Music is such a broad field - there is the music industry and music itself. There are a lot of career choices. It's not just about being a pop star - we have music lawyers, administrative support staff right though to sound engineers. There is lots of scope and it is a valid choice to make as a career.

Dreams are valid
We all have dreams, dreams and desires are valid. We may put them on a back boiler as being unrealistic but they always come back to us. So it is a good idea to help your child and support them in realising their dreams.

Don't hold your child back
It is important to be realistic, obviously, but it is worth taking some time to think about what reality is and what your reality is. For Robbie Williams his reality is being a superstar - it is very real for him - and somebody's got to do it! It is worth looking at your version or limits on reality and seeing if that holds your child back or if it supports them. If something seems impossible just ask yourself 'why not?' Maybe you could make a list of the reasons it can't happen and add some solutions. Hopefully doing that will be a support for your child and help them on their chosen path.

Trust their career choice
How do you know they have made the right career choice? Well basically that comes down to trust and knowing their character. People are passionate about the things they are good at. This is what they want to do - this is what they love. So if your daughter is shy and retiring it is highly unlikely that she is going to want to be the next Kylie Minogue. Allow them to dream and take their path and trust them.

It is all a learning experience
So what happens if the dream doesn't happen? Was it a mistake to allow your child to try in the first place? Well basically there are no mistakes, it is all a learning experience. There is always another opportunity. If it doesn't work the first time it is just a case of trying again. If they choose not to work in music there are a lot of other arenas to work in and the skills that they have learnt will be just as valid there - being able to communicate effectively, working with teams of people and even time management will always be helpful for their future careers.

How you can help

• Allow them to have the dreams and recognise the dreams as being valid. Allow them to express themselves.
  
• Help them with the key skills of any career - effective time management, working with teams of people, being able to communicate effectively and promote your self effectively
  
• Make an action plan. With your child you can create an action plan defining what they want to do and writing down some of the actions they need to take and keeping them confident and motivated enough to step into action and make their way forward in their career.
  
• After all - what have they got to lose?