Raising Musical Kids: A Guide for Parents

By Robert A. Cutietta

Book Overview

As a musician, a music teacher, and father of three musical children, Robert A. Cutietta can view the challenge of raising musical kids from all sides. Now, in a volume written specifically for parents (with or without musical background), he draws upon his extensive research and varied personal experience to offer a complete, practical guide to this common parenting issue.
Does music make kids smarter? At what age should a child begin music lessons? Where should I purchase an instrument? What should parents expect from a child's teachers and lessons? How do I get them to practice? Raising Musical Kids answers these and many more questions as it covers everything from assembling a good listening library for kids, to matching a child's personality with an instrument's personality, to finding musical resources in your community. Cutietta is a gold mine of common sense and straightforward advice. For instance, his novel reward system for enforcing practice will be a godsend for parents. Knowing that children can--and usually do--get most of their music education within the public school system, the author explores at length the features and benefits of elementary and secondary school programs, and shows how parents can make the schools work for them and their children. And along the way, readers will enjoy Cutietta's good humor--his tales of 3rd graders wrestling with huge string basses--and the common sense way he dispels many stereotypes, such as the all-too-common "only boys can play drums."
Throughout, Cutietta emphasizes the joy of participating in music for its own sake. This is a book that parents everywhere will treasure as a complete road map for developing their child's musical abilities.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195129229
• ISBN13: 9780195129229
• Release Date: November 2001
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.0" x 1.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

aimed at parents, helpful for teachers too

I'm not a parent, but I am a viola and violin teacher. Cutietta's advice in this book is based on a solid foundation of research and experience. If the parents of all of my students would ponder and take to heart the things clearly and accurately written here, they (and their children) would get much more bang for their buck out of the lessons I teach. I could teach more efficiently. Students would progress faster. Some large roadblocks I spend a great deal of time removing from my student's and parent's minds during their lessons would be removed (or at least whittled down to manageable size) before I encountered them, thus making music lessons more productive, joyful, and fulfilling, for everyone involved. No previous knowledge of music, child psychology, or educational technique is required -- this book is well-written, straight-shooting counsel for parents, with insights that an older student interested in getting music lessons would also find helpful. This book is definitely going to get a permanent place on my short list of books recommended for my students (or their parents).

A wonderful book

I have three children, ages 2-8, and I was given this book by my mom. As you can imagine, I have little time to read, but this book was so easy to read that I finished it in a few weeks of my spare time. Even the way the author explains the research behind the book is fascinating.I have started doing many of the things suggested in the book and not only are they fun, but I can see my children starting to respond to music in a more sensitive and deep way.This is an amazing book. Worlds better than most of the books for parents I have read.

Solid advice

As a professional musician I was prepared to totally hate this book. I was pleasantly surprised at the good solid advice this book offers. I am not a fan of the Suzuki method. I've walked out of many children's music programs embarassed at how poor the quality of the performance was. Then I had my own child, and even though I am a professional musician I had no idea how to raise my own musical child. My parents didn't have any answers, they happened to make me a musician all by accident. Whatever your goals and motivations for exposing your child to music this is a good book to get you started in the right direction.

A truly beneficial guide for parents

Finally! A book for parents that explains the sometimes confusing world of music education. This book takes a parent through early childhood activities, choosing a private teacher, how to get you kid to practice, to understanding the expectations of high school music programs and careers in music. Well-written, research-based but easy to read, and illustrated with cartoons, this is a must for every parent interested in sharing their love of music with their children. I highly recommend it!

Raising Musical Kids

Being a parent of 4 I have read many books on raising kids and this one is by far the best. Mr. Cutietta's stright foward approach is so refreshing compard to the sea of books that go on forever and never really tell you anything. This book has ways of raising kids without the hour a day of forcing your kid to pratice the piano. This book taught me most of what I knew about music education was wrong. This book is a MUST read for anyone with or without kids.