The First Teacher 

Reading the article of Robert H. Woody, I saw a statement that suddenly caught my attention:

"Exceptional musicians tend to remember their first teacher as being friendly, relaxed and encouraging".

Later he explains that we need also a subsequent teacher, more exigent because just a "warmth" dimension it seems to be not enough in our musical growth.

How do you remember your first teacher?

When we are teaching the youngest children, the most important thing is to provide them positive feelings about music. This should be our first priority. Why? Because a child`s earliest musical moments can have consequences that facilitate or inhibit further musical involvement for a lifetime.

Other important aspect is to teach the young children how to practice. Deliberate practice is the greatest contributor in acquiring music performance skills. It enables musicians to improve their skills more quickly and motivate them to continue working on their musical growth. It`s our responsibility to teach the young children how to practice efficiently and than to remind them to do it whenever is necessary. 

Some suggestions about efficient practice you can read in one of my past articles.

In conclusion, I would like YOUR ANSWER to this question:

Are you friendly, warm and encouraging with your students?