Not much has been written to assist the musical parents in their efforts to understand a role that would be helpful in a supportive way. The child needs support in the music the same as his or her academic endeavors. Just what is this parental role?
When a child blows an instrument or plays the guitar, piano, or percussion, we must recognize that it is a form of musical expression. Music has often been referred to as a “world language.” Maybe we cannot understand a foreign language, but we can appreciate the contributions of Bach, Beethoven, or Brahms — great musicians of the past. When we play music and when we talk we are expressing our feelings and thoughts.
The musical language is very personal. A remark made at random can easily imply that a child may not have talent. If it is true there isn’t much to be gained by discussing it and if the remark is wrong a lot of damage could be done to the child. When the child blows the horn, plucks the strings, or depresses the keys on the piano, he is the origin of the musical undertaking. Anatowind teaches the child how to use the muscles properly informing and producing this sound.
All children have the same muscular tablature to approach an instrument, however the structure and functional design may vary from child to child. This is what the clinician is doing when he diagnoses teeth, lip, or jaw structure before producing the first tone. This first tone reflects the functioning of the anatomy through the instrument, thus interpreting notes that are written on paper. This is the reason that the parent must be patient and considerate at this important time in the child’s musical life. Even though the muscles are formed right and the instrument is performing correctly, a good tone may not happen if the child is suffering from over-anxiety or fear of the musical outcome.
