Looking for your child’s first music program is often a challenge. Music study can be taxing on your schedule as well as your wallet. The following tips will help you make the most of your investment.

Keep it age appropriate

Your three year old may sing like Madonna, but chances are, she’s not ready to spend an hour a week in a voice studio learning about the anatomy of the larynx. Seek out programs that are geared toward your budding songbird. For a very young budding musician, look for early childhood music programs that focus on the process of learning music and NOT performance. Some great options include Kindermusik, Music Together and Generation Music. As she gets older, try to involve your child in a community, church or school chorus to help her build musicianship. Generally speaking, an older child/young adolescent is not physically ready to begin a one-on-one technical voice program.

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If your child really wants to take music lessons, try to encourage her to take up an accompanying instrument like the piano or guitar or seek out voice programs geared toward her age and ability. As for instrumentalists, if your child is not yet able to read or write the alphabet you may want to consider enrolling her in a Suzuki method program which, unlike a traditional program, teaches children to play by ear.

Ask for Recommendations

Chances are you know someone who is currently studying music. Friends, family, schoolmates, music teachers and people you see in performance can all be valuable resources. Don’t be afraid to ask specific questions. How did you find Suzy’s viola teacher? Does she teach a specific method? How often does she offer recital/performance opportunities to her students?

Look for Credentials

Because there is no formal licensing procedure for most private music teachers, parents need to establish their own guidelines. Look for instructors with a formal education in the applied instrument they are teaching. Many community music schools will publish or have available instructor biographies which will give you a better understanding of its faculty’s qualifications. For early childhood programs, instructors may be licensed by corporate entities. This guarantees that the instructor has met the corporation’s guidelines for offering the licensed curricula.

Listen for Knowledgeability and Exceptional Communication Skills

You may not have a specific understanding of what your child needs to be working on in her lessons, but her teacher must. When making an initial contact, be sure to ask the prospective teacher specifically what it is he teaches. If the instructor can’t articulate it to you, he may not be able to articulate it to your child.

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Check In With Your Child

You may have done your homework and selected the best instructor you could find, but that doesn’t guarantee your child and her instructor will develop the rapport needed to encourage growth. Any experienced teacher will tell you that sometimes it’s just not the right fit. Be flexible enough to understand that you may need to try a couple of instructors before you settle in on the right one.

Listen for Results

Numerous studies show that learning music enhances everything from cognitive reasoning skills to social adaptability. It will probably be too difficult for you to qualify those gains. Instead, look for results you can measure. Is your child learning to read music? Is she proud of the work she’s doing? Is she making improvements from one recital to the next?

Finding the right music program for your child may seem like a time consuming project. Remember to maintain your perspective. You are seeking to encourage your child’s musical ability. Countless studies show that this gift will have far-reaching implications. If you ask questions now, you can be sure that your commitment of time and financial investment will pay off.

Heidi K. Vass, M.M. can be found at the Vass Studio, where she teaches voice classes. 401/467-1495 www.VassStudio.com

She has been featured in community theatre, summer stock, regional and off- Broadway productions. She received her dramatic/speech training at the Stella Adler Conservatory of Acting in New York City. She has sung with the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, St. Luke's Orchestra and New Jersey Symphony. In addition to her opera and recital credits, she has been a featured soloist with The Los Angeles Baroque Orchestra and has made guest appearances with the New Rochelle Opera, Palm Springs Opera Guild, Masterworks Chorale, Vox Consort, Amherst Early Music Festival and on the Concordia Master Series.

She has placed first in the AEIOU, Westminster, Palm Springs Opera Guild, Arts on the Mountain, and National Federation of Music Clubs competitions focusing on both musical theatre and classical singing.

Ms. Vass earned her Bachelor of Music degree at Westminster Choir College and her Master of Music degree at the University of Southern California, where she was a professor of voice, teaching class and group voice. While at USC, she founded the Black Box Opera Project - a performance project committed to bringing educational chamber opera performances into inner-city Los Angeles schools. She is the program founder and currently directs The Broad Street Entertainers-A performing mentoring project at St. Pauls Church in Edgewood.

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