Get Down and Play!

Photo By: Shannah Pace

The other day my daughter disappeared into her room for some alone time from her younger brother.  She was in there for a while, so I decided that I better go and see what she was up to.  As I approached her door, I heard her playing her song flute.  It’s nothing fancy, in fact, it came in a drum full of instruments from Target’s $10 holiday toy aisle many years ago.  She was trying to figure out how to play the theme from Harry Potter, and she wasn’t doing too bad either.  But it made me think about the fact that although I am a music teacher, I wasn’t teaching her to play a song flute.  She was experimenting & creating all on her own, all because the flute was simply in the house.

As reading advocates will tell you, just having books in your house can help foster a child’s love for reading.  You show them that books are important to you, and they mimic your behavior.  The same can be said for music – just having items available for your child to experiment with can help show them that you value music as a vital part of their daily life. (They don’t need to know that we are secretly growing their little brains too!)

If you do not have a small collection of musical instruments in your house, I encourage you to find some.  They don’t have to be fancy or shiny or expensive.  A good place to start is with a small shaker for the littlest of musicians, moving up to xylophones & drums for the pre-schoolers & guitars or song flutes for the elementary kids.  There a bunch of great toy instruments out there.  Get a few, put them in the house and let your child experiment with music.

But Won’t That Be…Loud?

I’m not going to lie – yes, it will.  But consider this: the attention span of a small child is not long.  Allowing them to be loud for a few minutes a day with a shaker or drum will have benefits that far outweigh the noise.  Music engages the entire brain.  It helps to make those connections that your child will need for walking, speaking, reading, math.  Isn’t that worth a few slightly loud moments of your time?

OK.  We Have Instruments.  Now What?

Get down and play!  Grab an instrument and show your child what to do.  Don’t force them to play it themselves.  Let them watch and join in when they are ready.  If they don’t like it today, don’t worry.  Leave the instruments out and allow your child’s natural curiosity to take hold.  They’ll experiment and gravitate toward the one they find most pleasing, eventually.  If your child is a bit older, turn on their favorite songs and have an impromptu jam session.  Get creative with your tunes and rhythms, and while you’re at it, dance too!  Music time is a fun time for the whole family!

Looking for toy instruments?  I’ve assembled a collection of my favorites here.

Norman, OK:  It’s almost time to head back to school!  Can you believe it?  Where does the summer go?  While Back To School time means new clothes & new crayons, it’s also the perfect time to start piano lessons!   While you are creating those good study habits with homework you can also create great practice habits at the piano.  Piano lessons don’t just teach students about music.  Learning to play a musical instrument gives them the tools they need to be self-disciplined, hard working, goal setting individuals.  Studies also show that students who study an instrument do better in school!

If your child has expressed an interest in learning to play the piano, be sure to download our fall brochure & see how piano lessons at The Taylor Studio in Norman can benefit your child!

Download our Fall 2010 Piano Lessons Brochure Here

Ready to register for lessons?

Click Here to be taken to our Online Studio Registration Page.  Complete the form with your information and you will be added to our studio rolls. Once I activate you in our system, you can schedule your lessons in any of our available time slots, make changes to your schedule, view your student’s lesson notes & even make payments for lessons!  What other studio in Norman offers you all of that?

Free Patriotic Sheet Music Download

Happy Fourth of July weekend!  I hope you are all having a wonderful time with your families & friends!

Since we’re having a super soggy start to our holiday weekend here in Norman, I thought I would create a beginning piano arrangement of Yankee Doodle for you to download, print, and play!

Yankee Doodle for Beginning Piano (Easy)

To get your copy, head on over to The Taylor Studio Facebook Page and visit the Free Sheet Music tab!

Have a safe (and hopefully dry) holiday weekend!