Raising Musical Children

Our family is musical. There is always some instrument being practiced, some rehearsal to go to, some composition being worked on, even some instrument being made. It makes for a pretty noisy house at times and sometimes that noise isn’t all that pretty. That’s okay, because the end result is usually beautiful.

My older boys were interested in music but they also were very interested in baseball. I found it interesting that the coach’s kid always seemed to be the best player on the team. In the early days, I figured it was because the coach gave preference to his child. After watching many coaches and their kids, I realized that was not usually the case. The coach’s kid was just very good at baseball. Was it in their genes? Was it because the coach forced his son to practice all the time? What made him better than the other kids?

The answer to those questions is the same answer as to how my kids are so musical. The coach loved baseball. The coach watched baseball. The coach played baseball. The coach talked about baseball. The coach shared all of this with his son at an early age. Baseball became part of his life. He wasn’t forced into it. He just grew up with it. He understood the game. He saw good players play. He loved the game because his dad loved the game.

It’s the same with any activity a father/mother shares with his/her son/daughter. A dad that is a big hunter is going to have kids that love hunting. A mother that loves to cook will have kids that learn to be great cooks. A parent that loves to read will have a strong reader and so on. This doesn’t just happen. A parent that loves to read will not have a strong reader unless he shares his love of reading with his child. He must teach his child to read. He must read to his child. His child must see him reading for his own enjoyment.

So how does this apply to my children and music? My kids are surrounded by music from an early age. Not only have they heard me play the violin/piano, they have heard my students during their private lessons. I have tried to expose them to music of all genres when possible. Just like the baseball coach, we talk about and play music together. It happens naturally.

What can a parent do to encourage a love of music with their own children? Especially if music is not their thing? Some things can be done at a very early age. Things that you might not think would help with musical ability but I think instills a sense of rhythm and offers ear training when the baby is very small. Both of these skills are so important when learning to sing or to play an instrument. Learning it at an early age makes it all so much easier when the time comes to actually put an instrument in their hands.

Here are 3 things I have done with my children:

Pat. The other night, I was holding a friend’s baby during a rehearsal. He was about 4 months old. I did with him what I always did with all my own boys. I held him up on my shoulder and patted his bottom. Not just any old patting but patting his bottom with the beat of the music. Easy enough to do and can be done anytime there is music around. You can even do it while singing to your baby.

Sing. That brings me to the second thing. Sing to your baby. It doesn’t matter what you sing. Contrary to popular belief, there is no magic in Mozart. Just sing. Make up songs. Sing folk songs and lullabies. Sing songs you grew up with. Pat his little bottom in time with what you’re singing. Not a singer? Listen to a CD with your baby. Sing along. I believe everyone can improve their singing skills with practice.

Listen. Listen to great music. Invest in some of the wonderful CDs that are available. Play one when your baby is going to sleep. Play them in the car. Listen to great music as often as possible. You can be the judge of what great music is. Hymns, folk songs, classical music, golden oldies, country/western. All of it has its place and all of it can be enjoyed by you and your child. As both of you are listening, your sense of rhythm is being developed, your ear is being trained, your taste for beautiful music is maturing.

None of these suggestions are all that difficult. Of course, that’s what the baseball coach said to us when he tried to encourage us to work with our boys at home on their baseball skills. I realize it may come easier to me to sing spontaneously than to someone who has not done much singing but I encourage you to give it a try. As your child gets older, take him out to concerts and let him see the performers in action. Colleges and Universities that have music programs have lots and lots of opportunities for you to share these experiences with your child. Check out the one nearest you and make the effort to attend a couple this semester. Try a percussion concert or a tuba recital. Introduce your child to all kinds of instruments and all kinds of music.

What about formal music education? I am frequently asked what age to start. I know lots of people start their little ones as young as 3 playing the violin. I don’t recommend it. I think 3 year olds need to be playing not practicing. If you want to get a child that young involved in a music program, choose one of the mommy and me type programs that involve mom and child doing fun music activities in a group setting. I recommend starting on the piano at or around age 7. Your child may be able to handle private piano lessons at an earlier age but if not, don’t worry about it. I like my private students to be able to sit for a 30 minute lesson and remember what they learned once they get home. If they can’t do this, they may not be ready for private lessons yet. After 2 or 3 years on the piano, if you would like for them to play the violin or another instrument, that would be great.

Why piano first? 1) Piano, although not an easy instrument to play at the higher levels, is relatively easy to learn as a beginner. You can be assured that if you press down the correct key, it will be the correct note. No guessing. This will give your child’s ear the chance to learn how the notes will sound. 2) A piano student learns to read music on both the bass and treble clefs. Once reading these clefs have been mastered, picking any instrument (except maybe the viola) will be much easier. 3) Piano students tend to learn more music theory than, partly because they are learning both clefs, than a student learning the violin or cello. Everything is easier to visualize on the piano. It’s easy to see a scale and to understand what a half step and whole step looks like.

To sum it up? Think like a baseball coach — love music, listen to music, play/sing music, talk about music, go to music performances. Your child can’t help but be interested in something that you’re interested in.

Update added 10/12/12: After writing this, I discovered a website with some wonderful Youtube videos to help get you started encouraging your children in music and possibly even starting on the violin yourself.  Check out Heather Broadbent’s video: Music Games For Toddlers