The Importance of Music in Home Education
Is your child being taught music as part of their home education? Many parents don’t include it in their home education curriculum, and that’s not because they don’t value music or understand its benefits. They simply do not feel equipped to teach it and are daunted by the prospect. But learning music has so many benefits and not just for your child, it can be a great experience for you too.
You don't need to do it all yourself
With music, there are some incredibly talented and experienced tutors, who are providing music tuition through music schools such as The Music Initiative. All of our tutors at The Music Initiative have extensive experience working with students of all ages and abilities, and we offer both traditional 1-2-1 lessons and small group class lessons to suit the needs of every student.
Our small group classes do not contain more than six students, which enables all of our students to progress at their own comfortable speed, while still enjoying the many benefits of learning and playing with others. And our teaching rooms are spacious, positive areas with lots of natural daylight (and aircon), that provide a safe and relaxed, anxiety-free environment for your child.
Music can be one of the greatest gifts you can give your child
Learning to play an instrument and learning about music can have a significant positive impact on both your child’s overall learning, and their personal growth, regardless of their age. Numerous studies have demonstrated that when children learn an instrument, there is a noticeable improvement in:
Maths
Language and Reading
Communication and Social skills
Critical thinking and Problem-solving
Coordination and Spatial-awareness
Academic test scores - in fact, one report indicates 63 points higher scores on verbal and 44 points higher on maths for students who receive regular music tuition.
Studies and experience also show that playing a musical instrument can improve memory, and encourages teamwork. And even plucking the strings of a guitar or ukulele can teach your child about basic physics, and sympathetic and harmonic vibrations.
Choosing your child's first instrument
So you have encouraged or your child has indicated they would like to learn to play a musical instrument. Your first step should be to decide which instrument your child is interested in learning to play. Consider and discuss with them what music they prefer and would enjoy playing. Do they find the sound, look and feel of a particular instrument attractive/appealing? There needs to be some form of connection and attraction to their chosen instrument to encourage and incentivise them to practise and play.
The two most popular first instruments for young people to start with are the Piano and Guitar, both of which offer a fun and rewarding experience that can lead on to so many opportunities in the future.
What is your budget? It's not just the initial cost of the instrument that you need to consider, but anything else that is required as well e.g. an electric piano may require a stand and stool, and in the case of an electric guitar, it may be more cost effective to purchase a starter pack that includes a guitar strap, amp and lead rather than purchasing them separately.
Choosing the correct size and type of instrument
You also need to choose the size and type of instrument that meets your child's needs. In the case of Piano, size is less of a consideration for your child and much more of a consideration for you i.e. where are you going to locate the piano in your home where it will not be in the way but will still be accessible enough to encourage them to play? Whereas with Guitar, size is much more of a consideration for your child's needs, as they need to be comfortable.
The type of instrument is also important. With piano, unless you are lucky enough to already own an acoustic piano, we will always recommend an electric piano as they do not need require tuning, and your child can practise whilst wearing headphones (trust me, you and your neighbours will be very grateful for those headphones!).
With guitar, acoustic guitars can be a good instrument to start playing with. The classical guitar is ideal for small hands and its nylon strings make it easier to play. The steel-string guitar can be a harder for young children to play, but is still worth consideration especially if your child's idol plays the electric guitar and that is the instrument they are drawn to.
For more information and guidance on choosing your child's first guitar, we have provided a link below to a very helpful blog post by Paul our guitar tutor:
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