134. for the many years of transporting my sisters and I to music lessons
135. attending concerts, recitals, music competitions and numerous rehearsals
136. encouragement to practice and to keep trying
137. for the financial commitment
a rich investment of their time & resources that has reaped many rewards:
138. fun, fun!--music was the 'sport' in our household, there was always someone practicing
139. the ability to take what I learned and to teach piano, violin and voice for twelve years....
140. ....a great supplement to our household income without leaving my home! {I have fond memories of my children sleeping in a baby carrier by the piano or in my arms while I taught}
141. I appreciate most the opportunity and the skill to teach my own children
In our home are new instruments! We already own a piano, violin, flute, and guitar---and we added a cello and another two violins {all rented for now}. Of course, our voices are instruments as well. I'm a big advocate of music education for children and well, just about anybody who wants to learn! There are so many benefits and learning to sing or play can be a life-long hobby.Teaching music can sometimes be an intimidating pursuit for homeschooling parents :: I can definitely sympathize as other subjects fit that description for me! I do believe though that the effort to make room for this area is a great gift to any child.
Long before formal music lessons, here are a few ways to encourage music awareness and education with your children:- listen to all varieties of music together including instrumentals, solo vocals, classical, jazz, music from various eras, or those from other cultures—I suggest Putumayo World Music for Kids CDs, which may be at your library.
- train your child’s ear for music! Point out the differences in pitch (high/low sounds), tempo (fast/slow) and dynamics (loud/soft) in any kind of sounds or music you hear.
- take your child to see real people playing real instruments. Find free concerts at local colleges & churches--check the newspaper. This is a great way to expose your child to uncommon instruments, such as the harp. You don’t have to stay for the whole concert!
- read books about music and various instruments, the band or orchestra or listen to audio tapes on the lives of composers—I recommend the Classical Kids CDs and you can listen for free here which also has bios on each composer. Oh, try here too!
- encourage your child to sing! Their voice is an instrument that you don’t have to pay for!
I'll post more on music lessons another day.....
