As we have discussed in a number of recent posts, playing music can have a profound impact in the developing mind, and can create benefits that will last a life time. However, before any of these advantages can take affect there must be a pre-existing interest in music. Music has been called a universal language, and everyone listens to some kind or another for a variety of reasons, but for most people that is where their interest ends. While there are benefits to even this limited exposure to the wider world of music, including aid in relaxation, and according to some studies, aid in information processing (like when studying for a text or exam), many parents want to encourage their children to take this affection for music to the next level at a young age. This week we are going to talk about how you can foster your young ones’ budding interest in music into a passion that could last for the rest of their lives.
One way to help your child develop their interest in music is to introduce them to as wide a variety of different genres as possible. I know that my interest in making music was, and has continued to be fueled by my father’s ever expanding musical library. While he himself has never played an instrument, he loved to play music at home, and in the car. Every time I was in the car with my father music school was in session, as loud as his speaker would allow. He was instrumental in introducing me to classic rock, in the form of Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones, jazz and big band with Frank Sinatra, punk with The Ramones and Green Day, swing with the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, ska with the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and countless other bands, singers, and genres. Today’s technology makes this kind of introduction easier than ever before. We have music in the form of Cds, mp3s, iTunes, radio, and satellite, as well as videos at our fingertips on streaming video websites like YouTube. Exposure to all the varying facets of music can only build upon any underlying interest, as well as show children that the possibilities with music are literally limitless. Eventually they may find at least one style of music they have a passion for and will want to emulate, possibly even to the point of making new music of their own.
Once you have begun this slow process of expanding your child’s musical tastes something else to consider is attending concerts. These don’t have to be big, sold out arena shows. Small local shows are also fantastic. Restaurants often have live music, and during the summer months many cities offer free and/or low cost music festivals featuring local and amateur performers. Sure, the shows put on by the popular household name performers are certainly exciting, and can show one possible outcome of a successful career in music, but in my opinion it is the smaller venues and local bands that really show off the joy and passion performers have for their craft, even when they don’t have a big name record contract or millions of adoring fans. In these places it is more about the music than the fame, and your children will pick up on that, even if they don’t really realize it. They will see the fun and love these people have simply from playing their music with each other for the enjoyment of the audience.
Expanding a young person’s interest in music can be brought to the next level if one of their parents plays an instrument. I was also lucky in the regard as well; my mother played a 12 string guitar. She only played a few times when I was extremely young, but I was hooked. And even when she had stopped playing, there was always a guitar around the house. There are a few ways performing music at home can have an affect on your child’s attitudes toward picking up an instrument themselves. First and foremost, young children like to imitate adults, especially their parents. If you can play for them they will have an inherent interest in playing themselves. You will also be exposing them to the fun and fulfilment you yourself have when playing music. It is one thing to see someone on stage having fun playing for an audience, it is an entirely different thing when it is at home; it is much more personal and the fun and passion are more tangible.
Another possible step towards an interest in music are small school music programs. Many schools introduce children to playing music at a young age with the recorder flute. If your children are lucky enough to attend a school that uses this simple instrument as a learning tool, and they show interest in playing you should most definitely encourage them. Often this simple plastic instrument is the gateway to “real” instruments and a passion for playing. Unfortunately, one of the realities of many school boards today is the dwindling availability of in-school music programs. However, if you are fortunate enough to live in an area where there still is a music program, think about encouraging your child to continue this interest there. These programs often begin around grade 4 and are an excellent initiation to reading and playing music, usually in a group setting with friends, new and old alike.
The bond of friendship is also a good motivator when it comes to developing an interest in music, both for parents and children. Kids are more likely to join in on an activity if their friends are doing it, and parents should be aware that bands and music lessons are a great place for children to meet new people and build lasting relationships based on a mutual interest. It is for this reason that it can be important for you, as the parent, to make it possible for your children to have their friends over for “jam” sessions. In a less formal setting kids can experiment with their instruments, finding new sounds and new ways of playing while having fun with their friends.
Music appeals to everyone on one level or another, but most people’s interests stop with simply listening. With all the benefits that can come from an early education in music why not help foster that developing interest? As a parent you are in a unique position to help broaden your children’s musical tastes and horizons, while giving them the gift of a passion that will last for their entire lives; a passion that they can share with others.
