Learning music is amongst the most fun and rewarding ways a child can learn how hard work pays off. How many adults in conversation admit to regretting never taking up an instrument as a child? Who can look at a piano, a guitar, or some other instrument and honestly say “I’m glad I don’t play that”? While the parent’s dreams shouldn’t be hoisted onto their children, most kids love to play music, and even if there is some resistance at first to practicing it’s common for this to diminish as they become accustomed to the instrument and begin to partake in the joys of music.

When you’re starting your child out in music it’s important to consider what they want out of it. If they show a strong inclination to music and a will to learn, it’s reasonable to enroll them into serious classes. But many students are satisfied just learning fun, basic pop tunes. It was a more common practice some decades ago to have kids playing classical pieces from the Western canon of music. This is great music, it hopefully everyone can play it one day, but if your child is happy playing songs from the radio that should be enough. Chopin isn’t going anywhere! The thing to do is make sure the teacher understands that the lessons are primarily about fun, but to pass along proper techniques and skills wherever possible. For this kind of student, at this stage of development, fun should win out where it collides with dense and dull music theory.

This is not a manifesto for watering down the talent pool of young musicians, but recognition that not everyone is Glenn Gould and some people take time to really delve into the instrument, and pushing too hard too soon turns them off. This is needless and tragic. Besides, the heights of great music are unaffected by young students having harmless fun at the entry level.

If your child has a serious desire to learn music you must decide what level is appropriate. You may still very much want him to have fun and relax, but perhaps he needs a challenge. If the latter is the case, matching him with the right teacher is very important. It may be the rare case where there’s no fun without hard work, and schmoozing and playing easy tunes is a boring waste of time. If this is the case, it may not be evident right away.

Pay attention to how quickly your child advances, what they can play, and how they respond to the teacher outside of their presence. If they insist on doing more, find a teacher who can challenge them. At the other end, your child might have ability but might care more about enjoying himself. It’s important to make this distinction and find lessons that put them on the best track for their needs. A musical life is its own reward, and the most important thing is to make sure they continue.

Long & McQuade’s Musical Education Center offers music lessons St. John\’s and guitar lessons Mississauga. When trying to learn a musical instrument be sure to visit the professionals at Long & McQuade – one of Canada\’s largest music stores.

Long & McQuade’s Musical Education Center offers music lessons St. John\’s and guitar lessons Mississauga. When trying to learn a musical instrument be sure to visit the professionals at Long & McQuade – one of Canada\’s largest music stores.
http://www.long-mcquade.com/

Author Bio: Long & McQuade’s Musical Education Center offers music lessons St. John\’s and guitar lessons Mississauga. When trying to learn a musical instrument be sure to visit the professionals at Long & McQuade – one of Canada\’s largest music stores.

Category: Advice
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