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Encouraging your Child's
Exploration of art
A
ballet classYour usually
fidgety daughter is spell-
bound, sitting perfectly
still through a famous ballet
company’s performance. As the
curtain falls, she turns to you
dreamy-eyed and says, “I want to
be a ballerina.” Well, before you
go running out to buy a bunch of
tutus…STOP! Even savvy parents
can be baffled when their child
expresses a new interest in an un-
familiar field. So the real question
is: Is this a passing fancy or a real,
Eureka moment? Guess what? It
doesn’t matter. What does mat-
ter is how a parent encourages a
child’s interest in the performing
arts without getting bamboozled,
wildly overspending, or turning
into “Mama” or “Papa Rose.”
A Time To Explore
By expressing a curiosity in the
arts, your child is off on an ad-
venture with many possible
outcomes. Don’t worry about
whether your child will become a
professional artist. Artistic yearn-
ing doesn’t necessarily equate
with a career path or even a
college scholarship. For example,
a ballet student may realize that
dancing is not for her and instead
opt for a career in medicine. But,
perhaps, if your son portrays
Atticus Finch in the school produc-
tion of To Kill A Mockingbird, he
just might be inspired to become
a lawyer. The real point is that a
parent’s focus should be on the
exploration—or the journey—
rather than thinking about the
destination— or where this inter-
est might lead. But where does a
parent begin? Read on.
Explore All The Arts
Parents should keep a wide focus
and expose their child to a wide
variety of arts by attending plays,
concerts, and exhibitions. Watch
for signs of interest as your child
responds to each experience. For
example, Anne Wright of Atlanta,
Georgia, allowed her son Thomas
to balance piano lessons with his
skateboard instruction. Howev-
er, when she took him to see a
touring Impressionism show, she
was surprised by his reaction.
“We walked into a room of Mon-
et’s Water Lilies and Thomas said
‘Whoa!’ and sat down on the
floor, overwhelmed by the colors.”
Today, a decade later, he leaves
to study painting at the Maryland
Institute of Creative Art.
A Good Place to Start
Even with budget cuts, public
school is the first/best resource
for arts instruction that won’t
break the household budget. Does
your child’s school have an or-
chestra or band? An after-school
art class? Local schools are conve-
niently situated and thrifty when
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it comes to lessons for beginners.
Be prepared to pay a small fee
for appropriate clothing and/
or equipment. Remember that a
school-supplied instrument may
come with a few dings, but will
be sturdy enough for the first
year or two of lessons. However,
if after-school services and arts
programs have been axed, don’t
despair. Quality arts instruction
is still available for your child at a
reasonable cost, but you’ll have to
look deeper within your commu-
nity for it.
Look Locally
Here are some important tips:
Contact your local art college/
community college/state college
for advice from the head of the
appropriate department. Often
they will be happy to talk to you
about local instructors. In fact, a
college faculty member will often
take on private students.
Talk to practicing artists. They will
have first-hand experiences that
can act as real world tips about
your child’s artistic interest.
Linger after performances and
concerts. Local symphonies, dance
companies, and theaters often
have lessons and kids’ programs
available for a nominal fee.