3 Tips That Can Help Your Kids Learn Instruments

Learning an instrument can be very beneficial for your child. The World Economic Forum points to the large body of research that supports the idea of how learning a musical instrument can lead to long-term cognitive benefits for children. With that being said, nothing great ever comes easy.

It's normal for children to struggle when learning how to play certain instruments. This is especially true when they're just starting out, as some instruments tend to be difficult to get the hang of. Luckily, there are ways that you can help your child. So follow these three tips and you may just make their musical journey significantly easier and more enjoyable.

Let Them Play Whatever They Want

Your child should still learn the fundamental pieces of their instrument and go through the notes and exercises as defined in their lesson books. But at the same time, they should also be allocated time for exploring their own interests in terms of the music they’re playing. When creating a learning schedule, make sure that certain parts of their practice sessions are dedicated to learning and playing whatever songs interest them at the moment. Making it fun not only allows them to learn instruments faster, it also keeps them interested in regular and consistent practice – the key for any musician of any level to get better. Indeed, ABC writes that letting kids play popular music, encouraging playing with and for others, and allowing them to pick the instrument they want to learn can make the learning process much easier.

Record Practice Sessions

For musicians, one of the most effective ways to improve is to record and playback practice sessions. Apart from allowing your child to critique their own performance and correct previous mistakes, there’s also added motivation in hearing themselves improve over time. And thanks to the current popularity of streaming and podcasting, there’s no shortage of decent, affordable, and easy-to-use mics that you can use for this purpose. Shout4Music’s Blue Snowball’s iCE Microphone review notes how you can plug it straight into your computer to sync with any audio recording or editing program. These new plug-and-play mics are also USB compatible and are very easy for children and beginners to use. Apart from recording vocals, they can be used for acoustic instruments. Using a real microphone to record themselves can also teach your child the very basics of music recording, which can open up other learning avenues that can enhance their playing.

Stop Using Toys and Get Them Real Instruments

Whether it’s a ukulele, keyboard, drum set, or acoustic guitar, it’s important for kids to hold and play real instruments in their hands. One real instrument accompanied by a corresponding lesson book can go a long way. While they may have originally enjoyed musical toys, only real and proper instruments can allow them to progress in their music education. You can find a lot of options in Swamp Industries’ Enya’s ukuleles and guitar reviews, which proves that not all state-of-the-art music equipment come with exorbitant price tags. And should you end up spending on more steeply-priced models, think of it as an investment in your child’s education. With high-quality instruments in their hands, there are fewer roadblocks for children to develop their own playing styles.