A Child’s Placement in the Family
It is amazing how placement in a family will affect a young student. If the child is the oldest they will usually strive for perfection and be relatively frustrated when they do not feel they have preformed at the level they perceive is expected of them. I think it is quite natural for parents to expect a lot out of their first child. There are a lot of factors that create their attitude. First time parents tend to be feel their child can do anything and to somewhat expect that of them.
By the time the second child comes along life if fuller which seems to put less pressure on this child to perform at the same level as the first. However, sibling rivalry will stir it sometimes ugly head. No two people in the world are exactly alike and the children within a family will be quite different. It is possible that the second child will out perform the first child in some activities that can be a great thing or a huge conflict, depending on the personalities involved.
If there are more than two children in a family the last will have much less pressure in his/her life, but will tend to be more of the “baby” about things than the older children. They will expect to get by with more and not to have to perform to the same level as the first born.
Each of these situations will require your special attention to bring out the best in each of your piano students, especially those six and under. Since parents are paying you to teach music to their child or children, they will expect good results. You can not obtain them without understanding and working with the factors that give each student his/her personality. Placement within the family is one of the important yet subtle influences you must not only consider, but understand and work with.
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