 How can we help our children keep building their interest and love of music? Here are a few ideas you can use at home—much will depend on the ages of your children, and some will apply better to certain ages. Basically, just as elementary school teachers suggest “littering your house with books” to encourage young children’s reading and enjoyment of reading, I would say, “litter your house with music”! That is, put it all around your house and family, so it becomes an important part of your everyday life. Here are a few strategies:
Let your child teach you how to sing a song he or she is currently learning in choir. This will be a whole lot less threatening than putting a spotlight on them and coercing them to sing a recital for grandparents and neighbours. Sometimes it’s rewarding for your child when you let her start from the beginning, remind you how to stand, hold your head, shape your mouth, and so on. This also helps her to learn they don’t need to be perfect when even grown-ups forget things and make mistakes.
Sing, dance, and play music at home. Make it a fun part of your family’s day as often as possible. Remind children that the music we make by singing and playing instruments is also “real music”—not just what comes out of the CD player!
Listen to a wide variety of music – classical, folk, country, jazz, rock and pop, music from other countries. Become eclectic yourself and constantly search out new styles and artists. Discuss what you like and don't like about the various styles. It is far better to integrate yourself into a child's musical exploration than to leave them to their own devices in this area. If you demonstrate the benefits of musical diversity early on, you won't get stuck with a teenager so narrowly focused on one particular musical style or type of expression.
Create a “music basket” for your family. Put in egg shakers, zig zag blocks, fiddlesticks, resonator bars, slide whistles, drums, tambourines, and any other music-making objects you
can find. Even make a few of your own! In an upcoming article we're going to show you how to make some interesting instruments from simple objects you can find in your home. By helping to make the instrument, your child will begin to understand the fundamentals of sound production. Then, put your instruments in the same room with a CD player so it’s easy to put on some music and march, dance, and play–often. Try to avoid the temptation to ask your children to “not make so much noise”. Noise can be beautiful. Of course, some instruments, like slide whistles and loud drums, make great basement and outdoor “parade” instruments!
If you – Mom or Dad – play an instrument, play it for and with your child. It doesn’t matter if you last played it in junior high and it’s been in the attic since then. And if you played in Junior High and don't have an instrument anymore, why not go out and rent one and start playing all over again. Children enjoy hearing it because: A–it’s a real instrument, not just the sound of one on CD,
and B–it’s Mom or Dad playing it. Ask other family members to share whatever they may play–maybe Grandpa plays a bit of piano, Grandma plays the accordion, or Uncle Joe plays the balalaika (or whatever!). It’s a great way to share your family’s culture and history as well as music, and often others will not think anyone would want to hear them unless they’re asked.
Go to concerts! You don't have to go to see the Toronto Symphony to be entertained (although that's not a bad idea). Go to some middle school and high school concerts - they're great fun even if you don't know anybody in the cast. They’re cheap, and children can hear others who are still learning to play and sing. High school musicians are often very accomplished already. Find out what your local high school is performing for a spring play or musical. Look for local productions and head out for an evening away from the television set.
Try to avoid the temptation to rush into formal lessons—there is plenty of time for this when children are ready. At our Choir I level - Viaje - we continue to keep the focus on process, not on performance, while we build our singing skills, ensemble work, and even music reading and literacy. We also weave in lots of movement, story-telling, and imagination to keep it age- and developmentally appropriate. Private lessons should begin only after your child has a healthy appreciation for the process of music education. For some that might be very early, but for others it takes time. If you try and force-feed music to your child before they understand and love it, you run the risk of them running to hide or cringing whenever it's time for a lesson or practice.
Happy music-making—and may your home be littered with music! |
