Elementary Music Education

Best Parents’ and Music Teachers’ Resources in Music Lessons for Children

How Do Children Acquire a Music Interest?

If you, dear parents, have created the necessary environment for your child to develop musical abilities, then you’ve done a good job. But don’t start celebrating the victory just yet; your journey towards success has just begun.

Don’t believe those who tell you that musical education is very difficult for children. I guess, in some respect they are right; it will be difficult if you don’t know how to create, develop and maintain the child’s music interest and activity, and turn boring lessons into exciting adventures.

You have to remember that the shortest way to gain knowledge and skills is developing interest in them.

Interest does not just appear out of nowhere by itself. Its origin stems from a number of events and circumstances. And you, parents, are the ones that create these events and circumstances.

Let’s say that you submerged your child into the musical atmosphere that helps in awakening of his music interest and formation of his music skills. Soon enough there will be a day when he asks you to buy him an instrument and you already know that this will be a very important milestone in his further development.

And now comes the advice for you: if your child keeps asking you to buy him a violin, take him to the instructor that teaches violin. Don’t go to a pianist just because he is a good friend of yours and you’ve heard good things about him. And one more thing — if you wanted to learn to play the piano in your childhood and your dream did not come true, it is not a reason for your child to start playing the piano just to fulfill your own music interest!

I hope you understand that if your child asks you for a violin, you give it to him. If it a saxophone, you give him a saxophone; if it is a guitar, you give him a guitar. To cut the long story short, give him what he is asking for!

Sometimes children have difficulty choosing one instrument over another. In this case they need your help! And I do not mean teacher’s help, they need your help. In order to do so, five conditions must be met: you must have some basic knowledge about choosing a musical instrument, you must be patient, you must be attentive, you need time, and you must act fast.

How parents can help a child choose an instrument he will love for the rest of his life and maintain his music interest, is the subject on which I am planning to write my next book in the nearest future.

Why is it so important to let the child pick the instrument of his choice? According to statistics, most children who start taking music lessons quit within a year and a half and in 50% cases the reason for quitting is poor choice of musical instruments!

When parents go against the child’s wishes and make a choice for him thinking that he is too little to make a sound decision on his own, it is like playing a lottery. So, if your choice happens to be the right one, your child will succeed and he will play the instrument of your choice with pleasure, and if not — you’ll face many problems.

Some of the common issues are complaints from the teacher, forcing the child to study, unpleasant lectures, and so on. And as a rule, all of the above mentioned issues will lead to the point where your son or daughter says “enough” and loses his music interest. It may happen either in the very beginning or in the middle of studies.

Wouldn’t it be better if you make an effort to support and maintain your child’s music interest right from the start? And your child will thank you later.

Music Education Books for Moms Are Here

Music Education Books for Music Teachers Are Here