Parent Support Session
Found in: Coaches, Relationships
Un Mani, Australia
So happy about a droplet of grace that came to my studio today. A mum came up with an idea about which I am so excited that I am instituting next week.
An hour long zoom SM Parent Support Session .
The structure she suggested was all participants bring along an idea or something that really worked in supporting piano at home, and a challenge – something they would like support for. Most of these mums are far flung and don’t know one another but we are looking towards some level of regularity (maybe quarterly) to ongoingly back one another and grow trust. Curious if any SM teacher has offered this in their studio before and how it went? Robin Keehn?
Kerry V., Australia
i’d LOVE to know how you co ordinate it. I gave this a go some years back however, the parents didn’t seem all that responsive, mainly due to other commitments they all had, times just didn’t work.
Robin Keehn, Washington
Hi Un Mani, I never coordinated something like this but I had two groups that did. One was an adult group that created something like this when I was absent for a month following my dad’s death….And, one was a group of moms who’d been with me FOREVER (from Kindermusik and then SM). Their kids were all about 9-11 years old and they coordinated musical play dates and shared ideas to keep their kids going over the Christmas break one year.
I loved that I didn’t have to do it and I didn’t get involved other than to say, “I love it! Go do it!” 🙂
Un Mani, Australia
Robin Keehn thank you. I had a feeling something happened in your studio.it’s all so relevant to mums getting confidant holding their ground at home.
I’ll certainly report back Kerry V. but I do think the kernel of success was similar to Robin Keehns comments that this is an incentive of the parent body not me as teacher. So they have ownership this area.
Kerry V., Australia
yes very true, my thoughts too. When it is generated from the parent there can be different results.
Original discussion above started November 2, 2022. Below is Unmani’s followup report from November 8, 2022:
Un Mani, Australia
Hello, I promised some of you I would report back about the SM parent support session – how it was done and how it went.
First if you missed my post, the initiative came from a parent only one week ago, so we didn’t mess around from go to whoa! My part was to phone them all to invite or speak/spruik one on one, offer my Zoom space and get a time.
I have just signed off from an absorbed hours discussion with four parents who didn’t know one another before.
FORMAT I decided to ‘hold the space’ because of it being the first time and I’m kinda the ‘glue’ btw them all, but I needn’t once the group is independent.
STEPS 1. Quick intro round the screen – kids and ages and levels . 2. Checking if they were ok to being recorded (given they would be talking in detail about their kids) That was a yes. 3.Pre prepared good ideas that have worked at home were shared and discussed 4. Challenges thrown into the ring and discussed .
FUTURE SESSIONS? They chose to go organically when one of the group has a ‘red flag’. We’ll see how that goes.
WRAPPING UP The session was a tight hour..I asked them to say one thing they got from the session . lots of good stuff there.. It was lovely for me to heartfeltly validate what I see as the ‘sacred’ task of parenting.What did I get out of it personally and professionally? It was salutary being alerted to what was happening with deeply committed parents at the ‘coalface’ as it were. Hearing how real the challenges to their parenting can be at times. And another layer of trust between us as collaborators in gving this child music as a lifelong companion.
Now I’m off to send out the recording to the parents who couldn’t make it and asked.
It really does feel to be another whole level my studio has lifted into.