Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site spar.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!whuxlm!harpo!decvax!decwrl!spar!singer From: singer@spar.UUCP (David Singer) Newsgroups: net.kids Subject: Re: How do I get my 6 yr old to practice Message-ID: <542@spar.UUCP> Date: Wed, 25-Sep-85 12:05:30 EDT Article-I.D.: spar.542 Posted: Wed Sep 25 12:05:30 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 28-Sep-85 07:56:35 EDT References: <2578@pegasus.UUCP> <14900010@ada-uts.UUCP> Reply-To: singer@max.UUCP (David Singer) Organization: Schlumberger Palo Alto Research, CA Lines: 15 Summary: Practice inducements One effective method of practice for hard bits is M&M practice. You start with say 6 M&Ms on the left hand end of the keyboard. Each time you do the tricky bit right, one goes to the right hand end; getting it wrong, one goes back the other way. When they're all on the right hand end -- you get to eat them! It takes skill to find passages which are within reach, to make it an achievable challenge. One inducement to practice is choice of music -- I never really got into it until I discovered Mozart, and then no-one coujld stop me. A little later it was Bach. My brother had a brief but effective fling with country. How much music does the child hear, that they like and could learn? The 'Gosh, I've just got to be able to play that' is one of the most powerful incentives to practice I know (and yes, there are recordings of 'easy' classical music -- I don't know about other genres). Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com