Understanding music and being able to play it is a great talent. Ask any group of young people what their biggest regret is, and they'll probably tell you that it's not taking piano lessons or giving up playing the saxophone because they went to college. What we are looking for is a deeper exposure to music, and this exposure should begin when children are very young.

Key point: "Share music with your children."

The role of parents

Children are born with varying degrees of musical ability - perceiving melody, Rhythm or perfect pitch – and music is very much an acquired skill. Children who grow up in a musical home are clearly more likely to develop musical skills than those who do not have the same environment. You don't have to be a trained musician to get your child interested in music. Comparing music students with different skills shows that the more parents like music (it just means that parents often listen to music), the better the children's performance in music. Placing some musical instruments (such as keyed instruments) at home will also help develop children's musical talents. This also means that listening to music, talking about music, playing some fun games with music, even just letting children touch some musical instruments are important components in stimulating children to become interested in music for a long time. Playing Beethoven's sonatas or jazz riffs is an excellent start and encouragement for children, but this is not a necessary condition for children to love music. Don't be surprised (or disappointed) if your child asks you to stop singing when you are sharing music and telling him how interesting it is. Sometimes the child just wants the music to be an experience of his own; or sometimes he wants the music to be an experience of his own. You become a listener rather than a participant. Be as flexible as possible and if you really want to sing, you can do it in the shower.

Parents say this:

Susan Morrison, mother of three children: Our home is full of music, and children love music. But every time when my cousin came to visit and took out his little piccolo-like tape recorder and played music, three children would sing and dance along with him, as if he were a Pied Piper. This was simply amazing.

What parents should do

Share music

Activities:

If you have two identical musical instruments (two toy trumpets, (two small keyboard instruments, two mouth organs, etc.), sit side by side with your child holding the instrument. Play the instrument and see if your child can make the same sounds. Then, let your child play first and see if you can make the same sound. Even if he has difficulty playing, encourage him.

Benefits:

Cultivate children to be familiar with different musical instruments and develop their ability to match and compare musical forms. What kind of music is playing?

Key points: Children like all kinds of music.

When a child hears rock music, he will jump up and be fascinated by it; when he walks into a store where African drum music is playing, he will dance impromptu and imitate the high notes of opera arias at the top of his voice. To them, music is music and music brings happiness. But that's not always the case. Your child will pay less and less attention to other forms of music, eventually only liking the music he knows. This is the best time to play a variety of music to your child, including music from other countries and other instrument combinations. You will find that if you let your child choose, he will like music with simple combinations of children's voices, melodies and instruments. These preferences are perfect for two-year-olds learning melody and lyrics. Until your child only enjoys listening to a certain type of music, you should provide him with as much variety as possible.

Does my child have musical talent?

Becoming a skilled musician is no different than becoming a great ice skater or an athletic athlete: both are lifelong pursuits. It requires talent, formal training, and years and years of practice, so it's too early to tell whether your child has a special talent for music. The most common characteristic of musical geniuses as children is that they liked singing very early and sang often.

Children who can sing earlier than other children of the same age and who can persist may have special development potential in music. If your child loves music, fill your home with music. As your child's playing skills improve, show interest in his music and start saving for formal training.

Music...can say the unspeakable and express the inexpressible.

Leonard Bornstein, composer

Summary:

The connection between music and other learning areas such as language and mathematics, and strive to improve your own The sense of accomplishment and joy of being immersed in music are both reasons to encourage your child to enjoy and participate in music. Showing an interest in music and making music a part of your family activities—either listening to music or playing music on a homemade drum—are the best ways to inspire a lifelong love of music in your child.