How to Get Your Children Into Music
Introducing your children to music from an early age can be hugely beneficial to their development – both in terms of developing skills and in building their character. Early introduction to instruments and how they work could even reveal a natural aptitude for music, enabling you to refine your teaching aims and nurture a talent at home. Whatever the result, getting your children into music can be a rewarding and fun process. Here are some simple ways you can do just that.
Play Lots of Music
Sometimes, the simplest of solutions can be the most effective. By playing a wide range of music at appropriate opportunities, you can expose your child to a wealth of sounds and forms over time. Listening to a range of music together is particularly important, as you can ask leading questions about the differences between instruments or types of music – developing critical listening and reasoning skills in the process. Interspersing children’s songs, nursery rhymes and songs of which you are personally fond can expand their horizons, and enable them to make important links between patterns in the process.
Involve Them in the Music
You can also go further than simply encouraging them to listen to different genres and types of music. You can actively engage them in listening to music, by taking them to live performances for sing-alongs or inspiration. You could also introduce them to music formats and how they work, such as CDs and vinyl as well as digital platforms. Taking your children to music shops to see the breadth of music available, and to buy their first vinyl records, is undoubtedly one of those core heart-swelling moments as a parent. Everything about vinyl records for the vinyl record lover here.
Make Your Own Instruments
Play is a crucial part of any learning and development process, and simply listening to music might not be enough to have your children – especially younger infants – engage fully with the form. More active forms of play, in the form of making your own rudimentary instruments with your children, can help them engage with sound and how it’s made.
Simple ideas like building a drum out of pans, paper and elastic bands can introduce them to percussion while stretching rubber bands or strings over various lengths can introduce core notions of vibration and pitch. An afternoon spent making a cacophony can be incredible fun, and also give your children a creative outlet – not to mention room to register an interest in a particular form of sound-making.
Start Music Lessons
If your children show a particular aptitude or interest in music, you could nurture that interest with music lessons. This can be a tough area to navigate, as children can be somewhat fickle with the idea of learning an instrument. This is why choosing the right instrument – and the right teacher – is crucial to keep them engaged and interested.
