To achieve musical goals, as with anything else, our attitudes and habits need to support these goals. In other words how we take care of things matters. For example I wouldnt take care of my cactus plant the same way I care for my cat. My cat needs water and also to be petted. Obviously I couldn't apply those same habits of care to my cactus without killing the cactus or myself! Similarly many children in piano lessons are not getting the proper care and feeding every piano student needs to benefit from their lessons.

The dream of learning to play piano is a valuable one for children, but it cant be achieved without appropriate guidelines and good habits that will support this goal. Piano lessons provide so many benefits to children such as improved math skills,improved reading skills, and improved overall educational progress. It is sad, however, that many children in after school programs offering piano lessons fail to learn because their parents see all after school activity as simply babysitting.

Parents who view after school programs this way are basically digging holes for their children to fall into whenever they allow their children to volunteer for activities that not only require commitment and dedication from their child, but also demand parental commitment and support.

Children need boundaries to protect them in an environment where they can learn from their mistakes within limits. In this way failure is not an option. Children who are not afforded appropriate boundaries throughout their educational experience repeatedly fail and often wonder why? Instead of building on a history of success and positive experience, they are left with a history of failures to guide them.

Not all parents who have their children in afterschool music programs, however, view it as babysitting. Many parents who have their children in after school keyboard classes also enroll their children in private and group piano lesson programs outside of school. Why? Because when they see other children who are unsupported in their childs after school piano program they assume the piano teacher isnt giving "real" piano lessons. The truth is they are real piano lessons. The problem is they weren't supported by a community of music values shared by all. This may not be surprising to you and you may be thinking that you really can't do anything about this. But let me tell something else that may surprise you, which you can do something about!

Many school principals do not view their after school programs as a part of real school! This attitude is very prevalent in our public schools and is a contributing factor for why children in after school programs may not be getting the care they deserve. For example, all real children benefit from real piano or keyboard lessons in a real community of support. But no child really benefits in a educational community of indifference.

Make sure the principal at your elementary school knows you care about the quality of your childs after school activities. For example, ask your school principal what boundaries they have personally put in place to ensure reasonable student success rates in their afterschool music activites. Such boundaries for piano programs would involve rules and guidelines for students and parents to follow that are appropriate for this activity and that preserve its integrity for all children. These might include such things as

Children who sign up for piano lessons need to:

1. Come to their lessons regularly.
2. Bring their music books to class with them.
3. Play in the school's piano program recital to earn an award certificate or trophy
4. Show good citizenship

These are not difficult rules to enforce and would go a long way toward protecting children in after school music programs and improving their overall educational achievement.