How to Encourage Your Kids to Play Music
Want to give your kids a love of music and desire to play a musical instrument? The old method of forcing your child into expensive piano or drum lessons are long gone. Those lessons only make them resent the instrument in the future (take it from someone who was forced into piano lessons).
Luckily, there are plenty of other ways to get your kid interested in music. It’s all about convincing them that they were the ones to come up with the desire to learn music. Prepared to learn how to get your kids interested in learning music?
Pick up an instrument
Have you always had an instrument you’ve been meaning to learn? This is the perfect time. Kids learn best by copying. A little like ‘monkey see, monkey do’, your child will immediately be interested in whatever you’re doing.
This gives you a chance to explain to them and insert your own passion for music. Kids soak up the passion like sponges.
Soon enough, as you diligently continue your studies and set an example, your child will ask questions. They will even express interest in trying whatever you are doing.
Let them. It’s important to let your child explore their interest, even if it gets in the way of the lesson time you have created for yourself.
Watch Music-Oriented Television
Plenty of children’s TV relies on musical elements to help kids understand the deeper message. If kids are constantly hearing lessons through a sing-along or with the accompaniment of a guitar, musicality will begin to worm its way into their brains.
It could help to find a show that focuses specifically on characters that are musicians, so that your kids are exposed subtly to the language involved in music making and playing.
It also helps to point out the music whenever you are watching a movie with your child. Talk about how much you enjoy the soundtrack, or what instrument you felt worked best in the arrangement (“that drum beat is really beautiful”). Again, kids usually get interested in whatever their parents are interested in, so subtly suggesting things like this is a great way to get them thinking about music.
Going to a Music Store
Nothing gets a kid interested in something faster than telling them there’s something for them to play with. And what better place to have your child get hand-on interaction with instruments than a music store.
Most stores offer a selection of instruments and are happy to allow potential customers to test out the instrument they are interested in. If your child is interested in picking up drumming, check out sites like the Drum Center of Portsmouth, https://www.drumcenternh.com, and see what they have in-store for your kids to try out.
Your kid will feel like a rock star, pounding away on the drums, and places like the Drum Center also might offer classes. That way, you don’t even have to take the drum set home, if you’d prefer to just take your child to lessons.
Even if drumming isn’t their passion, taking your child to any music store will show them the materials needed and get them hands-on experience as they test out which instrument they would enjoy most.
Taking Them to Family-Friendly Music Festivals
Kids love going out to explore new places, and going to a music festival exposes them completely to different types of instruments and music culture as a whole. As well as vendors selling their instruments and tools, there are always a selection of musicians showcasing their talent and musical ability.
There could also be music related activities for your child to try, giving them a chance to dip their toes into various musical instruments and determine which best fits their personality.
Plus, music festivals are fun for the whole family and give you a chance to enjoy some good music while subtly encouraging your child to take up a new musical skill.
