A few days ago, a particularly talented student played through three songs beautifully. Over the course of the last several months, she has tackled challenging pieces and has improved dramatically from lesson to lesson. She is very determined to play guitar and she has a strong desire to play music. I told her that learning an instrument was a lot like climbing a very high mountain and that instead of taking a step at a time, it seemed like she had a helicopter to the top. I think she got the metaphor because of her smile. For parents of young musicians, the mountain metaphor is a good one. Note: although I enjoy a good hike, my mountain climbing is purely imaginary; experienced vicariously through my wife’s ascents of Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua, etc., and through a story I read to my children about the road to Lhasa. Nevertheless, peaks, as I understand them, are elusive, concealed in fog and clouds. With perseverance, intelligence, questioning, and some gentle guidance the peaks come into view. Sometimes, as my student’s parent chimed in, you have to stop and enjoy the view. Sometimes we tumble backwards and have to consult maps. Sometimes we have to go back to base camp and evaluate a new way to the top, etc… I could keep going.

The metaphor of the long haul is valuable for parents but for very young children it is not as useful though it is nice to share. Most parents have the perspective to see the learning curve and what a long term commitment could yield. Small children are zen creatures, living in the now, and living in the now for parents is sometimes as elusive as that mountain top when you’re cleaning, making dinner, and carting the siblings to their various sports and lessons. This is one of the reasons why it is challenging to sit patiently with your child while they explore every note on the guitar except the one you ask them to play. Suspend the future and past, provide specific activities and small goals to ensure success, offer praise for achieving and more importantly, for trying, and take another small step with your child tomorrow.