Learning an instrument is both challenging and rewarding, but the younger you start, the easier it is, and musical talent is an excellent thing to have throughout life. If your child doesn’t seem interested in music, maybe they haven’t heard enough of it or the right kind of music for them.
Unique Personalities
If you want to encourage your child to pick up an instrument and start exploring their musical creativity, then start thinking about their unique personalities. If your child isn’t naturally drawn to an instrument, it doesn’t mean they aren’t interested; maybe they haven’t found the right one yet.
Like adults, children have unique personalities and will be more successful at some instruments than others. Monitor how your child plays and what their energy looks like, do they bash pillows, or do they seem to have a more refined nature? Encourage instruments that suit their nature.
Musical Influences
Learning a musical instrument is hard work; it requires concentration, discipline, and dedication, so your child’s heart needs to be in it if they are going to enjoy the experience and find some success. Instead of treating it like homework, try treating it like a fun activity and inspire them.
In order to connect with a musical instrument, your child is going to need to be inspired, which means you need to expose them to a range of music, including albums, music videos, and live performances. Take a scattergun approach at first and find out what music they connect with.
Music Teachers
Finding a music teacher can be tricky, but it’s the next step after you have inspired your child, invest in an instrument, and they are ready to learn. Chances are you won’t find the right teacher immediately, so don’t put all your eggs in one basket, attend music lessons on a trial basis. Hire musical equipment with advice.
If your child is struggling with the teacher, it might not be down to the teacher’s personality; it could also be their teaching style. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should jump around too often – learning an instrument is a challenge – but stay flexible and open to new teaching styles.
Role Models
Role models can be very helpful for younger people, especially children trying to learn a musical instrument. If your child has heard some music and thinks an icon is particularly cool, that’s an opportunity to inspire your child to learn an instrument like a digital piano and find success.
But what happens when you wish your child would pick up an instrument or find a musical role model, but they don’t seem interested? One strategy is a bit of indirection. If you show interest in a musical icon yourself – perhaps put up a poster – they might start to take some interest as well.
Natural Curiosity
Let’s call it natural curiosity. It’s when you use a bit of reverse psychology to intrigue your child and cultivate some interest in a musical instrument or musical figure. All you have to do is show a personal interest in the music, and the icon and your child will want to find out more.
