Learn and Teach
With the right tools, parents can learn music theory themselves and teach it to their children with simple visual aids. This is also a great review method to help young students internalize and retain the skills they will need to become accomplished musicians. Ricci Adams, a software engineer and music theory aficionado, has developed a comprehensive website that includes interactive lessons, exercises, and tools. The lessons start with the essential basics: learning what the staff looks like (5 lines) and gradually adding clefs and ledger lines. Animated visual aids and textual explanations accompany each step, so it’s hard to go wrong with these lessons.
How to Help Children Practice Music Theory
Adams’ exercises are a little more advanced than his lessons, so the most basic ones deal with note identification and scale ear training. While it’s important to emphasize ear training, students must first know their notes and be able to identify them on the staff. The interval ear training exercise is ideal for students who have a solid understanding of visual note identification, as it prepares them for a life in music. This is a must for serious music students because the ability to identify notes and intervals heard in a simple recorded excerpt will be tested throughout formal education.
For students who are still learning their notes, there are exercises to identify notes on the staff and on the keyboard. Parents can go through these exercises with their children, predicting the correct answers and checking them immediately. Clicking on an answer results in a verdict of “correct” or “incorrect” and there is the option to reveal the correct answer at any point during the exercise.

Tools of the Trade
If parents or their young music students encounter unfamiliar notes or intervals in music assigned by teachers, they can use the helpful tools provided by Adams to correctly identify any mystifying cases. In addition to interval and chord calculators, there’s a “pop-up piano” that displays a keyboard for hands-on visualization of abstract intervals. Parents can use these resources to play an active role in their children’s music education and might even learn something new in the process.

This is a Guest Post from Alexis Bonari. Alexis is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at onlinedegrees.org, researching areas of online universities. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.?

“Shouldn’t my child be doing some theory homework?”

“What other theory practice can I get my child to do?”

“What can we do to improve my child’s grades in music theory at school?”

These questions are on the mind of every parent who’s child is doing music. Sometimes theory gets forgotten or put “on the back burner” by the teachers, who understandably have a great deal to cover in their lessons.

Theory is something that should be able to do be done at home – its something that with the right music theory materials and just a little bit of guidance from the teacher then should be simple for the child to learn by themselves.

If your child is preparing for a theory exam (which is a great thing to be doing!) then they’ll definitely need as much practice as possible! Don’t let them say..”I’ve done enough worksheets and practice” as one thing they definitely always need is more practice!

At the Fun Music Company we’ve been working hard at a new product which we have just released, called Printable Music Theory Books, which is a set of Music Theory Worksheets which cover all the bases when it comes to music theory.

We’ve designed it around the major examination systems around the world, structuring it into grades so that each level effectively covers the material in each grade.

It doesn’t matter if your child is going to do theory exams or not – if they are able and competent to go through our materials then you’ll know what level they are up to.

It’s brand new – and only just been released – so go right now and check out our brand new Printable Music Theory Books for parents who want to help their children learn music theory.

“I have played piano before I was 5, and have had years of classical. My grand daughter wants to learn, but she won’t let me teach her. My daughter in law insisted that a group piano teaching was avaliable this past fall and wanted to sign her 6 yr. old daughter up for it–I said I’d pay for the lessons.(and you pay for 4 months all in advance!) My G.daughter loves it, but I don’t see any progess when she plays–mostly one hand–no note reading etc. I’m VERY unhappy about it. What is your opinion of “group lessons?. There are 9 in the class. thank you. J> “

Firstly, I want to start by thanking you for your honesty and sharing your frustrations with your grandaughters music lesson. Let me say right from the beginning, that this is a similar frustration that all grandparents, parents, children and even teachers share in many learning experiences and you are certianly not alone. If I was seeing this in my own daughters music lessons, I would be feeling the same emotions and reconsidering if I had made the right choices too!

So how do you?

a) Help your granddaughter continue to enjoy piano lessons- From what you wrote in the email,this sounds like it is important to her and your daughter in law,

and

b) Ensure she achieves- You are the paying customer and want to see some return for the money you need to continually pay out (and I know that it adds up quickly!). You have also had the experience of playing piano from a very young age, so you feel that she will give up if she becomes bored or starts to underachieve. It is important to have common ground with your grandchild and it seems like piano playing is certainly strong common connection you would like to have with her.

From the outset I want to let you know that this post won’t make a decision for you. However, I know it will encourage you to make the right course of action to support yourself and your family in getting the most out of her music sessions in an environment that best suits you all at your grandaughters age. I have thoroughly considered the research avaliable to me and have thought about my own experiences on this topic. I want to let you know that I really care that this blog will help your grandaughter thrive in music.

I would love to hear how you get on in due course and I would love for other grandparents, parents, students or teachers to add to this disussion and share their own experiences.If you would like to take part and share your stories, just fill in the comment box below.

So lets get to it…

In my experience as a teacher and business owner in my own music school and as an Aunty to or 5 nieces and nephews (at the time) who all learned through our music school system, I learned that every child is different. Everyone has different needs to fulfill and have different learning styles and abilities.

You see, I thought I knew it all. With my experience in studying music for my school years, then completing a university degree, then teaching classroom music while spending every extra minute I had with ensemble, band and choir rehersals, then teaching group and individual lessons, then to going back and teach classroom in different countries…I thought I knew all there was to children learning music.

When I started to work in our own music school, I soon discovered I was incredibly wrong!

I forgot one important point in my teaching and the courses I taught. I forgot that every parent, grandparent, child and teacher has very different needs. The amazing thing about human needs is that no two people are the same and they all play music for different reasons.

In the beginning of our new music school, there were times that things started to feel like they were going well. We ran groups of junior level piano courses such as the one your grandaughter participates in and it worked for some, but for others it just didn’t work and they dropped out quickly.
At first, we believed that’s just the way it was – that not everybody was cut out for learning music and so there was a natural drop out rate after the first few lessons. After a while our belief started to change and we started to say to ourselves that wasn’t good enough. We started to believe that anyone can enjoy music at any age as long as it completely fufills their needs and their care giver or parent needs. If it was not compliant between parent or the care giver and the child then it almost always didn’t work out. If the parent or caregiver agreed with the type of course undertaken and supported it- it always worked out.

So at our school, what we found ourselves doing was re- learning what was important to each individual family and tailoring our courses to their needs and wants. So we started to ask each individual family “What is it that you want to get out of your music lessons?”
This one question changed everything..we asked this to every family that ever came through our doors and it competely revolutionised our business from one that some people just loved to one that everyone just loved and raved about, because it met our students and families needs.

Thats great, but How does this help me? I hear you ask…

My advice would be to find out what’s important to your grandaughter and to her mother. Ask them “What is it that they might want to get out of their music lessons”. You may find that they have a different reason for it than you do.

By the way.. the most common response to the question was “We just want to see (our child) enjoy and have fun with music” – in this case every time the group lesson structure always worked remarkably well. Both parent and child always enjoyed their lessons immensly and always finished the remainder of the course. Paying in advance was a wonderful way to ensure that the family knew when the beginning and the end of the course occured. If they chose to end lessons after the duration of the course there were no hard feelings from the teacher – and in almost every case after implenting this pay in advance program more families actually continued after the duration of the course on to the next levels.

Very rarely was it an answer such as they wanted their child to learn Fur Elise within a year of starting- and if it was, we suggested a private lesson so that this could happen- it kept everybody happy- happy parents and children are all that matters in a childs learning and development and the achievement then comes naturally.

So that’s it. I know it’s not rocket science, but its that one question that will help you know where
to go next with your grandaughters music lessons are whether group or private lessons are best for her.

Should the Band Director be selecting the instrument for my 6th grader child and
what should I do if I don’t agree with the instrument selected by the band director?

Joining a school band is an exciting and inspirational experience for any child. Not only will they learn to play music, but they will have the opportunity to learn it in a fun, friendly and a nurturing environment. They will make special musical friendships with teachers and tutors and students and will have opportunity to play in major school and community events. The feeling of importance and value that a child can gain by playing in a band can make a huge difference to their schooling and self confidence.

Great band directors have always got the child’s best interests at heart. Their whole life is to care for and provide an inspirational learning situations which will bring out the best in every child. They have hands on experience with working with children playing music day in day out and know what works best in the most tried and tested situations.

It looks really easy to stand up there and work with 50 or more kids at a time at rehearsal at a concert, but let me rest assure that it is definitely not as easy as it looks. Their ability to make it all look easy is paramount to being outstanding at their job. In reality however, there is enormous pressure placed on them and becoming a band director is a highly specialized job. From making sure that the children are able to play their parts correctly to ensuring that the correct instruments have been chosen for each child there are pressures placed on these people who work tirelessly to make sure that it all comes together.

It can be a real juggling act for a band director to find the correct instruments to suit each child. Most programs will assign instruments to their students based on the factors surrounding their circumstances. Factors such as the size of the child,the work ethic of each child (as some instruments are harder to learn than others), the amounts of instruments they have available through the program and the happiness of the child to play the instrument are taken into account.

Some band programs may have a little interview with each child, others will use a musical aptitude test and some will find out a little bit about each student from their other teachers. Most band directors won’t know very much about each child and their families until they have begun to work with them. The process of picking an instrument can be tedious and is really only the beginning of a child’s musical journey.

As a parent, you have to live with the decision that is made and need to be happy with the choice. You will be the one who has to support and encourage it so that your child can receive the maximum value and significance out of the activity. You are the one who will need to enjoy listening to it in the background every day- and that will wear on you if it’s an instrument that just doesn’t fit your family lifestyle.

My advice would be to ask the musical director some questions if you are not sure about the choice with an outcome in mind. Be real and truthful about the reasons why you’re not sure about the decision and tell this to the band director. They may well have a very clear reason why a particular instrument was chosen for your child and may be able to share an insight with you that you may not have seen before.

Also as I said before, a great band director will always have the child’s best interests at heart and wouldn’t intend to make it difficult. If your outcome is to change onto a different instrument, I would have some solutions in place for the band director so that they had no reason to say no. Talk about the options of buying or hiring the instrument of your choice from another provider.

I know that my opinion is only one, and many band directors, teachers and parents may have a different perspective on this, so please feel free to add your comments to this discussion below.

My child wants to learn the guitar. How old does he have to be?

There is no easy answer to that question.. However It is possible to get them started fairly early – If you find a good teacher, that is!

Every guitar teacher I talk to has a different opinion on this, but most agree to the basic fundamentals:

• The child has to be able to comfortably hold the guitar
• The child needs the strength in their fingers to hold down the strings
• The child needs commitment and enthusiasm for the guitar

If they have these things, then my personal feeling is that they are old enough, no matter what their age!

All you need is a good teacher, one that understands children, and can communicate in a way that they’ll understand.

If there are no local teachers around you that are suitable, or you wish to simply “test the water” to see if your child has an aptitude for guitar, then there is a very cheap alternative for you to try.
I’ve just discovered this brand new guitar course, which is called Guitar Tips for Kids. In this course, the Author Dario Patrono, has come up with an entire method of learning that is extremely “child friendly”

Guitar Tips for Kids Online Course

Dario’s Course features loads of clear pictures, plus printable worksheets and streaming video that will show your child step by step how to master the guitar.

It costs less than the cost of two private lessons – and could easily save you hundreds of dollars and many hours of frustration if you embark on guitar lessons before you are ready to.

So check out Guitar Tips for Kids – and let us know how you got on with it!

Does this story sound familiar?
“My child has been taking lessons for over a year now and the lessons are getting too
hard… Even I am having trouble keeping up!”

If it does, just relax! You’re definitely not alone.

The truth is many parents feel like this when sending their children to music lessons,
especially when their children appear to be falling behind or practice starts to become a
chore at home.

It all seems far too hard and then on top of it all you have to pay a
substantial amount of money just for the honor of doing it all….It just makes you want
to quit and give up….. right!

The great news is that even though most parents with children learning music feel this
way, it can be easily overcome….And you overcome it too!

Here are some tips that you can implement with your children so you can help them achieve
their musical goals and have fun at the same time.

Tip#1:You don’t need to sit at the piano the Whole Time

That’s right….you are reading correctly!
Many people believe that in order to be successful at playing an instrument, then you must
sit with the instrument for a full half an hour (or longer) every day. Practicing consists
of playing the same music over and over again (even if you can already do it), and music
should be coming out from the room for the whole time!

This is simply MYTH!

Sometimes, you can achieve and accomplish far more by participating in more subtle, fun
activities which encourage playing skills and break up the boredom of playing and
practicing the same mistakes over and over again.

However, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t sit at the piano in order
to learn it and if your child already quite happily sits and practices at the piano and is
quite stimulated by that for a full session, then you may not need to change anything for
the moment.

The whole point is… You don’t have to do it that way!
The great thing is that life doesn’t come with an instruction manual, so why should music
practice sessions!….And children don’t have to sit with their instrument the whole time
in order to be achieving their musical goals.

If you are finding that your child can’t concentrate for more than a few minutes at a time
(which is very normal), then why not move from the piano and try a few other activities.

Related musical activities could include:

• Playing a Music Related Game

• Have a turn playing a different instrument for a few minutes

• listen to a recording or watch a segment relevant to the topic your child is learning about
• practice tricky rhythms by playing along with a recording of another piece of music with a percussion instrument or by clapping
• do a worksheet
• practicing on a paper version of the instrument where your child can’t heartheir mistakes, but can get confident of fingerings.
• play a game which is related to the topic of practice

The trick to moving away from the piano for a few minutes is to make the activity relevant to what your child is learning, but to make it fun at the same time.

Tip#2: Place a high value on Music Learning

Just take a moment to think about it from your own perspective for a minute…
Would you really enjoy any activity if you?
Have already had a really busy day;
You’ve got more work to do before you head back out tomorrow and you’re already tired;
You are confined to a small space by yourself and you can hear other activity around you
that distracts you and sounds like more fun.
This doesn’t make practicing sound very glamorous, does it! And the reality of kids and
practice is – it’s not! Especially if it’s done in isolation with high expectations
placed. Added to the equation is that they feel that everyone else around is having more
fun while they are stuck there having to think in solitude. Often children don’t even
understand what it is they really need to be practicing and how to do it in the first
place!

Now, think for a minute about the activities that you most like to do yourself.

Does it seem like you are having to work hard at it?;Is it fun?;Are other people involved
or do other people appreciate your skill in this area ?, Who is it that appreciates your
skill in this area?;Do you fully understand what you need to do and how you need to do it?

The chances are that with the things you like doing most, yes it still requires persistent work, but it seems effortless; time seems to fly; people tell you how good you are at it, especially people who are close; you feel a sense of freedom and don’t feel confined or restricted; you really understand the activity, you want to find out more about it and you feel like you want to do the activity all the time – you can’t wait to do it every day!

Just think, if you can create these feelings with your own favorite activities, you can most certainly create it for your children in practicing their chosen instruments.Children just need to be shown how and as with developing any new skill or discipline – itis a learned process.

However, the catch is- this learned process not taught in school and the only way your child will learn it is from you!

The truth is your children will do any thing to please you. If writing mathematical formula and equations makes you pleased and makes you notice them, your child will do anything to make sure they can to please you in this area and over time, they will excel.

The same goes for children learning music. If playing music makes you happy, your child will achieve in this area and will do anything to gain your positive feedback, praise andwill in turn excel at playing music.

Here are just two simple ways to help you place a higher importance on music at home.

• 1. Learn the instrument yourself

Many parents feel they can place more value on their children learning music by actually doing it themselves. After all if you both play, Shared understanding and knowledge of music and the instrument is the something you can both relate to and can therefore have fun with.

As parents, we are the role models and children merely copy and mirror our behaviors and actions. If you want your children to enjoy and playing music, learning it as an adult can be a great growth activity for the whole family. The spin off effect is practice becomes catchy when the wholefamily is involved in playing. Everyone tends to want to do it at the same time and it allof a sudden it becomes a “together” activity instead of an activity requiring solitude.

2.Set a Routine for an appropriate timeslot to practice.

I once read about a story of a very successful, fit and healthy 75 year old man who was having a birthday party. He arranged for a big occasion, many people came and he made the speeches etc..

The man had a real “taste” for ice cream, so after he made his speech, his family arranged for a huge ice cream cake to come out and was put in front of him, he blew the candles and passed everyone a piece. All except himself.

When everyone asked why he wasn’t having a piece, he replied ” I have ice cream once a month on a full moon. If I have ice cream today, I will be breaking my habit”

When I first read this story I didn’t really understand the reasoning or thought processes behind it, but as I thought about it a bit more, I began to understand what a clever,profound statement it was. This man understood the power of forming habits and he knew that if he broke his habit just once, the consequences were that his health and fitness would decrease over time. He knew that because he loved ice cream so much, if he broke thehabit even just once, then it would be enough to brake the habit over and over again and as a result his health and fitness would decrease, just because he would eat too much icecream.

I know that doesn’t seem to have much relevance to music practice with your children and to many it would seem extreme not to have a scoop of ice cream in a special situation, but the point is that the power of being able to set a consistent habit is paramount to success in playing an instrument. It just needs to be for the right reasons and it needs to be something both you and your child really, really want to achieve.

If practice time is set at a time where your child is hungry or there is lots of otheractivity happening around them or even if your child is missing out on something else like watching a favorite TV show, then practice is not going to be enjoyable.

If you and your child can arrange to form a habit of practicing to take place at aconvenient time which suits everyone at a quiet time without distraction on a daily basisand which the whole family can become positively involved in, then it is going to work!

Tip#3:Learn to become an active participator, not just a passive supervisor

You have a choice in your child’s music learning.

You can watch it all happen around you and treat the activity as a way of keeping your child busy while you’re making dinner, passively supervising and making sure that they stay in the practice room playing those songs for half an hour. Music is treated like some kind of foreign language, where no-one understands it and seems like a form of punishmentto your children, having to be endured rather than enjoyed.

OR

You can become involved in the process. You can suggest some ideas for playing and you could ask questions and even play some games, do some activities with your children or even hold your own family concerts! The key is to Concentrate on the skills they are able to achieve positively and to gently encourage more playing to happen. It can be seen as a growing experience for the whole family and the satisfaction and rewards for your child ofplaying music will then come. People will start to tell you and your child how talentedthey are at music and before you know it, they’ll be practicing on their own rather thanbeing told to.

My aim is to hopefully influence you to be able to do the latter! Even parents who currently have no musical knowledge or experience can help and it doesn’t cost a cent more. It’s all about attitude- you can do it and it is worth it!

There is a non-violent computer game called Piano Wizard which is loads of fun, which will keep children occupied for hours, and the greatest benefit is that it really does help them with their music learning.

We purchased this computer game last year, and when our nieces and nephews (who range in age from 11 years down to 2 years) come over, they always say “Can we play that game with the exploding eggs?”

That of course, means Piano Wizard. The game involves playing the piano notes when the “egg” or other object reaches the top of the screen. Of course, the children don’t know it.. but they are really learning valuable musical skills, and its great fun as well!

This is not a substitute for real piano lessons of course, but it does break the monotony, and for some children it can get them re-inspired to practice after they’ve felt a bit unmotivated.

Have a look at the video I found on youtube to learn more about it, and then check out the piano wizard website.

Now is a great time to get started with Piano Wizard, because you can get a 10% Discount on any version of “Piano Wizard” until 30th June.

Simply click here to visit the piano wizard online store, and all you have to do is enter the promotion code “SUMMER08″ during checkout to get your discount.

Electronic Kits have their advantages, and their disadvantages – so in this article I’ll just outline the pros and cons of both digital and acoustic drum sets for students.

 

Firstly – Acoustic Kits:
Pros:

1) Entry level price is quite low (you can pick up cheap, student model drum kits for under $300), however that being said you wont get much for that! An acoustic drum set which you gradually “add to” is like a money pit – you’ll add bits and pieces to it over the years, and you are really far better off buying a good one to start with! (theres enough for another whole post on this topic, which I’ll do at a later date)

2) Your child can have excellent musical expression with an acoustic drum set. The Acoustic drum set provides the best possibility for musical expression, as its dynamic possibilities are completely endless. You can play really soft, really LOUD and everything in between with acoustic drums

3) Your child can learn good sound production techniques. Sound production is really important for drums – the cymbals and drums have a large variety of sound possibilities which are infinite on an acoustic kit. On an electronic kit the sound production is different – You don’t learn to place the cross sticks in the right place, and play the bells of the cymbals in the different ways to make the variety of sounds.

Cons:

1) Acoustic drum sets are LOUD! There is no way around this fact. In fact, if your child is learning Rock Music, they simply wont be able to “play soft” due to the nature of the music they are working on. Its very difficult to soundproof a room for a drum set – I’ve tried to do it and its very expensive and difficult to do. If you child is really serious about playing you’ll have to really find a way around this problem. A certain amount of soundproofing is possible by putting them in a room with solid walls and then lining the walls immediately around the drum set with Mattresses – but even still the drums will still be heard in the rest of the house, and even outside the house.

2) Acoustic drum sets are very expensive to get to sound good, and they require a maintenance budget! Sticks and Skins are the most important factor, and they are still really expensive. Just a full set of skins for a drum set can cost over $200 – and they really should be replaced every year, depending on the amount they are played of course!

3) With their metal rims, acoustic drum sets also are more wearing on sticks than electric kits. Rock Drummers have been known to go through a pair of sticks every rehearsal or gig, because of the Rimshot sounds they use on the snare drum.

4) if your child gets to doing Rock Gigs in a band you’ll have to deal with getting a good sound on stage – with Mics and PA systems… Its really not an easy thing to do to get an acoustic drum set to sound good, particularly in a small room with a budget sound system and no “sound guy” to look after it.
Electric (digital) drum sets

Pros:

1) You can use headphones to practice! This advantage is huge – this means that you can practice at Midnight if you really get the inspiration, and someone in the next room might hear one or two little thuds – but you certainly wont disturb the neighbors!
2) Electric (digital) drums are really easy to amplify for gigs – you simply plug them in and you should be able to get a good sound through the PA system. Particularly if playing in a cover band this is a huge advantage – its quick to set up and you can get a good sound every time.

3) Electric Kits are pretty low on the maintenance budget! They usually don’t require replacement skins and they are quite easy on sticks (compared to acoustic kits and their metal rims!)

Cons:

1) they are quite expensive, even at the entry level. The cheapest electric kits will still cost you more than an equivalent acoustic, or if they dont they are just a toy! If you really want a good electric kit you want one that has mesh heads, rather than rubber, as these feel like real drums to play, and they don’t make much of a “hit”. Some of the rubber style drums make so much noise they’ll still annoy the neighbors and others in the household, even if the drummer is using headphones!

2) Students don’t learn the variety of sound production techniques that they can learn on an acoustic drum set. The musical expression that they can learn is severely limited by the sounds that the drum set can produce. Even though they are getting better and better there really is only one or two sounds per drum – and its impossible to reproduce the musical possibilities that the acoustic drum set provides.

So.. the bottom line?

If you’ve got less than $1000 – and you dont live in an apartment, and you’ve got space to put a few mattresses around  its still better for the beginning drum student to use an acoustic.

If however:

1) Money isnt an issue and you would like to give your child a good practice instrument.

OR

2) you live in an apartment or situation where noise is going to be a major concern
then a digital drum set may suit your child to learn with.

The reality for children is that sometimes they see playing the piano as a chore – another job to do on top of everything else and sometimes they just want to have FUN!

Would’nt it be great if you could have something where you could learn to play the piano using a COMPUTER GAME?

Well, the great news is ….now there is !

In our household, we’ve just started using a new game called “the Piano Wizard” which is hours and hours of fun while you learn.

We found that the children that have used it at our place (friends and family) absolutely loved it – and even children who didn’t know how to play the piano picked it up within minutes!

I don’t think it necessarily replaces music lessons – however if:

• Your child is learning piano, but is demotivated about practice

OR

• Your child is learning another instrument, and you’d like them to learn piano AS WELL

OR

• You’d like the whole family (including yourself) to have a non-violent, educational activity that you can do on the computer…

then check out how we’ve used Piano Wizard at:

http://www.funmusicco.com/pianowizard

 

 

If you need help with your children knowing which note is which we want you to be able to find clear and easy to read diagrams within these pages.

What we need is your help – if you don’t see what you need, then contact us via the contact form on this page and we’ll post exactly what you need.

If you can let us know is there is a particular book or thing that you don’t understand, we’ll do our best to find out exactly what it is and post it up on these pages.

So far we’ve put together two pages

Click here for the guide to how to read musical notes (the pitches of the notes, C, D, E etc)

AND

Click here for the guide to reading musical notes (the rhythm of the notes – how many beats etc)