I don't think I'm the only one that thinks that. Children often tell me that when they grow up they are going to be on 'Britain's Got Talent' and when I ask them what their talent is they seem surprised. They think they can just do anything. "Well, if I had a saxophone I'd play that!"
Practising used to be a greater part of our school lives than it is for children now. We had to stand up every morning and recite our tables and it didn't matter if we didn't understand them we just had to do it over and over again until we knew what came next. We had to practice our letters until we made perfect loops and circles. We had to read whole books (not just the bit that we needed to pass the exam). We had to repeat the Lord's Prayer every morning in assembly. Giving up wasn't an option because you just had to do it again the next day. And it was BORING.
It must have been boring for the teachers too and some children would never have understood anything.
But practice is important. My son has discovered this over the last few days. He is a child who had thrived on a culture of Success Criteria. If you tell him what he needs to do to pass he will do it (and nothing else). He's always been very good in school because he can play the game but learning an instrument has been different. He just said, "You know, practice really helps. I can nearly play that piece now."
Yesterday I gave a new piece of music to all the year 1 and 2 children to learn on their recorder. By 8pm I had received several messages of 'thanks' from parents who were so glad their children had gone to bed and their child had stopped practising. In our house there was violin, flute, piano and drum practice last night and saxophone practice at 6am this morning. (Our poor neighbours!) Even the dog played the piano.
Although, I know I should be glad, sometimes after a day of noise I would just like an evening of total silence.
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