The summer holidays are stretching ahead of us. Weeks and weeks of freedom for our children, but how do we make sure the skills they have developed over the past 10 months don’t suffer too much?
What can you do to keep their interest in music alive and the investment you have made in music lessons not be wasted?
Here are our 5 Top Tips for keeping them learning and improving their skills, whilst still enjoying the freedom of a long, lazy summer
1. Set Them A Challenge
Setting a child a challenge can be a great way to keep them focused. Ask them to learn their favourite song or ask them to master a new skill on their musical instrument and set a deadline or a date for a family performance. Speak to your child’s music tutor and ask for advice on what would best stimulate and challenge your child whilst also being good fun.
Consider offering an incentive or reward that will inspire them and help to keep them going. What this is will depend on your child’s age.
2. Negotiate a Practice Calendar
Before the summer holidays start, sit down together and decide what the main areas or focus for practice will be over the summer and how much time would be good to set aside for practice every week. Don’t forget this is the summer holidays, so keeping it light and fun will help to ensure music is an enjoyable past time and not a chore.
Once you have agreed on the material and number of hours, work out a practice timetable together and pin it somewhere visible so you are both reminded of your commitment.
3. Play Musical Instruments with Family and Friends
If you have ever experienced the utter joy of jamming with friends around a camp fire or singing karaoke together you will know how much fun and how memorable making music with friends can be.
Many of you will spend time with family over the holidays. So, if any of your friends or relatives are musical, consider asking them to bring their portable musical instruments along with them. Acoustic guitars, clarinets, flutes, portable keyboards, percussion instruments. Spending some time jamming with friends and family is a great way to keep your skill levels up whilst creating fabulous memories.
4. Teach Family or Friends How to Play
Non-musicians often see playing music as an insurmountable hurdle. Well, perhaps you can do something to break that illusion? Ask your child to teach a friend or a sibling a few basic melodies on the piano or some chords on a guitar. Perhaps it is you who would benefit from learning a few chords?
Being taught a few basics on a guitar, piano or drums can help someone else get started and give them the confidence to seek out formal tuition.
A win-win for everyone, particularly if the informal lessons are paid for with a few pennies or treats!
5. Put On An Event
Why not put on a small neighbourhood musical event throughout the holidays? Ask a few of your child’s friends and put on a show in the local park, village hall or in your back garden. Put on a BBQ and invite the neighbours and put a set-list together to showcase the local junior talent.
This would be a fantastic way to inspire not only your own child to continue improving, but to also inspire other children in your neighbourhood.
Music should, first and foremost be fun and kids learn so much through play and having fun. So, whatever you decide to do to keep your kids inspired this summer, try and make sure it’s enjoyable.
Good luck!
To find out about our Autumn term group and private lessons, please call 0113 243 1605.