Tips for Young Children Learning Musical Instruments

Encouraging young children to learn musical instruments can have a positive impact on their social, intellectual and spiritual journeys throughout life. However, many adults can remember horror stories about their parents forcing them to learn a new instrument. Follow these ideas to keep your child interested as she begins her musical journey with a new instrument.

Communicate with the Music Teacher

For young children it is best to be visible during music lessons. Or at least be where you can hear the lesson and the advice your music teacher gives the child. Do not override the music teacher's authority in front of your child. Always call them by their formal title and defer to what they say (unless it's completely unreasonable) so your child learns their music teacher as an authority figure.

After the lesson, ask the teacher what they recommend for practice sessions. Ask if there is something specific your child needs to do before the next lesson, like a specific skill they need extra practice on. Keep those communication lines open to avoid sending your child mixed signals.

Keep a Practice Chart

Make a calendar for the month and use bright colors to mark the days your child is expected to practice. Using fun stickers with characters your child likes, mark the days your child actually does practice. For example, if your child's goal is to practice 30 minutes each day, taking Saturday off, then make a calendar with every square blue. Saturday squares are yellow. For each blue square that your child successfully practices for 30 minutes, place a sticker in it.

At the end of the month, your child can see how many times they practiced and how many they missed. Use this chart as a reward system, whether verbal or another kind of reward. Be sure to check it and frequently comment on how well your child is doing with their practice schedule.

Say, "Wow, Susie, you have almost an entire week of Dora stickers on your chart. See how nice it looks with all those stickers. Make sure you practice today so your chart will continue to look beautiful."

Avoid pointing out how many days your child has missed. Concentrate on the positive.

Keep the Time Appropriate

Young children have more effective lessons when they practice a skill for a shorter period of time but at more frequent intervals. Pay attention to your child's attention span. The music teacher will probably recommend 30 minutes of practice time a day for beginner students. This may be too long for child to stay focused. Instead, encourage your child to play one of their practice pieces five or six times through. Then let them take a break. After a few minutes, lead your child back to the music instrument and ask them to play it for you again. Continue this pattern as long as needed.

This keeps your child from getting burned out on the instrument and starting to dread practice.

Set Aside Fun Practice Time

As your child continues in his music lessons, he may want to start learning songs he knows or hears on the radio. Try to find simple versions of these melodies he can learn in addition to his lessons. Keep these practice times fun. Let your child goof off and discover things he enjoys playing. Encourage him to spend a few minutes playing these pieces to warm up and then finish his practice session with these.

Avoid Criticizing

For your child to be successful with music they need to find it a fun activity. Always be willing to listen to their practices but be positive. It is ok to request they spend more time practicing, but be tactful with your comments. Find something positive to say first. For example, "Wow, Craig, you are improving with making that G chord on the guitar. It sounds good and your hand looks good too. Practice making the C chord a few more times so you can do it as well as your G chord."

Remember, unless you are a whiz at a music instrument, the things you criticize may not be things the teacher is concentrating on at that point in your child's lessons. It is always better to let your child's music teacher do the correcting. You, as the parent, should concentrate on encouraging.

Ask for Private Shows

Help your child stay proud of their skill but asking them to play for you. If you have more than one child in the home learning an instrument, try encouraging them to host a small concert. After dinner, let each child play a small bit of the piece they are working on. Give lots of applause and positive reinforcement. If your child responds well, brag about them to neighbors and family members. Ask your child to show Grandma what they can play on their instrument when she comes to visit. However, this can really stress some young children out, so be aware of your child's individual needs.