With No Child Left Behind, education has been reduced to rote memorization, little problem solving, creativity, and worst of all, they have removed most of the music and arts programs from the schools.

The results are in.  After 10 years of NCLB, SAT scores have hit a new low.

This is sad; research shows music study improves academic performance, increases intelligence, and creates data structures in the brain used for abstract concepts in math and science.

Instruction should be self-paced, interesting, and holistic.

The first goal of teaching must be that the student understand the concepts behind what they are learning. Only then can the student easily master the material. Thus. the student becomes confident, lessons are fun, and the learning is permanent.   

Lessons must be positive-oriented, meet the student's goals, and be aimed at the learning style of each student. 

I avoid criticism like the plague.   

Practice each note with as much feeling as possible.

How you practice is how you'll play.

Steps of Learning

• First, a student must understand the concept of what they are learning.   
• Learning is a two-way street.  An educator must ensure that the student understands the material before moving ahead. 
• Then they are ready to learn the actual material.  
• A hands-on experience is essential. 
• Regular reviews where we learn to play previously studied material with increased musicianship.
• Everyone's ear can be vastly improved.  
• The role of sleep is essential for all learning. 
• During the first REM cycle, the person reviews the materials and ideas they have learned.
• New exciting research found that during the first deep sleep cycle following REM, the brain actually creates the circuitry for muscle memory, builds data structures in the brain, and stores long-term memory.
• It has been said, practice makes perfect.  Wrong.  Perfect Practice makes perfect.  Practice slowly so your brain can build efficient circuits with no wasted motion.
  
• Consequently, because of the role of sleep, daily short practice or study is much more effective than fewer longer practice sessions.
• This explains why cramming for a test is ineffective and does not produce long-term learning.

I believe in holistic education. 

See The Brain and Music

What has happened to our schools?

Public education has been taken over and destroyed by politicians.  No Child Left Behind left schools, administrators, and teachers being judged by how their students performed on short-term rote learning on standardized tests.  This removed all creativity and thinking from both the teacher and student.  Great teachers have left education or simply given up.     

Music and arts have been removed from our curriculum for the most part; constant drill and practice for the results of the tests have replaced group activities, problem solving, projects, creativity, in short, thinking.  

Ensure your child has an education that develops their thinking, creativity and long-term academic and professional performance with personalized, positive-oriented musical instruction.

Parenting Tips.

Does your child come home from school upset?  They seem fine at school and then they are upset?

After School Attitude Problems: