Music can be such a wonderful thing for kids. A teaching tool, a hobby, a pastime, a creative outlet, and a way to express their emotions. Here are a few things to keep in mind when trying to help encourage your kid’s engagement with music.
1. Expose your child to music
Just like it helps you learn a language when you listen to people speaking it, being exposed to music of all kinds can help your child find what kind of music they enjoy. Encourage them to listen to different genres including pop, rock, classical, country, jazz, and more. Music of all kinds is readily available with platforms like YouTube and Spotify these days!
2. Be your child’s biggest fan
Especially if your child is older and beginning to learn a musical instrument, being supportive is key. Regular practice time and commitment to a new skill takes a lot of work and your child needs to feel supported. Encourage them to talk to other kids taking lessons or join an online group for kids who are learning their same instrument. Making sure to ask them to show you what they’ve been learning and being interested in listening to them is important as well.
3. Use familiar tunes
If you know simple songs from your own childhood, you automatically have a book of songs to choose from and use with kids. The idea is to use these old songs to create new ones. You can keep the same tune and substitute words out as in “You are my Susie”, instead of “You are my sunshine”. You can change all the words if you want and just keep the tune; creating a whole new song. Pro tip: Kid’s love to hear their own name put into songs!
4. Use your hands
Sometimes kids can be uncomfortable singing at first. Many kids’ songs have hand actions, finger patterns, or motions that help illustrate the lyrics. Make sure to use these while you sing. Some kids may begin doing the hand motions with you before they feel comfortable enough to sing with you.
5. Start with the whole song
Children do best when they hear an entire song from start to finish. We might think breaking songs down into phrases can is helpful, but it can actually be confusing for kids. Just sing the whole song repeatedly, and they will join you when they are ready.
6. Sing in the right range
Many times when adults sing with children, we pitch the songs in a range that is comfortable for us, but unfortunately, out of the range that is comfortable for kids. Adults sing a lot lower than kids do, and this can actually make kids feel unsuccessful in learning and singing music. Some kids will even give up trying to sing altogether and start to believe they can’t sing at all. Singing in a range that is appropriate for kids will most likely feel a little higher than you're comfortable with. Here are the general ranges of a child’s voice:
Preschool–Kindergarten (3–5 years old), C to A
First–third grade (6–8 years old) C to C’
Fourth–sixth grade (9–11 years old) Bflat to E’
Have fun! Music doesn’t have to be so serious all the time! When parents, teachers, and families have fun with music, it gives kids a good example. Make music at home, encourage them to make music with their friends, and allow them to just have fun with it.
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