with a qualified teacher. As Ann Germani says, “As soon as your child shows some interest in wanting to play an instrument, call up a teacher right away, and arrange an interview.” The interview can offer huge benefits. The teacher can be introduced to the child, but also the parent of the child can get some idea of what the teacher has to offer. It’s in the interview where the teacher and the parent and student can start to establish future goals for the potential student. “Parents should be prepared to ask the teacher lots of questions in the interview,” says Ann.
Once students have starting studying music, there is always the issue of keeping the student motivated to practice and moving forward in their skills. Hounding your child to practice can be less than appealing for a parent and both Evangeline and Ann offer solutions that will motivate children. As Evangeline says, “Students need a peer group of kids that they know who are also taking lessons. And it doesn’t even have to be the same instrument necessarily...but just to that have that sort of peer group that they can come together and talk about problems they are having.”
One of the places students can find this learning atmosphere is by studying with a MRMTA teacher. The MRMTA offers a variety of ways that music students can meet each other, whether it is through performance and scholarship opportunities, masterclasses, or by studio parties that are held by the teacher The MRMTA affords any level of music student the ability to meet their peers and learn from each other.
MRMTA teachers all have professional qualifications and pedagogy training in their specific discipline. Teachers have to provide documentation to the MRMTA as proof of their qualifications in order to become a member. Evangeline Keeley says “to me that’s a big point for a parent looking for a qualified and professional instructor for their child.”
The MRMTA is offering several online and in-person events for this upcoming school year. For more details, to find a teacher or to simply find out more about the MRMTA click here:
In this era of COVID, one of the technological revelations to teachers and students has been the use of Zoom. “I see huge advantages to using Zoom as a platform. What we can do online is pretty amazing, and it’s making it (music education) very accessible for our students and our teachers!” states Ann
To see host Chris Wolf entire conversation with Ann Germani and Evangeline Keeley, click here:
Thu, Apr 25, 7:30 PM
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