Playing music is awesome, fun and rewarding.
Learning to play music, however, can be hard work. Here are some tips for success if you are enrolling you child in music lessons:
Before enrolling
- Assess your child’s readiness. By age 8, most kids are ready for music lessons provided they have good reading skills and can concentrate on focused activities for at least 30 minutes. Before the age of 8, your child might find group lessons – such as our U-Rock Kidz program – more rewarding. Eight-year-olds are particularly suited to singing, piano and ukulele. Drums and guitar, which are more physically demanding, may be best suited to children 10 and over.
- Set expectations. It looks cool when a musician wails on a guitar or goes wild in a drum solo, and that can prompt kids to want to learn to play. If your child is asking for music lessons, make sure they understand that musicians work hard to learn their craft. It will take years before they play a good guitar or drum solo. Your kids must understand that they need to practice each and every day. We usually recommend that children under 10 practice for 15 minutes daily. Teens should practice at least 30 minutes each day.
- Get a good instrument. A poor quality instrument will be difficult to play and frustrating for little rock stars. Ensure your child’s instrument is in good shape and is the right size. Half and three-quarter size guitars are available for children. Guitars should have steel strings, and drum students need a standard five-piece drum kit (Either acoustic or electronic kits are fine). Plastic guitars, octo-pads and anything from a toy store are unsuitable for private lessons. We’d be happy to recommend instruments to parents of new students. Just ask!
During lessons
- Encourage good practice routines. Students will better remember to practice if they do it at the same time each day. And practice should include lots or repetition: teach them to play songs and exercises over and over until they get them right.
- Remind them to practice. If your child is under 11 or 12, you’ll need to remind them to practice. Some days it will be a struggle, no question. By the time they are teens, they should be self-motivated.
- Learn with them. Our experience is that kids learn best when their parents work with them. Sit with them while they practice (when you can), and help them learn to play their instrument.
- Expose them to music. Help your child love music by playing it at home, in the car … basically, wherever you can. Some of our student’s most cherished memories are singing along with mom or dad in the car. The more different kinds of music they listen to, the better.