Children nowadays are really busier than adults, aren’t they? I bet you’ll agree with me about this, just by looking at the daunting learning schedule they have. However, there is one thing that most parents will still do for their children regardless of how busy the children are- enrolling them for talent classes, especially classes to learn musical instrument.
Well, I think most of you will know better than me about what are the benefits that music can bring upon your young ones. Confidence, discipline, patience, social skills, and cognitive skills such as memory and brainpower, to name just a few, are some of the general benefits that music can bring upon your children.
However, have you ever realized which music instrument that your children will enjoy the most? Is it really good for us to decide what the best instrument is for them to learn, solely based on the most popular instrument learnt by others?
Read more: Baby genius? Listening to music in the womb
Priscilla Dunstan, the author of <Child Sense>, perceives that children will gravitate towards certain musical instruments based on their five major senses, namely sight (visual), hearing (auditory), touching (tactile), taste and smell. These are the kinds of senses that children have to rely on in order for them to learn; however, there can only be a particular dominant sense they depend on when learning is concerned. So, let’s find out the types of children’s learning styles and suitable musical instruments for each:
Visual Learning
Find your children hard to understand what you teach without any illustration, image or flashcard? Always tell you about all their fancy imaginations based on what they observe? Can recall almost perfectly just after a glance? Well, most probably they are the visual learners who will only learn the best through visual aids.
Visual children prefer order and perfection- and this will definitely save you from the hassles of tidying their room! (Chuckle)
So, the piano will be the most ideal musical instrument for them. The thought of being able to dance their fingers on the keys along with rhythmic musical notes certainly will fascinate them. Besides, they will be glad to emulate the pianists as they play gracefully, composedly and orderly. Furthermore, being able to play the piano well will constantly put them in the limelight, especially among family members and friends. And this serves as a strong motivation for them to play the instrument well!
Auditory Learning
Do your children like to hum the rhythm of music, recall what they have heard, and able to use oral language effectively? If it is a positive answer, then your children will most probably have a soft spot for a string instrument. Born with a better sensitivity towards sounds, they can easily grasp the ways to play with strings in order to make music note sharp of flat.
Apart from that, they indulge themselves in the freedom of creating their own music- and string instruments do provide them such freedom. So, for auditory children, you should nurture their aptitude for music by giving them more freedom in their musical learning.
Tactile Learning
Characterized by learning through physical touch, tactile learners will more likely opt for the instruments which are physically demanding such as drum, trombones, cellos or others. They like to learn by manipulating objects and through hands-on experience.
Besides, they prefer to engage themselves in interactive group learning- which makes them inclined to conform to guidelines or regulations. Fuelled with the passion to be part of the performance with the audience, they have the potential to make a good band and orchestra members.
Taste and smell Learning
Children who learn through taste and smell are branded as the “imaginative wizards”. They can easily sink in the ocean of imagination when they listen to the sounds especially from flute or harp. Therefore, music definitely makes the best channel for them to express their feelings and harness their sensitivity if they are taught with the right musical instrument.
For sure it’s good that we cater the suitable musical instruments to their learning style and learning interest. However, while we are trying to find out the right instruments for them, it is advisable for us to expose them into a variety of music styles, for instance classical, Broadway, pop and soothing music style. Observe their expression attentively as sometimes children may display a strong liking for the specific instrument the first time they hear it.
If you don’t have a tight budget, perhaps you can consider sending your young ones, especially toddlers or preschoolers, to kids’ music centre such as Kindermusik. This helps them to foster a love for music, rhythm and self-expression, enabling them to appreciate music much better, before they delve into the specific musical niche. Alternatively, you may also consider renting instruments for your children to explore. They may change their mind several times before they commit themselves to just one instrument.
Of course, you must still be ready to invest in small down payment and monthly payments. However, this investment is surely worthwhile if you view it in long term. You won’t want to spend so much effort and money, only to find our children don’t really enjoy the music course we find for them- and worse still, you still will repeat this over and over again as long your children still don’t find a suitable one.
So, give your children a platform to seek out their own musical expression, as sooner or later the instrument will finally answer to them!
This article has been republished with permission from Kiddy123