My Child Is Showing an Interest in Music - Now What?
One of the most amazing things about parenting is getting to watch your child grow into their own unique person and watching them develop their own passions. You may have noticed your child has started singing along more to music they hear in passing, drumming along to the beat, or maybe they’ve outright said they’d like to learn to play a musical instrument! We all want to nurture our children and allow them to grow into the amazing adults they’re destined to be, so now you may be wondering “What can I do to support this budding interest?” Here we’ve compiled some of the best ways to help foster a love of music in your child so they can reach their fullest potential!
Incorporating Music into Day-to-Day Life Whenever Possible
At Opus we feel that musical moments can happen throughout the entire day! Try playing music at home while doing things around the house such as cleaning or cooking; this tip can also assist in motivating kids to help around the house if they know they can take little dance party breaks in between! Allowing kids to choose some of the music they hear can also help you build an extra special bond with them as they share songs that they love with you. Especially now that many of us have become stay at home moms and dads there’s more time than ever to enjoy bonding with your child through music!
Find Out What Interests Them Musically
Kids generally love getting to talk about their interests so it’s important to show that you’re listening and want to know more about them! Find out what instruments they like to hear or which ones they think they would like to play. Chances are they may already have their heart set on learning to play a certain instrument! This can also be a good time to find out if they would prefer in person or virtual lessons which will help you out with our next piece of advice. Check out below for an inspiration playlist for each instrument that you may wish to show your child to see if any of them pique their interest!
Seek Out Lessons for Their Desired Instrument
A key part of getting your child on the path to musical greatness is taking lessons to give them an outlet for their passions! From asking friends and family for recommendations to researching different music schools, the more research the better. At Opus we’re happy to offer trial lessons too so you can get an idea of how our lessons work as well, plus it gives your child to try out more than one instrument to see which one they like best and with no commitment!
Be Involved With Their Music
When your child finishes their lessons, whether they went in person to the studio or just exited the virtual classroom, find out more about how they’re developing as a musician or have them play their favorite piece for you! Find out what they learned in their class today or maybe if there’s something that they really enjoyed in their lesson or found difficult. This not only shows that you care about their progress and what they’re doing, but this can allow you to give some guidance when it’s time for them to practice at home!
Be Their Cheerleader
This is arguably the most important piece of advice we can give to parents of young musicians! Learning a new skill or hobby can be difficult at times and without support it can be easy to just give up. It’s essential that you encourage your child all throughout their musical journey by reminding them that making mistakes is just part of the process. Remind them to practice or set a practice schedule for them. One fantastic way to encourage your child is when they do make a mistake to instead have them focus on what they did succeed at! If you exhibit a positive attitude towards your kiddo’s progress, it will help build up their confidence and positivity too!
Music is a great way to promote good habits and develop positive lifestyles that will benefit your child for years to come. Music lessons have been shown to develop children’s motor skills, improve reading and language skills, and strengthen memory and concentration! Helping to support your child’s musical interests will not only make them happy but enrich their growing mind!
If your child has been showing an interest in music we would love to help begin their musical journey! Click to view our trial lessons availability.
INSTRUMENT INSPIRATION PLAYLISTS
We’ve created some playlists on our Youtube Channel that you can view below to help inspire your little superstar in the following instruments: piano, guitar, voice/singing, and drums.