As Dr. Suzuki (violinist and music educator) says "it's never too early" and we can easily teach the practice below to children. It is vital that we are doing it ourselves. Note that the word 'cultivate' is used. This means that even patience itself needs to be practised. So as parents and teachers the next time we feel a bit short-fused with the singing practice we can go gentler on ourselves by remembering that we are human and that even patience has to be learned.

Happy practising all round!
Laura Bernay

"Cultivate Patience"
from "Anatomy of Hatha Yoga" by H. David Coulter

Learn from the tortoise. Cultivate the patience to move forward steadily, no matter how slow your progress. For any kind of beneficial result you have to be patient. The main culprit is thinking that you should be able to accomplish something without making consistent effort. That attitude has two unfortunate side effects: first, it diverts your attention from the work before you to what you believe you are entitled to; and second, it makes it impossible to learn and appreciate what is taking place this minute. So resolve to practise being with your experience jn the present moment, enjoy yourself no matter what, and let go of expectations.