Instrumental Learning Top Tips Why instrumental learning Learning an instrument is the next best thing to a delicious lunch. The benefits however, last far, far longer and provide much more than simply learning to play music. We know that music is the only activity that reaches ALL parts of the brain. Check out http://www.amplifon.co.uk/resources/impact- of- sound- on- the- brain/to give you an idea of how influential music can be. Counting, arithmetic and division All musical play and reading involves counting, regular and irregular patterns. A young brain is scrambling to make sense of different notes, time signatures, length of playing, phrasing patterns, changing tempo, pitch. Multiple activity is going on, and are all excellent facets to building mathematical skills. Emotional well- being Music provides instant responses from the listener. As well as listening to great music, creating beautiful sounds can make a pupil feel happy, calmer, and empowered. With regular practice your child will achieve step by musical step, and develop all those skills for communicating positive emotions. History Learning music carries a wealth of history, however contemporary the pieces are. From the structure, the style, the composer and the period, a pupil will learn so much just from learning an instrument. We know that the history of music links with other areas of history too, including fashion (rock n roll, early music, country). Sensory development Imagine your child learning to play, and to read music. He/she is building up fine motor (muscle) skills, textural sound ability (soft, resonant, loud, short, long), aural fine- tuning, reading music every part of a musician comes alive in musical learning. Social Very quickly instrumental learning will become something your child can do with others, with you as a family, in performance, duets or simply improvising for fun. Even if instruments come and go, it is worth remembering that wise financial investment will ensure your child has consistently good teaching. Musical learning overall is a life skill, whatever the instrument of choice. What instrument should I choose? Learning a musical instrument is a giant step for any child, particularly if siblings and parents have never played. There is much to consider, but careful thought and being open minded will help both the parents and child to decide.
When is a good age to start? The best age depends on the instrument of choice. In an ideal world a child will have enjoyed a range of musical experiences as a baby and toddler, with musical play, instrumental experiences, singing and dancing with group sessions. Even better, a parent has attended each week, and enthused with their child every step of the way. These experiences help to embed a sense of understanding of what music is all about, including gaining experiences with real instruments. Who decides? The best person to decide on their preferred instrument is your child! Reliving your own brilliant efforts as a flautist may be good for you, but not necessarily your child. Remember, forcing him to learn an instrument may put him off all instruments for life. Having said that, appropriate sizes and costs should be considered carefully since music lessons normally require financial commitment in order to begin to see results over time. How about the price of instruments We have put suggestions in for each instrument to help with your purse strings, and to encourage you to really think about the whole instrumental learning thing as a long term commitment. www.musicsoundfoundation.com are a wonderful and established organisation that supports families and individuals in the purchase of an instrument if their child fulfils a certain criteria. www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/funding/awards- for- all are also extremely helpful. So, what to choose, where to start and where to go? All the instruments are categorised according to their family. Percussion Family Piano Did you know that the piano is a percussive instrument? This is because the strings are struck rather then plucked. The first was invented by an Italian gentleman Bartolomeo Cristofori, in the 1600s. If your child is as keen as mustard and only 3 5 years old, an experienced early years music teacher with piano as a main instrument is ideal. Musical games and appropriate modules of learning can be comfortably incorporated into learning the piano, alongside music reading, theory, aural and general music knowledge. Many children are comfortable with learning the piano once they have establish reading, writing skills. Purchasing a piano is extremely costly. If considering a second hand piano a rule of thumb is to have a professional piano tuner to check it out, even if you have to pay for expenses. A useless piano is one that never stays in tune, has a cracked soundboard, full of woodworm and essentially costs more in removal once you realise your mistake. Hire purchase is an excellent monthly arrangement if you want to secure a nice instrument and retain it as part of the home furniture. Good pianos do not lose their value if looked after, and tuned every six months (generally when the temperature changes). Keep away from radiators and water! www.marksonpianos.com in London are fabulous for all pianos and most budgets. If you lack space and money to spend, then consider a good, weighted keyboard with it s own stand. A small, toy or cheap version will quickly lose it s impact and create bad habits for the pupil. We would resist buying second hand ones since electronic ones can be unreliable. www.yamaha.com are great, as are Roland. Casio too, sell perfectly decent models.
Drum- kit As a member of the percussion family, the drum kit is clearly a loud, confident instrument. A drum kit is made up of a snare drum, bass drum, hi- hat, tom- tom drums and cymbals. The first ever drum kit originated from New Orleans in the early 1920 s. It s a big instrument and demands it s own room, ideally sound proofed, with space for other musicians to join in. Accessories to learning the Drumkit is a range of untuned percussion instruments. Basically they do not hold any particular pitch, and create wonderful textures in music, mainly as part of a group, orchestra or ensemble. The most popular include the oldest (early 60s) cabasa, agogo, calabash, claves, bells, gongs and others. Wonderful names aren t they! A super- keen 4 year old can start with drum pads which can then build up to more expensive accessories and a later drum kit. A good tutor will also consider his physical ability. Drum kits are expensive. If the whole thing is not an option start small and build. The carrot is the real thing eventually. Drum pads are a good starting point, together with drumsticks. Drumming can include different drums such as the djembe or bongos. Although the disciplines are very different, the early learning plus sound and space issues may make these options initially more preferable. Your child continues to be crazy about the drum- kit and you live in the city? Invest in an electric drum- kit. They get better and better, and although costly, tick all the boxes in terms of sociable musical learning, and also the opportunity to play as part of a band. www.gear4music.com has some good drums available. The String Family Guitar So many strings, so much choice! One of the most popular and transportable instruments is the guitar. Did you know, the earliest recorded guitar was called a chordophone some 3,300 years ago! A guitar normally comprises 6 strings, with a full wooden body, and nylon or steel strings running along the neck. Sizes vary according to the size of the player. Young children can start as young as five years old, although they may struggle initially with the sheer strain and pain of placing their fingers on each frets to create different notes. With a good teacher, appropriate modules of learning will be in place to nurture learning according to the age. These might include strumming, posture, plucking, basic note learning and playing different strings. Guitars can be brought for a reasonable price from any good guitar shop (we like www.portobellomusic.net ). The most important tip is to take your child with you! He or she can then be measured up for a ¼, ½, ¾ or full sized guitar. Ideally the strings should be positioned close to the frets, and retain their tuning comfortably, as well as holding a nice, resonant sound. Violin This popular instrument has often been promoted as a perfect young child s instrument (from 3 years upwards) by methods of teaching such as Suzuki, which encourages teaches learning by ear. As a small instrument it is affordable and easy to transport. The violin has four strings, with a wooden sound box, long neck. The bow is applied to the strings to create a resonant sound. The strings can also be plucked. Italy can be accredited for the earliest known violin in the 1600s, also known as the fiddle.
Be prepared for a range of unusual sounds coming out in the earliest stages. With a good teacher, appropriate encouragement and regular practice (as with all instruments) will quickly develop squeaks and scrapes into pleasing, coherent melodies. As with the guitar, violins come in different sizes, and can be purchased or hired. Do take your child into the shop to be measured. If this is difficult take advice from your teacher. Hire costs vary, but are good way to assess your child s commitment for later investment. Viola Although a similar instrument to the violin, the sounds are much lower with a bigger body overall. Invented in the 19 th century, the viola acts as the middle voice for the violin and the cello. The viola is a beautiful, lower- toned instrument and best considered when your child has enjoyed the experience of learning the violin. The habitual posture and technique of violin playing will help enormously when introduced to the viola, a heavier and mellow member of the string family. Children can learn from as young as 4 years, as long as they are able to hold the viola up. Ideally a child would cut his teeth with the smaller violin, or wait until he is able to hold it without tiring. Violas are more costly than violins by virtue of the fact that they are bigger and not produced as prolifically as violins. However they are very reasonable to hire, and once your child really engages with this instrument investing in a good one will make a huge difference to the sound production and general progress. Cello As the father of the orchestral string family the cello has a much bigger sound box again, with four strings. Derived from the 16 th century from the viola da gamba it is positioned on the floor and played with a bow. Smaller cellos are available for the keenest 6 year old. Hiring is recommended so as to nurture commitment once the novelty has worn off. Predictably cellos cost more than violins to purchase. Hire is very reasonable on a termly rate (www.guivier.com are fabulous) and a perfectly respectable option to buying. Harp The harp originated in as far back as the medieval times. A beautiful, rather ethereal instrument the harp has long been associated with dreams, romance and other art forms such as dance. The harp comes in smaller sizes (Celtic) providing a useful start- up size for the younger children. They are less costly then a full sized harp and hiring one is possible (www.morleyharp.co.uk). Investment in this beautiful instrument should be matched by your child s commitment for a period of time. WoodWind Woodwind is the term given for an orchestral family of blowing instruments that consist of flutes and reeds. Creating a sound comes from blowing over a mouthpiece or through reeds. Flute
You would not believe how old flutes are! 43,000 years ago, the flute was the earliest known instrument. Beginner flutes are made of nickel or silver plated brass and silver. For the younger beginner (from about 6 years upwards) a curved head joint helps with reaching the lip plate whilst retaining a comfortable position, particularly if he/she is slight of build. Older students can go straight onto the conventional mouthpiece. Hire costs are reasonable but do make sure you have a professional flautist to ensure that a good sound can be achieved. Our advice is to go for a reputable maker. Again, make sure your child is committed before investing. Clarinet A clarinet is made of wood, with a single reed from which to blow and create sounds. The traditional clarinet form was known from about 1733 and retains its shape today. Arguably the best age to start, as with any instrument, is when your child is capable of holding it comfortably, and in this case, able to cover adjacent holes with their fingers. A C clarinet offers the young child the option of an earlier start. Learning the recorder prior to taking up the clarinet is not only cheaper, but gets the pupil familiar with fingering and posture. Hire options are a useful introduction to a full term s trial. Do make sure the clarinet can create a good sound. Commercial varieties are now produced, keeping the price down, but expect to spend more to develop a lovely sound. www.howarth.uk.com in London is a high quality provider of all woodwind instruments. Oboe This fine wooden instrument is similar in shape to a clarinet, but smaller, thinner and has two reeds from which air vibrates to create a sound. Invented in around the 1700s, the oboe produces a bright sound and has various family members including the cor anglais, heckelphone and piccolo oboe. The recommended age to start is around 10 years old, and when the front adult teeth are fully formed. As with all instruments, patience is a must when working towards a beautiful and consistent sound. This unusual instrument provides the tuning note for the orchestra so is a very important member of the orchestral family. As with the clarinet, do get a professional to check on the air movement and quality of sound production. Nothing is more frustrating then being unable to get a sound out due to a bad quality instrument. Hire options are often excellent, and gives your child time to consider learning this lovely instrument for the long term. Bassoon The bassoon is a very beautiful looking, large woodwind instrument with a double reed, curving crook from which two reeds are played. Made up of six main pieces, it s a heavy weight instrument for any child considering learning it. Made of maple it evolved from around 1860 s As one of the largest instrument of the woodwind family, generally pupils cut their teeth with the clarinet or saxophone before embarking on this bassoon journey.
Hiring a bassoon is not expensive and again, do make sure that you have a good quality one that fits together nicely, and can push sound through comfortably. As with all reed instrument you will need to purchase new reeds and keep an eye on their condition. If you are looking to buy one expect to pay anything from 800 for a good second hand one to 2,300 upwards for a new one. Commitment is the key! The brass family French Horn Confusingly the brass fabric of the French Horn, formally originated from Germany (just to complicate matters) around the 19 th century tends to sit as part of the Woodwind family, although the playing and material of this instrument equates to the brass family. It looks rather like a curly trumpet, with a mouthpiece and three valves. A double Bb horn tends to be used by professionals whilst the single, F horn is used by students and traditionalists. Creating a beautiful sound takes time and demands regular practice, as with all instruments. Pupils as young as 7 years have got to grips with this attractive instrument, however do make sure your child is physically ready to hold it comfortably, and to handle the demands of embouchure. Smaller blowing instruments such as the cornet provide a good introduction to this instrument, and are a little cheaper. Remarkably, and for one that looks costly, cheaper, commercial models of French horns can be brought or hired. The sound quality is adequate, but your purse can remain intact until at least a time when your child is desperate to move up a notch. Trumpet The trumpet has been around since 1500 BC! It is often applied to architectural visions of angels in churches, as well as accompanying important occasions such as weddings. Ideally a child will be ready when they have cut their teeth on a smaller cornet, from about 8 years old. Learning the trumpet straight away is fine, as long as your child can hold it up comfortably. Both disciplines use the same fingering so transfer is not an issue. Brass instruments are more affordable now due to bulk manufacturing. Although not as good quality as a more expensive instrument they are a good start up instrument. www.packer.co.uk are helpful for both hire and purchase of all brass and some woodwind instruments. Tuba There are several sizes worth looking at if your child wants to learn. A ponderous, rather exciting instrument the tuba appeared around the 19 th century and provides the gentleman s touch to any brass section. As with other bigger instruments your child must be of an appropriate height and strength to handle the tuba. The smaller Euphonium is an excellent start up instrument for a primary aged child.
Expect to pay a decent amount for a good one. As with all brass instruments if you purchase a second hand one check the flexibility of all valves, and check for any bumps along the tubes that may impair the air flow. THE MUSIC HOUSE FOR CHILDREN 306 Uxbridge Road London W12 7LJ t 020 8932 2652 e notes@musichouseforchildren.co.uk w www.musichouseforchildren.co.uk The Music House for Children is a not for profit organisation established in 1994. Company Number: 8294280