Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

Today on Home School Heartbeat, Mike Smith continues our discussion about teaching your homeschooler a musical instrument, including some practical tips on helping your young child learn.

Mike Smith:

If your child is too young to attend formal music lessons, you can still reinforce knowledge of music and prepare the way for him to be a successful pupil later. A basic knowledge of rhythm can be achieved by singing and using household percussion instruments like a wooden spoon or pot. Play games that will challenge your child to imitate the melodies and patterns you perform. Build activities out of a song that will teach him to recognize the pitches between the notes. Youngsters also love to incorporate melody with body or hand motion, with songs like "Itsy Bitsy Spider" or "The Hokey Pokey." It's also helpful to have music playing in the background as your child plays with his toys so he will subconsciously become familiar with the musical patterns.

If you start your child in formal lessons at a young age, you may find yourself with a shy pupil on your hands. To prepare him for recitals, give him an opportunity to play a piece in front of a non-threatening audience, like stuffed animals or dolls. Eventually, have a parent sit with the animals in the audience, and gradually add family members or friends until the idea of performing feels less threatening to your child.

You might also consider attending your child's music lessons so you can help to reinforce what the instructor said during practice time. More on this next time; I'm Mike Smith.