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and experts alike are talking about. Study after study points to the benefits to student learning,
student self-esteem and self-efficacy, parent-teacher-student relationships, and more that come
with active parental involvement in the learning process. However, there still seems to be a
massive disconnect between all the research and discussion, and the actual learning, lessons, and
classrooms. Students are being forced further and further into educational isolation, and parental
roles are being minimized into oblivion. As a result, student development is devastatingly
hindered, especially in the context of music learning that, without outside support, has the
potential to cease to exist in the lives of many students worldwide. The need for increased
support from parents cannot be overstated, and the call for educators to intervene in the process
in order to bring parents back into their children’s learning has never been louder or clearer.
This research sought to discover the ways in which parents can be involved in their
child’s musical learning, and the effects of that involvement on various aspects of the child’s
educational – as well as personal – well-being. This involved looking into ways in which parents
have been involved in existing music classrooms or private studios and assessing the outcomes
from the perspectives of the students, the parents, and the teachers involved. Across the board it
was found that nearly every form of parental involvement in or support of music learning
provided benefits to the child, the family unit, and the learning community (classroom, private
The motivation for this research was inspired by some related research on the Suzuki
method that brought the issue to attention. It seems that American pop culture has a tendency to
minimize the roles that parents can and should play in their children’s lives. This is evident in
our television programming, our popular music, our youth and young adult literature, and,
unfortunately, our various educational and learning systems and practices. Americans seem to
have the mentality that learning only happens when teachers are teaching. Parents send their
children away to school to have someone else do the work of educating them, and that educating
stops when the students leave the learning environment. The kids return home somehow
enlightened, and there is little to no reinforcement of any learning or activity that occurred during
earlier lessons. Poor performance is the teachers’ fault, and teachers are therefore penalized.
Little to no responsibility, when it comes to learning, lies on the individuals who claim to be
That simply doesn’t make sense. And other cultures seem to agree. A survey conducted
in Hong Kong revealed that it is not unusual to see Chinese parents getting personally involved
in their child’s schooling and development, largely due to the cultural belief (possibly stemming
from Confucianism) that studying music increases intelligence (Tai, Phillipson, and Phillipson
2018). This survey took into consideration reasons for parental involvement in music learning.
According to this survey, Hong Kong parents supported their children learning music because:
(a) learning music increased their child’s chance of getting into a better secondary school, (b)
learning music gave them and/or their child a sense of pride, (c) learning music helped their child
gain skills they believed to be valuable, and (d) learning music is fun and enjoyable for their
child (Tai, Phillipson, and Phillipson 2018). Already it is evident that before parents can
effectively be involved in their child’s music education, they must first perceive value in musical
learning and have a desire to support their child in that learning. Therefore, educators should
keep in mind the importance of conveying the relevance of music learning to their students and
aspirations and values specifically in private studio lessons. A publication in 2017 discussed that
the positive correlation between parental involvement in music learning and cognitive, affective,
and performance outcomes suggests that success is achieved when parents and students have
similar learning goals (Upitis et. al 2017). Factors that determine parent-student learning goals
include but are not limited to the parents’ musical background, the home practice environment,
the amount of parental supervision of home practice, and family dynamics (Upitis et. al 2017).
This study reinforced that a large part of learning is tied into relationships and encouraged a
for parents to remain involved. This strategy of “communion” – that is, interacting with others,
provided the students with the ability to make independent choices (autonomy), a feeling of
connectedness to others (relatedness), and the will “to persist when they encounter obstacles, and
to utilize strategies appropriately” (competence) (Upitis et. al 2017). These three things:
autonomy, relatedness, and competence, are considered to be three essential psychological needs,
and that when these needs are met, healthy learning happens (Upitis et al. 2017).
As stated earlier, research showed that nearly every form of parental involvement in the
child’s learning process provided benefits to the child’s motivation, achievement, and self-
esteem. It was interesting to see, additionally, situations discussed in another Hong Kong study
in which only one parent was involved, or where one parent was significantly more involved
than the other. For example, in situations where only fathers were involved in or supportive of
their child’s music learning, students were more likely to remain motivated and achieve greater
success than in situations where only mothers were involved in or supportive of their child’s
music learning; however, situations where involvement and support primarily came from the
mothers as opposed to fathers were heavily more frequent (Law and Ho 2009).
Now with the understanding that parental involvement and support for student music
learning are largely beneficial to the entire music learning community, it is important to discuss
ways in which current music educators can create opportunities for parents of their own students
to become more involved, and techniques to invite parents to an intentional participant and
supporter of their child’s music learning. One example of excellent innovation is the “Family
Ensemble” technology that was used in piano private lessons. The program allowed parents with
any level of musical background to be able to play alongside their beginner pianist on the piano
by sounding an accompaniment pitch regardless of what the parent played on the piano, while
the child performed the actual music. The software scrolled with the child’s progress, so if the
child made a mistake, the parents could still tell where the child was playing and continue to play
along. The joint practice sessions led to more discussion of musical ideas between the parents
and the student (Oshima, Nishimoto, and Hagita 2007). This changed daily practice into a fun
and collaborative form of learning, which enhanced musical growth for the student (Oshima,
learning situations to parental involvement in non-music learning situations, due to the question
of whether there is more or less success in the absence of strong parental support in non-musical
subjects that are considered to be “core subjects” such as mathematics. It would also be
interesting to see how music learning measures up next to other activities that might be
impacts on their children individually, these examples were referring primarily to students who
had one mother and one father, each of whom contributed in differing amounts to their musical
learning. There was no mention in the research of situations of students with same-sex parents,
or students who only have one parent in the home. It would be interesting to have the opportunity
to look at how support from a more diverse demographic compares with support from
heterosexual couples.
The most pressing question for further research, however, goes back to the discussion of
the responsibilities and roles of the music teacher. Is there a way that music educators can
provide support for students who do not have strong parental support that would be of near or
equal substantiality? How far can teachers go before overstepping boundaries between educating
and parenting? What responsibility do teachers have to avoid showing favoritism or otherwise
becoming biased toward (or against) students who lack parental support? The best thing anyone
can do to begin answering these questions is to simply try something different. Trial and error
will lead to results, which ultimately will benefit music students and parents everywhere.
Sources
Bugeja, C. (2009). Parental involvement in the musical education of violin students: Suzuki and
Conway, C., & Jeffers, T. (2004). Parent, Student, and Teacher Perceptions of Assessment Procedures
in Beginning Instrumental Music. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education,16-25.
Law, W., & Ho, W. (2009). Parental Involvement in and Support for Musical Participation: A Study
of Young Hong Kong Students. Journal of Youth Studies,12(1), 150-170. Retrieved November 20,
2018.
Oshima, C., Nishimoto, K., & Hagita, N. (2007). A Piano Duo Support System for Parents to Lead
Tai, D. M., Phillipson, S. N., & Phillipson, S. (2018). Hong Kong parents and their children’s music
Thompson, M. B. (2016). Understanding and nurturing parents: A studio music teacher’s reflections
on parental interest and involvement. The American Music Teacher. Retrieved November 20,
2018.
Upitis, R., Abrami, P. C., Brook, J., & King, M. (2017). Parental involvement in children’s
independent music lessons. Music Education Research,19(1), 74-98. Retrieved November 20,
2018.
Young, W. (1986). The Extent to Which Parental Supervision and Other Selected Factors Are Related
Music Students. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education,(89), 40-44. Retrieved
Zdzinski, S. F. (1992). Relationships among Parental Involvement, Music Aptitude, and Musical
Music. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education,69-88. Retrieved November 20,
2018.