Should I Introduce Another Project?
Found in: Practicing & Playlists
Sue C., Australia
I have a 6 year old who can play all song up to Ode to Joy level 1 well. We have spent 2 weeks on RH and I will not put hands together until he has the counting right. Can I move on and teach part of Bishop Street Blues while he is mastering the counting?
Neil Moore
This could easily go both ways, and both could easily be justified and defended. It would present no problem to me to hover on Ode To Joy, be patient, and allow the child the time needed to for the glue to set.
However, I also would have no significant concern about adding in another, additional project. I believe it is a good thing to be working on a couple of projects, particularly if the need to do this emerged under fairly natural circumstances, and was not forced.
In such instances, and as you suggested, I too would choose a project from a different genre (contemporary, blues or accompaniment), and I would definitely administer a far smaller dose than usual. Over the forthcoming week, the parent would have an elevated responsibility to oversee the daily practice so that the child only began processing the new material, after clear, measurable progress was evident, at home, during each of their daily practice sessions.
If the child is being adequately supported at home, significant progress on Ode To Joy would be evident, and you would continue to nudge things forward, on both projects, during the next lesson (obviously, favoring the completion of Ode To Joy).