Updated: Feb 3
Contrary to popular belief, musical children are not a product of a set of genetic gifts. Rather, they are the product of parents who engage and expose their children regularly to a variety of musical experiences. The most successful musical children are those whose parents also engage with the musical journey.
Like learning a language, music is absorbed, assimilated and practised. If children do not have the opportunity to do this, they quite simply cannot learn. For our child to learn ‘to be musical’ (I use this term loosely as we are musical), we as parents need to engage with the process too. This can range from listening to a variety of music in the home environment, watching live local music to going to concerts and festivals. However, best of all is when we make music with our child. Not only does it strengthen the bond between you both by experiencing the joy of music together, but also, we are providing a role model for our children. Studies have shown that parents who make music with their children (whether accomplished musicians or not) have the same outcome on the impact of their child’s musical development compared to those parents who don’t engage in musical activities.
This is good news for the majority of parents who haven’t had any formal musical training, as now the playing field is even. At Music in Unison classes, we provide a structured environment for music making, giving the parents real-life music making skills to adopt at home. As well as this, parent’s musicianship is trained alongside that of their little ones. The classes are not entertainment, where the leader engages with the children and parents are passive, but rather, education, where the parents are an integral part of the process and are actively involved.
To find out more information, please visit:
or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Youtube for musical tips, tutorials and ideas.