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Find out what people across America are saying about “Growing Your Musician”.

MENC – The National Association for Music Education

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The GRAMMY Foundation

“Growing Your Musician” will become a staple of the music director’s library as a valuable resource for communication with parents about the expectations and responsibilities necessary for a rewarding experience with instrumental music. Parents will find it comprehensive, informative, and reassuring in supporting their child’s instrumental musical endeavors. This book is fantastic—long overdue…it is essential and should be required reading for all.

GRAMMY Awards  and The GRAMMY Foundation

 Thomas C. Duffy, Yale School of Music, DMA

“This ‘how-to’ guide is the perfect embodiment of a primer for parents at the beginning of their child’s instrumental career, and a maintenance plan for parents and children already involved in the instrumental learning process. This book is written in an accessible way that neither assumes any parental expertise in music nor talks down to non-musicians. The charts, graphs and sidebars contribute to the “readability” of this manual. I recommend it highly.”

 Duffy Music

 Felice Mancini, The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation

“As music education is disappearing from American schools at a rapid pace, it is more important than ever to engage both children and their parents in music making at home, and in having the tools and encouragement to stay with it for lifelong enjoyment and learning. Tony’s book is a welcome guide for those who want to keep music alive at home and in the classroom, and will help to reinforce the fact that playing music is a powerful and positive activity with myriad benefits.”

The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation

Dr. Aaron A. Flagg, Faculty Member & Director of Musical Outreach, The Juilliard School

“A helpful guide for parents who want to be hands-on in their support for the young music student.” “A delightful primer for the instrumental music teacher and resource for the supportive parent.” “A useful resource for parents and the beginning music teacher filled with helpful tips on selecting an instrument and basic practice concepts.” The personal stories, quotes, and situations described make this a user friendly resource for parents and instrumental music teachers early in their careers.”

 Lynda Jenner, Director of Community Partnerships, Los Angeles Music Center Education Division

“Growing Your Musician should be a boon to any parent of a child in band or orchestra. It is a practical, down to earth guide to the challenges and pitfalls of shepherding your child through the process of selecting an instrument and then how to practice that instrument. Practicing music often derails any hope of developing a love of music in a child but Mr… Bancroft explains in a very clear and often humorous fashion exactly what works and what does not for effective practicing. Included throughout the book are ideas to support and inspire your child in developing his or her musicianship. I highly recommend this book to all band and orchestra parents.”

 Alexander Bernstein, President, The Leonard Bernstein Family Foundation

“This is a terrific, much-needed book. It is packed with valuable advice and helpful anecdotes benefiting parents and their music-learning children.”

Bob Curnow, Sierra Music Publications, Owner, Publisher, Composer, International Association for Jazz Education, Past President / Hall of Fame, McDonald’s All-American Jazz Band, Conductor (1981-1989)

“Growing Your Musician” is the most comprehensive, well-thought-out text of its kind. You seemed to have “covered all the basis”. The fun thing for me, while reading the text was it took me back to my earliest years of trying to figure out all of this. Fortunately, I had loving, musical parents who guided me through the morass of trying to learn how to learn music at an early age. Even then it wasn’t easy. In this age of darkness for the arts in this country, it is refreshing to have someone like you as a strong advocate for music in the schools. Thank you for sharing your experiences and at a time when they are much needed. You are to be congratulated on an excellent job. You have my very best wishes.   Sierra Music Publications

Charles Grode, Director of Education, Community Relations and Diversity, Chicago Symphony Orchestra

“From parents and students who are just beginning their musical journey, to those who are already engaged in disciplined pursuit, this manual provides advice of great practicality within a comprehensive approach for nurturing young musicians of all ages, guiding parents to ask the critical questions at the appropriate times.” 

Frank Heuser, UCLA Music Education, Department Head, Associate Professor

“It’s great to have a book that gives a step-by-step process to help students select instruments, and carefully gives students AND parents an effective guide to practice – that is great!”

Laurie T. Schell, Executive Director, California Alliance for Arts Education

The concept of “active practice” is especially helpful to the beginning band/orchestra student and their parents. Setting a practice goal and breaking down the music into manageable pieces makes the requisite repetition exercises much more purposeful. Thank you to Mr. Bancroft for demystifying the “practice makes perfect” mystique!

California Alliance for the Arts

Mike Gordon, El Segundo Mayor, Community Leader, Candidate for California’s 53rd Assembly District

“As a community leader, I’m extremely concerned about the downward trend of children engaging in music. This book is the first real self-help music book for parents. A true blueprint of how to engage your child in a lifetime of music. Tony Bancroft has filled a void in learning for every parent.”

Mike Gordon

John J. Mahlmann, MENC Executive Director

“All music teachers should have a copy of Growing Your Musician on their desk as an invaluable tool for answering questions from parents about their children’s musical development.”