Are music lessons over the summer a good fit for you and your family or is it better to take two months off?
First, as a general principle continuous learning is better than dropping for long periods of time. You’ve probably heard the saying “If you don’t use it, you’ll loose it.” It’s just the way learning works. When you quit study and practicing for a long period of time there will be a decrease in skills that will need to be built back up when study is resumed. It’s just the nature of learning!
The biggest drawback to “taking a break” that I’ve experienced with my students is that they get out of the routine of practice.
Ultimately though, we all lead different lives and we must make decisions based on our families needs and lifestyles.
Pros for summer music lessons:
- Music study over the summer is a great way to focus on practicing and advancing levels quickly.
- Your child may have more time to practice without worrying about homework & tests.
- You could take advantage of flexible scheduling and negotiate to take longer lessons for two months.
- Maintaining music study during the summer reinforces all the hard work you put into getting your child to practice this past year! When you start again in the fall you won’t have to tackle that battle again.
- Sometimes teachers offer incentives & discounts if you continue music lessons during the summer.
Cons:
- If you travel a lot during the summer months then your schedule may actually more hectic than during the school year.
- If you don’t have the time available to devote to practice then there will be no continuity in learning.
- Depending on your child and the schedule that you keep during the school year they may need a mental break from all the extracurricular activites.
