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Have you ever been taught by a very strict teacher? Have you been given a cold treatment when you did not practice? Did you feel like a failure when you kept playing the wrong notes? These negative experiences might leave a bitter and sour taste that dampen your passion for music and even halt your progress, savaging budding talents. I have come across many cases when students got triggered over seemingly minor issues in the class with so much anger and frustration. My music therapy background immediately informed me that there were repressed emotions so I always tackle these emotions first before going back to the pages. When these emotions have been expressed in musical ways, the students will be back on track in learning music and grow exponentially. Always remember that learning and having fun are NOT antithesis. They can go hand in hand which create a positive environment and experience that results in motivation. And sometimes we might just need to try something new: a new book, a new music genre or a new instrument. After all, our past experiences could always be redefined.

Recently I heard two real life stories from parents that confirmed my belief that over-practice and trying to get things perfect will destroy the children’s natural talents. The stories go like this (characters and contents have been modified): a flutist parent tried to groom the child who is equally interested in the instrument. Fights and arguments started to grow at home because the parent practised with the child with much stress. In the end the child threw the flute away and never touched it again. Another parent who used to be a cello performer let the child plays whatever instrument and never set any expectations. The parent does not want to repeat the same mistake his own mother (who is also a musician) did when he was young, as he never touched his cello again after becoming an adult. Both children turned to piano and have progressed in an amazing speed because they are naturally talented in music. Noticing their sensitivity to stress (especially towards their own performance) I am more inclined to let them relax and play songs they like. And naturally, they all are able to reach the next level without too much of a forceful push. If we want to make music learning sustainable, all we need to do is to create a musical environment and the child will grow naturally with appropriate guidance and by keeping a healthy routine (one class per week with the right amount of practice only at certain levels). Also, try to make the learning fun as musical concepts can be very dry even to adults!

Last time we talked about how stress free learning helps, but not meaning totally free of stress. If this sounds too confusing to you, perhaps this graph will be a good illustration of what that means: For educators and music therapists, managing arousal level is a key tool in sustaining and promoting engagement. That is why we could engage a child with ADHD for one hour with the help of music, and in the same token, teach a three year old child piano for half an hour using the same techniques. We assess the child second to second and respond with music so to reach the optimal arousal level. Managing the arousal level is truly an essential skill to master and the key ingredient for effective learning. Perhaps it is time to shrug off the statement that young children's attention span only lasts for minutes as you might be amazed at their focused participation once music is on!

A student of mine played all the songs she learnt correctly without a single mistake by memory and I was pleasantly surprised and asked her the secret. She said: NO PRACTICE! (What ?!) She went on saying she didn't practise at home once she got it right in the class because if she practised at home but went wrong, it stays in her brain, and she might keep playing it wrong over and over again, pointing at her head. What a discovery I exclaimed: "It's the biggest discovery in the century!"and she jokingly answered she found it out when she was a baby ;D. So, is there any truth to my student's secret? According to neuroscience, our brain is indeed like a roadmap, full of neural pathways that were being created when an action is taken. So once a pathway was created and repeated over time, it will become our main driveway of action by default. These driveways determine our thought and behaviour patterns, akin to computer programmes, that's why we say humans are creatures of habits! So to a certain extent it's true of what my student said about how wrong things might get stuck in the mind, but we surely could keep practising if things are right. :D So, I would say STOP once we start to make mistakes, and practise when things go right. My secret is to pause in the class when the notes start to mess up and ask my student to relax and shake their body, and redo once ready. ;)

Handling an instrument like a piano can be intimidating. Why? The sheer size of it and its complexity: Hand coordination, fingering, brain processing, speed, pedals...you name it, can be daunting. So, how should we start so that learning an instrument can actually be relaxing and help to reduce stress? There are many ways to do it. First of all we should always play what we like. Pick an instrument that you feel drawn to. I remember the reason why I got to play the piano is because the first time I saw it at a music shop, I was glued to it. The next is to choose songs that you want to play and enjoy listening to. Not necessarily the classical music, though they are always good choices for a reason. The last is to pick a good instrument that gives you quality sound. Sound quality will make a difference to your mood and motivation. So learning an instrument can be a relaxing experience when done in a proper way. Enjoy the learning!

Last night I went to a Viola+Clarinet concerto (what a combination!) and was introduced to Kodaly's musical work 'Dances of Galanta'. Zoltan Kodaly is a renounced music pedagogue who introduced the Kodaly sign which most of us have learnt from school in how to denoting sol-fa names in hand signs. He has also created the Kodaly method for music educators and its key concepts are highly inspiring: Music enhances the quality of life Quality music demands quality teaching A carefully planned sequence will result in successful experiences for children and teacher. Success breeds success that fosters a love of music. Intuition should pave the way for music teaching, not by intellectual and rational system of symbols. Use of pentatone, folk songs and solfege (sol-fa names) to train the ears Learning through singing should precede instrumental training "The pure soul of the child must be considered sacred; what we implant there must stand every test, and if we plant anything bad, we poison his soul for life." (Selected Writings, p. 141) At Sound Space, we teach young toddlers not only the technical skills, but also how to appreciate music in order to cultivate a genuine love for music by adopting concepts like the Kodaly method. Source: Organization of American Kodaly Educators (www.oake.org)

From seeing how a child plays the piano in the first lesson, I could more or less tell how much stress he/she has endured in his/her past learning path. From the stiffness of shoulders, to the tight fingers, and ingrained repeated errors in tempo or fingering. So I always take some time in the next lesson to resolve the tension, and after then the child will experience exponential progress, as issues that have blocked their development were cleared away. We all know that a little bit of pressure is good for learning, but how much is too much? There are both sides to the argument that stress is helpful or harmful for learning, so by saying stress free learning I do not mean the absence of stress which is indeed the literal meaning at first glance, but it actually means promoting a safe environment for effective learning. As we automatically switch on our 'fight or flight' response in view of potential dangers, we need to clear away stress that could be regarded as a threat for some people. So what does a stress free learning environment entail? I think they should include the following elements: - Feeling of safety - Appropriate level of competency - Encouragement - Balance of relaxed and intense focus - Minimisation of noise And with a tiny (!) dose of fun, learning could be effective and enjoyable!

This is the most common question I get from people asking what I do. In fact, it is not an easy task to define what music therapy is, as it's equally hard to define music. So let me make a bold attempt and try to explain it in my own words: I would first invite you to think from a place of wellness, instead of deficiency, which is the common model used by the education and healthcare systems. Wellness would mean different things to different people, but let’s say it encompasses health, wholeness, happiness and connections. My one liner will be: Music therapy is the use of music in a safe space to promote wellness. If wellness means the ability to communicate, music is a universal language. If wellness means confidence, music could help to promote self awareness. If wellness means attention building, music could help to increase focus span. Wellness could simply mean relaxation to most people! There are more facets to what wellness mean depending on the person, so that is why music therapy is always tailor made. Music therapy is renowned in having the practice based on research findings and so each action in a session has a rationale behind. We might get into this to discover some interesting findings in the future! Have a Good Friday!

We all know that music is fun, but do you know what wonders does it work on us? Emotional Expression: Music helps to process and express a diverse range of emotions in a safe way Increases Attention Span and Focus: Musical elements like rhythm, melody and harmony provide multidimensional stimuli that facilitate the focus and organization of our attention Improves Social Skills: Reciprocity in shared play, turn taking, listening and responding can build empathy and connectedness Neuroplasticity: Music fires up the brain's neurons and establish new pathways and enhance cognitive functioning Improves Communication Skill: Non-verbal communication skill learnt can be transferred into verbal communication in day to day life Language Development: Music is processed in both hemispheres of the brain and can remediate speech and language skills Strengthen Major and Minor Muscles: Playing music instruments and singing with movements require fine motor skills and improve bodily coordination Motivational and Fun: Music is enjoyable and helps to release the happy hormones! And many more...... It is always good to start as early as possible so we can reap these benefits during the key developmental stages. Research shows that even babies in their mothers' wombs respond well to music! So why not start engaging yourself or your children with music today?! Happy Children's Day!