Learning to play the guitar is an amazing skill to have and starting as a child will not only help you with your musical progression but also in many other aspects of your life. Applying ourselves to the task at hand is much easier as an adult as the ability to self motivate is something we learn as we mature, children on the other hand very rarely have the ability to do so, and often need encouragement from their parents. So what can we do when the initial excitement of learning something new starts to dwindle and we’re left with a child that seems disinterested? As parents, we know it’s going to be hugely beneficial to them in the long run so it’s our job to keep them motivated.
Let Them Choose
Being forced to learn classical guitar when your child wants to learn electric is the first way you’re going to end up in either an argument or no valuable learning time at all. Before the journey of learning an instrument begins, make sure that your child has chosen themselves which kind of guitar they want to learn. If they’re learning something they believe is cool then they’re far more likely to practice even more. Giving guitar names can also be helpful to motivate your child to play the instrument more.
Get The Right Equipment
Despite the fact our child, even though we may think so, isn’t going to be amazing at the beginning of their guitar playing journey, the equipment they use still matters. Having a guitar that you are proud of and look at with admiration is a huge part of the learning process. If you have a guitar that’s had 100 owners before you, isn’t very pleasing to the eye, and struggles to stay in tune then the chances are you won’t want to practice. That being said, you don’t have to fork out a fortune. Let’s say your child has decided they want to play the bass guitar, to get a true understanding of what’s on offer, it’s worth finding a review website that will give you a number of quality choices to have a look at before buying. This way you can discover what the positives and negatives of each guitar are and if they’re suitable for beginners. Being able to read what a professional thinks about a guitar is much better than asking your child, who still doesn’t know anything, to make a choice based on what they think. Sometimes investing early can save you more money in the long run.
Treat Music Like Music, Not School Work
One thing that’s really important is to make your child feel like music isn’t a forced discipline. If practicing the guitar starts feeling like homework then it’s going to be difficult for any child to want to, because what child likes homework? Make practice time feel more fun by being a little more flexible, try and make it so they want to practice on their own terms, and completely disassociate it with other subjects.
Timetables
It’s no secret that when a child is told to do something, they won’t always want to do it. So keeping in with not treating music like school, sit down with your child and let them choose when they would like to practice. Give a few guidelines of what you think is an acceptable amount of practice and hand it over to them. A child is far more likely to do something on their own terms than when they’re forced to do it.
Help Them Engage With Music
If you’re a musical person then this is probably second nature to you, listening to music with your child and showing excitement towards it can help develop their own passion and eagerness to learn. Have music on when having dinner or when they’re playing around the house, and make every car journey more enjoyable by introducing them to a plethora of new music.
Become Their Biggest Fan
You will most probably be near tears when they perform in front of you for the first time, even if it is a shaky rendition of smoke on the water. Becoming their fan will encourage them to practice more because they want to impress you, take the time to sit and listen to anything new they have learned and give praise no matter the outcome.
Challenge Them
When listening to music together why not try and give your child a challenge? Instead of setting homework that can seem boring, give them the challenge of learning a new song or riff within a time frame. This can help motivate your child in a way that going to do traditional homework won’t.
Let Them Play What They Want
You can still challenge your child to play a song you want them too, but for the most part, it’s a good idea to let your child learn and play the music they like. Picking up your guitar and rocking out should be fun and never a chore, and sometimes learning a pop song that’s number 1 in the charts can seem that way.
Learning an instrument is a life long skill that your child will thank you for when they grow up, make sure you’re nothing but encouraging and celebrate every achievement you possibly can. Motivate by making things fun and you’ll have a child that will want to play for hours on end every day. If you have a child that seems like they want to get into music, sit and have a chat with them about it, you never know, you could have the next Jimi Hendrix on your hands.
