“Do rewards motivate people? Absolutely! They motivate to get more rewards.” – Alphie Kohn, Psychologist and Author of Punished by Rewards

“Children have an intrinsic desire to learn. Praise and manipulation can only serve to stifle that natural motivation and replace it with blind conformity, a mechanical work style, or compliance toward authority.” – Randy Hitz and Amy Driscoll, the Authors of Praise in the Classroom

“When we repeatedly promise rewards to children for acting responsibly, or to students for making an effort to learn something new, we assume that they could not or would not choose to act this way on their own. If the capacity for responsible action, the natural love of learning and the desire to do good work are already part of who we are, then the tacit assumption to the contrary can fairly be described as dehumanizing.” – Alfie Kohn, Psychologist and Author of Punished by Rewards

The theory of rewards -“do this and you’ll get that” – is based on the assumption that children don’t naturally love learning, so they won’t learn anything on their own, and they won’t experience any joy from learning. Rewards are borrowed from training pets and they don’t have the same effect on people. In Punished by Rewards Alfie Kohn condemns the use of rewards. He proves that they’re the main culprit in academic failure.

The reality is that rewards only lead to the desire for more rewards. They can make the child dependent on external incentives, rather than following their internal desire to learn and be creative. When you give a child a reward for doing something they enjoy, it can kill their interest in that activity for weeks because it suppresses their natural love of learning, including learning new activities.

Contrary to what parents believe, the child sees the reward as a bribe, and they ask: “Why do I have to do this?”

Playing a music instrument is a reward in itself.

Once in a while, I hear a comment like this. When you dream of your child learning to play the piano, consider the following advice.

Never let your child hear you saying that you doubt their desire for lessons. Playing a music instrument is a gift and a soothing experience. It’s not to be hated. It’s an honor.

In the beginning piano lessons are short. Home practice is minimal. After 3 years, learning can become more rigorous and challenging: this is the time to review whether your child is enjoying playing the piano or not.

If your child likes music and piano but still says “no” to playing the piano, find out the underlying reason for this.

The culprit could be video games. For example, if your child is playing a video game after school and you start talking about piano lessons or reminding them that it’s time to leave the house to go to the piano lesson, it’s like offering them vegetables (piano lessons) while they’re eating a cake (video games). Of course they’ll say “no” to the lessons.

Another culprit can be rewards. Using rewards to get a child to do what you want them to do, can undermine your parental influence and guidance. When the “terrible twos” are past, children continue to say “no” to almost everything. This is the damaging effect of using rewards.

Children are born with inquisitive minds and a natural desire to learn new things. The use of rewards destroys the true essence of learning. When children are not raised with rewards, they grow into self-motivated and self-disciplined individuals.

10-, 11-, or 12-year-olds have an idea of what they like and what they don’t like. 4-, 5-, or 6-year-olds may not: they don’t have sufficient life experience. For them, it’s best to take an experiential approach and let them try it. Let them know that piano lessons are a wonderful gift.

Of course, playing the piano is not for every child, but in my 30-plus years of teaching, I’ve only had 2 students where this was the case. If you’re still doubtful about the idea of long-term piano lessons for your child, I suggest you buy an electronic keyboard or an inexpensive acoustic piano to start with. You can upgrade later if your child really likes it.

To sum up:

• A music instrument is a tool for learning. The opportunity to play the piano at home fuels your child’s interest in lessons.
• Don’t use rewards.
• Be positive. Introduce piano lessons as a gift and honor.

Playing a music instrument is a joy and not a punishment. It’s in your hands to make your dreams for your child come true.

Classical music is divided into several eras similar to art movements: Ancient, Medieval (mainly Gregorian chant), Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Classicism, Romanticism, Impressionism, Expressionism, and Contemporary.

The earliest form of a written manuscript of classical music was the Gregorian Chant during the Medieval era. Prior to the 11th century, people memorized music and passed it down to the next generation by word of mouth. Some music was forgotten and lost. Thanks to Guido of Arezzo, music now can last forever. An Italian musician and monk, he is regarded as the inventor of the universally recognized system of musical notation.

Guido used musical syllables Do Re Mi Fa So La Si from the Latin hymn in honor of Saint John the Baptist. Their melodic quality is euphonious and pleasant to the ear; and therefore, particularly well-suited for singing.

Ut (Do) queant laxis, Resonare fibris, Mira gestorum, Famuli tuorum, Solve pollu ti, LabiI reatum, Sancte (Si) Johannes.

The Do-Re-Mi musical language (fixed Do) prevails in all European countries with the exception of England and English-speaking countries. Do-Re-Mi is also taught at the Juilliard School (the music conservatory in New York).

I’m often asked these questions. The answer is simple. Have the child listen to your favorite classical music. For example, if Mozart is your favorite composer, the child can listen to his music. In addition, consider the following.

A child can start listening to music while still in the womb. An unborn child can hear and respond to sound after week 16.

Studies show that Baroque music has a significant impact on the development of children’s intellect and personality, both before their birth and during their early years.

Baroque music (a round, a fugue, or a concerto) is based on a contrapuntal, polyphonic compositional technique involving multiple melodies. It reached its culmination in J. S. Bach’s music. Other Baroque composers are Vivaldi (the composer of the well-known concerto Four Seasons), Pachelbel (the composer of the well-known Canon in D), Albinoni (the composer of the well-known Adagio in G minor), Handel (the composer of the well-known Water Music), Telemann, Purcell, and others.

Baroque music has a powerful effect on children’s cognitive abilities. This is because of the complexity of the polyphonic musical language.

Below are some examples of music by J.S. Bach.

Piano Concerto #5 in F minor, BWV 1056
Harpsichord Concerto in F minor, Largo
Concerto for Oboe and Violin in C minor, 1st movement
Concerto for 2 Violins in D minor, 1st movement
Concerto for Oboe and Violin in C minor, Adagio
Toccata and Fugue in D minor Piano Piano

Is Mozart your favorite composer? If so, enjoy the music below.

Symphony #40 in G minor, 1st movement
Fantasy in D minor

Or Haydn and Beethoven

Surprise Symphony #94, Andante, Haydn
Symphony #5, 1st movement, Beethoven