For many children, playing an instrument is something of a rite of passage. Especially if you played an instrument as a child, you might be very encouraging for your children to play an instrument as well. One of the hardest things to decide, however, if what instrument they should go with.
The instrument your child chooses will have a big impact on your child’s ultimate passion and success with music. Because of this, it’s important that you assist your child in picking the right instrument for them. To help you in doing this, here are three tips for helping your child pick a musical instrument.
Consider Their Personality
With so many different musical instruments available for your child to play, it can be hard to know where to start. But for many children, you might want to first consider what their personality it and how a particular musical instrument would work with their natural tendencies.
According to Kelly Wallace, a contributor to CNN, certain instruments lend themselves better to certain personalities. For example, if your child is very outgoing, you might want to encourage them to try the flute, saxophone, or trumpet. The people who play these instruments usually stand in front of the band or play loud enough that everyone can hear them, which attracts kids with a certain personality type.
For other personality types, other instruments might be a better fit. While this could be a good starting point, it’s definitely not a rule for who can or should play certain instruments.
Find Something They Think Is Fun
Learning a new instrument in hard. Not only this, but if your child is also learning how to read music for the first time, the challenge and frustration can be compounded.
Because of this, it’s crucial that you find an instrument that your child thinks is fun. Without this, Tom Serb, a contributor to Fatherly.com, shares that it can be hard for your child to remain enthusiastic about learning a new instrument. But by picking something they think is inherently fun, learning to play will be less of a chore.
Try Out Multiple Instruments
Since your child is still young, there’s plenty of time for him or her to try out different instruments in order to see which one fits best. As a part of this, Yuval Kaminka, a contributor to Parenting.com, recommends getting your child in a situation where they can easily try a few instruments before settling on one, like in a music class or through a rental store.
If your child is wanting to start playing an instrument, consider using the tips mentioned above to help him or her pick the right instrument for them.
