The Teamwork Mindset in Music Practice

This article on teamwork is part of a series on three mindsets we can develop as parents and caregivers working with our children & teens during music practice. You can read the intro article here and the article on growth mindset here. 

Why a Teamwork Mindset Helps

Of all of the mindsets I am sharing in this series, this is the one I wish I had understood when I was a new Suzuki parent. 

I was a new Suzuki teacher around the same time I started practicing with my oldest daughter. I was determined to do everything “just right,” and she was, and is, very determined and head-strong. This determination has served her well in life but made it very challenging to practice together. 

To make matters worse, I mistakenly thought it was my job to “make” her practice and do the assignments for the week. This approach to practice set up a relationship between us that made us rivals more than teammates. 

Practice often became a mental wrestling match that often left both of us feeling frustrated. 

What I learned the hard way, and what has helped many parents I have shared it with, is setting up a practice dynamic that involves teamwork instead. 

I have found this to be a powerful way to reframe practice to help remove negativity and make practice more enjoyable for everyone involved.

No one sets out to argue with their child every time they practice.

I have never heard of someone signing up for an activity because they want to have a daily battle of wills with their child. 

However, it’s very easy to fall into a habit of this kind of interaction during daily practice if we aren’t careful. As parents, we all mean well, and we want to see our children follow through on assignments and make progress on their instruments. 

I invite parents to think about practice like this: 

you are on the same team, with your child, working to accomplish the assignments your teachers have given you for your next lesson.

How can we work together to get practice tasks done? How can we inspire an interest in learning from our child? 

The challenge: 

Sometimes what seems easy in the lesson is harder to get done at home every single day throughout the week.

Perhaps our child is still learning to focus.  The careful repetitions involved may feel daunting. It may be easier for a child to hear feedback from the teacher than from us. We might need lots of creativity to make a challenging task easier over time, and it’s hard to know where to start. 

Here is what I would suggest starting developing this teamwork mindset:

First, spend time observing how your child learns and what motivates them.

 Do they prefer to try out new assignments? Do they prefer review where they already feel confident and comfortable? Do prefer feedback that is spoken out loud or nonverbal? Is there a part of practice that they easily flow through vs. other parts that feel like a chore?

Once we have done some observation and reflection on how things are going our next step is to focus on our child’s strengths. Then we can support them in the areas where they are still developing. 

Build on Strengths & Help Support Areas that Still Need Development

When we notice our child’s strengths, we can build on them to practice together. They can shine during these activities and it helps build ownership and motivation.

When we notice where our child needs more support, we can help fill those gaps so that together we make a team that can accomplish what we are setting out to work on.

When we are on a team, Working together effectively often means noticing who has strengths in different areas and dividing them accordingly.

Perhaps your child is enthusiastic and loves playing what they have already learned and felt confident about but is resistant to new assignments.  

Teamwork might look like this: the parent helps find activities that build their child’s focus while practicing new assignments. 

• A way to count successful repetitions 

• Setting a timer, so you have a time limit (and goal) to work on new material. 

• Noticing what makes it easier to focus: a metronome, nonverbal feedback, a backing track to play with, a short demonstration video from our teacher, etc

The opposite can also be true.

 Perhaps our child loves a new challenge and diligently works on their new assignments but is resistant to review work. 

 As parents, we can understand the excitement for the new and have the long-term perspective that we need to build the foundation underneath that with some technical practice that is repetitive. Just like a swimmer doesn’t learn a new stroke and then stop doing the others they know, or a soccer player does learn to run laps around the field and then stop doing them. We work on the new and keep practicing what we know, so we have depth and strength. 

In this case, the parent can help shore that up by making the review more tolerable for their child. 

Some examples would be:

• Checklists, 

• Physically moving from room to room for each piece

• Playing one piece for each stuffed animal or doll, we line up as our audience. 

If you practice with more than one child, they will likely each need their kind of support based on their strengths and interests. Over time, when your child starts to practice independently with a blessing from your teacher, this work you’ve done will help them to work more effectively with themselves. 

For older students, our children may need help mapping out time for practice. They may need help creating a system for reminding them to follow through on assignments, even if they can manage the technical details of practice independently. 

I invite you to think about your practice time with your child(ren) with the teamwork mindset this week.

I hope you will find ways to work together to accomplish your practice assignments. I hope some of these ideas help get you started!