At-Home-Teacher Spotlight!
At Music House, we believe that the involvement and support of parents is necessary to create the optimal environment for a student's success. When parents, teachers, and students work together, a "triangle of support" is created. We call this the "Parent-Student-Teacher Triangle." Parents who are a part of this triangle are called "at-home-teachers.
We asked the parents of some of our most committed Music House students to share their tips for encouraging a young artist at home:
Stay in communication with the teacher:
“We found participating in the practice challenges and listening to CD daily are very helpful. Communicating with the teacher is also crucial to know what our kids are learning in class so that we can help them practice those skills at home.”
Trieu Vu & Cindy Le: Parents of Léa & Ela Vu (violin and dance)
”We have worked practicing into our daily schedule. We also ask questions and have Langan explain what he is doing; this helps him take his knowledge to the next level. Checking in with his teachers is also an important part of our at home support.”
Anneliese Gallagher: Parent of Langan Marshall (dance)
Encourage participation in the Practice Challenges:
“I think that signing up for practice challenges and performing for family members has helped to support my children throughout their journey at Music House.”
Andrea Peterson: Parent of Edith (dance, violin) and Lloyd Peterson (ukulele, violin)
“One of the things we've found most helpful for Anthony and his progress in playing violin are the practice challenges because it keeps him accountable for at least 15 minutes of practice a day. Many times those 15 minutes become 30 or even an hour because he becomes engrossed in his music! There are times when I take video of his playing and we watch and listen to it together. This motivates him to fix any mistakes and fine tune the sound.”out
Marissa and Michael Lat: Parents of Anthony Lat (violin)
Be their biggest cheerleader and supporter:
“Music House is such an important part of Cora's life. She truly loves performing, which makes "at-home" teaching easy. The absolute best way for us to encourage her at home is asking her to perform for us by reading lines, singing songs, showing off dance moves, or playing a new, challenging song on the violin.”
Lindsay and Reid Bolton: Parents of Cora Bolton (dance, violin, musical theater)
“In my experience the most important thing I can do for Avery is to support and encourage her every step of the way. I ask how classes are going and remind her the importance of practicing in order to get better and grow.”
Sara Haukap Yeboah: Parent of Avery Yeboah (dance)
Find what motivates them:
“Giving our kid space at home, both literally and figuratively has really helped her practice and excel at her instrument. Literally, providing her with the instruments, tools, and practice space she needs is key. And figuratively - we've enabled her to work on things OUTSIDE of the Music House teachings; work on what she wants to work on as well.”
TJ and Veronica Brown: Parents of Bebel Brown (guitar)
“Signing your child up for multiple classes with different styles of dance can help your student grow and find their movement. It prepares them for the dance world, giving them a backbone of technique, and allowing your student to be well rounded. The dance world is looking for someone who can express themselves in their movement and show their individuality.”
Corina Ghertan: Parent of Juliana Ghertan (dance)
I don't think we do very much! We have been super lucky to have teachers who really connect with the kids and who are good role models as musicians and as human beings. We also encourage them to do as much ensemble work as possible, especially in mixed groups. Kids are so motivated by playing with others and we love that Suzuki starts out with an understanding of music as something you do with other people. At home, there are just a lot of instruments and music (and chaos). We get them to do something music-adjacent every day, whether it's piano or violin or bass or singing to the CD or the kids playing the white book songs together or Margot will dance while Zora plays Nutcracker. We try not to get too bogged down in what exactly they are doing because it's all musical education in the end.
Jenny Ludwig and Tom Shriner: Parents of Zora (piano, bass, and violin) and Margot (violin)
Make it a part of their family/social lives:
“The three things I have found that has helped Isabelle and Solen grow as musicians are practice whenever they can, pivoting as they grow into more group music lessons (make it part of their social lives), and last but not least performances. I even encourage participating as parents in some way even if they aren't musically inclined. I personally would sing while Izzy and Solen would play a rock duet.”
Steven D'Souza: Parent of Isabelle D’Souza and Solen D'Souza (violin and piano)
“Leverage the many resources that Music House provides and immerse yourself in the musical - listen to the songs as background music, watch the dance videos and read the script like a storybook. And don’t hesitate to reach out if additional help is needed from the teachers - they are great about supporting the performers!
Julie Parrilla: Parent of Jude Parrilla (musical theater)
Read our At-Home-Teacher FAQ to learn more about supporting your child as an At-Home-Teacher!
