Here at Let's Play Music, one of our core values is pursue quality. Thinking about quality amid the holiday season with flashy sales all around, tempting us to buy all sorts of stuff at a discounted price. But wait a minute, is this stuff really what we want? Maybe we should examine it a little more carefully first.
Has your kiddo ever begged for something that looked tempting and pretty in its packaging but it fell apart after she played with it a few times? Perhaps that discount deal was no deal at all. We don't want to get bamboozled into buying junk. We want to invest our time and money in quality items and experiences. This applies to shopping for gifts and investing in your music classes!
Cheap Toys vs. Quality Toys
You're a pretty fantastic parent who doesn't need help to identify low quality toys. The type of toys that before each birthday party, you secretly pray that there won't be a lot of these things showing up. When you buy toys for your children, you'll be able to find quality items by considering:
Does the toy have open-ended play possibilities? Open-ended toys get played with imaginatively as your child invents new scenarios.
Is it durable and safe? Can it handle rough play?
Does it match your child's interests? Quality toys can often be used by children of various ages, in various scenarios, and maintain interest for years.
Don't forget to consider toys as an experience. A key point from our article on smart spending is to focus on experiences. A toy that you plan to use as a launching point for spending time with your child, such as a musical instrument, will have special meaning. Be sure to follow through and spend the time together. Enjoying these gifts with your child is the best part of giving the gift. If you'd like some musical gift ideas, check out our musical Gift-Giving Guide.
Quality Experiences?
At Let's Play Music, we don't sell toys. We deliver a high-quality musical education. You're a savvy shopper and carefully choose how you spend your time and money on experiences for your family. Here are questions you'll want to ask about any program you enroll your child in:
Does the program train the teachers? At Let's Play Music (LPM), our teachers attend training for each year of curriculum, where they learn the games and songs as well as philosophies and reasons behind the games. At training, new teachers demonstrate that they can accurately lead our activities and accurately explain the theory.
Does the program have a certification process? After teachers are trained, how can you be sure they stay true to the vision? At LPM, teachers have videos of their classes reviewed regularly to achieve and maintain certification year after year.
Do the teachers have a network of support? How do teachers get ideas and solve problems? At LPM, we have an extensive support network: each teacher has a training team of our executives backing her up, as well as a huge network of other LPM teachers in constant online communication for support. Most teachers attend our annual teacher meeting for further education and training.
Do you agree with the program's values and philosophies? The LPM philosophies are based on research about how and when children learn music best.
Consider pursuing fewer activities but choose ones that are high-quality and important to your child's development now. Give the activity enough focus and attention to really make it successful. The LPM curriculum gives your child a musical foundation (preparatory to any musical study) that will have a powerful and specific impact during these early formative years. Get the most from the program by attending 100%, doing the homework, practicing, and making it an experience with your child! In our post on abundance, some families shared that they can't do it all right now, but their child will get to experience a lot over the years of their childhood.
Wherever You Go
We strive to have the Let's Play Music program be high-quality and consistent everywhere among all teachers. With a network of teachers nationwide if a student moves mid-semester to another state, that student he can find a new LPM teacher, transfer classes without missing a beat.
We hope you will remember to look for quality in music lessons and experiences that you bring into your home. We feel that Let's Play Music is a quality musical experience and worth your investment of time and money.
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