You have always loved music and have recently learned that it is beneficial for the development of children. So you would like your child to learn to play an instrument, but you don’t know who to contact! Everyone knows how important the choice of teacher is, whatever the subject! Is it enough to be a musician to be able to teach music? Will a piano prodigy be able to captivate Mini-vous? What are the essential qualities to teach music to toddlers? How do you know that the person to whom you entrust the apple of your eye will succeed in motivating them in the long term? What are the signs that you have found the right music teacher ?? If you still haven’t found satisfactory answers to these questions, read this article quickly!

1 – Pedagogy  

Like any parent, you know full well that the little angel face you love above all else isn’t always very cooperative! There are actually all sorts of reasons for him to divert his attention to something else. It is then necessary to be able to capture his interest again and for that it will be necessary to show pedagogy and to be able to vary the techniques!

Before the age of 3, children are not able to maintain their attention for more than ten minutes. That’s why you have to plan a variety of activities and think about taking breaks so as not to overload your developing brain!

As Elisabeth, piano teacher at Allegro Musique since 2015, explains to us, “ All playful techniques are to be prioritized with children. The most difficult thing is not necessarily to capture their attention but to keep it. The little ones are not able to stay focused on the same exercise and the same method for an hour of class, it’s impossible to expect that from them. It is therefore necessary to vary the activities, change every ten minutes so that they assimilate, while having fun. »

2 – Patience

Pedagogy is not enough to teach music or even any other subject. Indeed, it is not only a question of having good techniques but also of adapting to the specificities of the children. If you have several children, you have obviously noticed that they do not all have the same behavior, the same facilities and that it is sometimes difficult to achieve with one of them what is easy with another. Quite simply, each child is unique! It is therefore up to the super music teacher to adapt his learning techniques and for this the music teacher will have to be patient!

From the age of 6, children can be more attentive but that does not guarantee that they will be motivated to work between each lesson! If this is not the case, it would be totally counter-productive to get upset, on the contrary patience is the best ally of a good piano teacher for example, all the more so if the child has not really passion for music. This is what Angelina, piano teacher since 2018, explains to us:

“ There are two kinds of students: those for whom it is a passion and those for whom it is a hobby. Often the former are more involved than the latter in training between each lesson. So that with the latter we stagnate more, we often have to repeat the same things so that requires patience. Similarly, when it is the parents who impose lessons on their children, sometimes the little flame is missing and that makes learning more difficult for the child. »

3 – Benevolence 

As with any subject, children (and adults too!) learn best when they feel confident with their teacher. Knowing that you can ask questions, express your concerns and difficulties, that it is normal to make mistakes during the learning period, all of this is essential for progress! Indeed, benevolence is the main quality of the best home music teachers ! And if some music teachers think that you have to push their students to the limit to aim for excellence, like Terence Fletcher, a somewhat sadistic drum teacher in the film Whiplash, this is fortunately not the case for Allegro teachers. Music !

On the contrary, as Elisabeth points out, it is important to always highlight the progress of the students! “ You should never devalue a child. I think that on the contrary, you have to adapt to their learning speed and always encourage them. That doesn’t mean having no critical sense but being constructively critical. If a student has not worked hard enough, you have to say so of course, but find the right words. Even when learning is difficult, you have to know how to turn a weakness into a strength, tell him that even if it takes time, he has the merit of hanging on. »

4 – Humor 

And if despite all the efforts, despite the pedagogy, the patience and the empathy, the student remains blocked and does not manage to progress, is it really definitive? Is it really that dramatic? Don’t we say “it’s better to laugh than to cry”? Faced with a stressed student who cannot overcome his difficulties and who seems to lose self-confidence or who gives up, humor is a good ally! It is indeed the secret weapon that Angélina and Elisabeth use when they find themselves faced with children whose learning is stagnating and who experience it very badly! Let’s not forget that children are in the process of emotional development and it is very difficult for them to manage their emotions, especially frustration.

For Angélina, if “ the passion ” is missing, learning is seen more as a constraint, which can make the lessons complicated. She then chooses to ” make jokes to lighten the atmosphere ” and it seems to be a good way to boost her students!