Here are some easy and inexpensive ways to engage your child in an educational activity while at the same time helping them develop a love for music:
For parents that aren’t musically inclined, teaching children about music can seem like a tricky or even impossible task, particularly if a child is either too young for professional music lessons or paying for such lessons is not currently in the family budget.
Prospective students should be able to distinguish their right hand from their left hand before tackling an instrument. In order to help them distinguish between the two, have them trace each hand on a piece of paper with a marker or crayon and then write: “Right Hand” and “Left Hand” on the appropriate pictures (with your help, if necessary). Hang the pictures up where they can be seen, and then reinforce the lesson by asking them to hold up each hand and tell which is which.
You can also teach young children the basics of note values by asking them to draw whole notes, half notes and quarter notes. You may want to purchase a small blackboard or dry-erase board for this purpose. When they are able to draw the notes and to tell which is which, have them clap according to the number of beats each note represents.
Whole notes receive four beats per measure, half notes receive two beats per measure, and quarter notes receive one beat per measure. Ask children to clap four times each time they draw or look at a whole note, two times each time they draw or look at a half note, and one time each time they draw or look at a quarter note.
Prospective music students should also understand the musical alphabet. The musical alphabet is simply: ABCDEFG. If children are all ready familiar with the normal alphabet, you can explain that the musical alphabet is much shorter. You can even make up words that will help children complete a musical alphabet song. For example, sing the ABCDEFG portion of the normal alphabet song, but instead of completing the phrase with, HIJKLMNOP, replace the phrase with words like: “You like music and so do we.”
An easy way to help children comprehend musical time, or “tempo”, is to have them clap in time with their favorite songs or songs on the radio. Lead by example by clapping to a song’s beat and asking them to clap along with you. You can also ask children to walk in time according to the beat. They can walk in place or walk in a circle.
If prospective music students have even the most tentative grasp on the information above, they will have a much easier time adjusting should they eventually take professional music lessons or music classes in school. Keep in mind that forcing children to learn these lessons is not appropriate; children who learn to see music as a burden often lose interest in it. Instead, music should be a source of joy and a way in which young children can share their enthusiasm for the songs that they love.
