NeoClassic Music School

“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.“ – Aristotle

In her book, Legendary Learning, Jamie McMillin discusses habits. According to her, habits exert a powerful influence over our actions in our daily life and that we all have habits whether we are aware of them or not. She also says that habits are a great predictor of success, probably more than any test score can, which is why it is so important to develop good habits, especially in children.

In successful people, achievement did not just fall into their laps. They disciplined themselves to work hard, to follow through with promises, to take responsibility and to manage their own personal behaviour – not always perfectly, but consciously.

Jamie gives us some ways we can cultivate good habits in ourselves and our children:

1. Cultivate the habit of attention. The habit of attention is particularly important for learning. Children who get easily distracted should be trained to get into the habit of attention by keeping lessons very short (no more than 10 minutes) and interesting.

2. Replace a bad habit with a good one, little by little. Avert the unwanted behaviour quickly and keep at it consistently for 2-3 months until the desired behaviour has taken hold.

3. Reinforce expectations with gentle reminders consistently and follow through.However, it is not enough to say your expectations and repeat them at regular intervals hoping that your child will comply. You will save yourself a lot of heartache if you get your child in the habit early by doing it with him everytime at first.

4. Repeat the correct behaviour. According to Jamie McMillin, a fascinating brain research is being done on super talented individuals. She says, “neurologists have found that the more a nerve fires, the more myelin wraps around the nerve. The more myelin that is built up along nerve pathways, the quicker the nerve impulses can travel. But myelin super highways are not built overnight. They are built over time and with a consistent targeted practice. Everytime a guitarists strums a chord or a gymnast pounces on a springboard, they are reinforcing certain neural pathways. These neural pathways can either be correct or incorrect, depending on the quality of practice.” She says this is the reason why good teachers and coaches are always so particular about building skills in a certain order, and correcting form and posture before the student has a chance to develop bad habits.

5. Model the behaviour you want in your children. Screaming and scolding may temporarily solve situations. But according to Jamie McMillin, “consistency, modelling and practice are the way to go.”

6. Chunk Your Goals. Break down goals into small, manageable “chunks” or steps and focus on each small step, one at a time.

7. Keep it short, simple, direct and most of all – consistent. Demonstrate the right way to do something, then follow up with short, task-based feedback, not judgment.

8. Be patient. Creating a good habit may require some hard work at first. However, it gets easier as you practise it repeatedly.

“The second half of a man’s life is made up of nothing but the habits he has acquired during the first half.” – Feodor Dostoevski

The Suzuki Philosophy (1)

The Suzuki approach to music education is an internationally known teaching philosophy and music curriculum developed by Japanese pedagogue and violinist, Shinichi Suzuki. The method aims to create an environment for learning music which parallels the linguistic environment of learning a language.

One of the really great books on the subject is “More than Music: A Handbook for Teachers, Parents and Students” by Carole L. Bigler and Valery Lloyd-Watts. Whether you are a parent, a teacher or a student, this approach can provide great benefits to learning.

In a nutshell, here are the implications of the Suzuki approach:

1. There are no failures – Dr Suzuki says, “What child refuses to speak his or her native language? If a child does not learn, it does not mean lack of ability, but rather that the teaching methods are not compatible with his present development or that the child has not been properly or sufficiently stimulated.

2. Environment educates Children – Ability develops because of the environment. A child from a home where good English is spoken speaks good English. If the child comes from a family which uses poor English, he will speak poor English. A child can learn only that which his particular environment offers. Dr. Suzuki said, “A child who never hears good music will never be able to reproduce it. Children can be taught to make good music.”

3. The rate of progress is dictated by the child – In the Suzuki philosophy, no child is compared to others of comparable age.

4. Ability breeds ability – The accumulation of abilities results in accomplishment. In music, a child begins with simple skills, and develops and accumulates them. The final result is an accomplished musician.

5. A happy environment yields high standards, great ability – According to Dr. Suzuki, work is food for the soul if the attitude towards it is positive. It is commonly mistakenly thought that great ability is gained through oppressively hard work. A positive parental approach made the learning of language pleasurable. This positive response is one of the keys to mother tongue learning and is one of the most significant educational contributions of Dr. Suzuki’s Talent Education.

Other Benefits of Mother Tongue Education:

1. Begins Learning at an Early Age

2. Develops Concentration

3. Develops the Ability to Memorize

4. Develops Co-ordination

5. Develops Sensitivity to Patterns

6. Develops Sensitivity to Beauty

7. Promotes a More Harmonious Family Life

8. Eliminates Friction and Tension Which Impede Learning

9. Promotes Self-Esteem