When it comes to educating children, a lot of focus is placed on practical skills like reading and math, which are undoubtedly important. However, we should raise our children to be well-rounded individuals, which involves teaching them forms of creative self-expression.
Music should be integral to every child’s life. Different kids have different talents—some are good at drawing, some can dance well, and some are most talented in non-artistic areas. Even if your child does not develop into a musical prodigy, it is a good idea to cultivate familiarity with the art form.
In addition to enriching a child’s life, familiarity with music and learning to play an instrument helps develop crucial areas of a child’s brain. Studies have shown that musical proficiency helps children in math, language, education, and creativity. Generally, a child who can play a musical instrument has an intellectual edge over one who cannot.
Starting early
You may have heard that playing music for babies, even as early as in the womb, can help boost intelligence. The studies behind this are mixed, and nothing conclusive is known, but there is no denying that having plenty of music in the household prepares a child to learn music when she is old enough.
During the early months of your child’s life, play music whenever your baby is wide awake. She may even sleep well if you play soft music in the background during sleep times. Play every kind of music that you have in the house. All will help your child develop familiarity with the diverse melodies, harmonies, and tones that go into music. Meanwhile, even if you are not particularly musical, humming and singing to your child often is a good idea. She will enjoy it, making your household fun and musical.
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Introducing instruments
A good way to prepare your child for a musical life is to have musical toys in the house. But you do not have to bring any noisy, flashy musical toys you see at the toy store into the household. Some of these noisy toys can be annoying even to the most tolerant parent. A child interested in music will enjoy even the most tasteful musical toy. Small glockenspiels and keyboards, for example, are great for a start.
While musical toys are fun for children who are still young enough to be called babies, there is nothing wrong with introducing real instruments as early as it seems feasible. Many great musicians started playing real instruments at three or four and practiced regularly, even at a young age. Of course, you do not need to make your child play or practice if they do not like to but do keep in mind the importance of practice. If your child seems musically inclined, you may have to give extra encouragement to make sure they truly develop.
And as soon as your child is old enough to play a real instrument, you might want to invest in some lessons. Be careful with this, however, because if your child does not truly enjoy playing, lessons can quickly become a chore. Also, having a good teacher who makes practice fun is important.
If you do all this and your child does not seem to develop into a talented musician, do not let this bother you. Remember that a large musical talent is inborn; some kids are not born with it. You can still have a musical household. Who knows? If you continue to make music a central part of your family’s life, your child may develop into a late-blooming musical talent.
By Jamell Andrews
Jamell Andrews, a graduate of CSU Fullerton, majored in Language Arts and has authored numerous articles on parenting for the popular journal site www.Parenting-Journals.com. She also believes in the many uses of dill water for fussy babies.
