How can I Rekindle Interest in a Musical Instrument After a Break? - PDF document

How can I Rekindle Interest in a Musical Instrument After a Break? Learning and playing a musical instrument takes making music part of daily life. It's not just about practicing regularly to keep up your skills, though that is important. It's also about maintaining a passion for play and a love of creating music that can all too easily fall out of a busy life. Children who learn to play instruments often love to play, but any major life interruption can incidentally result in that instrument being put do wn forever. COVID interruptions, holiday breaks, family events, or a busy schedule can all cause that critical interruption in musical play and practice. How can you help your child resurrect an interest in their musical instrument after a long break? It' s actually easier than you think. Put Music Back on the Schedule First and foremost, as the parent, you set the family schedule. Especially if you're still in at - home lockdown conditions. It's all too easy to let big changes like work and school at home remove music lessons from the equation. But if you put music back on the schedule, your child will more naturally return to their instrument practice and performances . For example, set weekly practice hours and re - introduce music lessons (online or in - person) and your child will adapt to the new schedule. This will also make it easier for family members when your child practices at home. Pick New Pieces from New Favorite Music Need to renew that spark of joy and passion for music in your child? Pick a few new pieces to learn from their current favorite things. Don't just focus on the classics, get the score for their favorite TV show theme song. Find the music for their favorite ene rgetic pop song or hip - hop backbeat they listen to on the radio (or Spotify). When kids get to play songs that mean something to them, they love to get back into their instruments. Practice becomes play and when they get good, the song will earn acclaim from their friends, who like the same things. A good music teacher often throws in a contemporary or humorous song to practice alongside the classics and show - pieces for exactly this reason. Encourage Play in Music Instrument Practice Speaking of play and music, encourage your child to play when they practice. Choosing favorite and contemporary songs is a good start. But also let them mix up their scales with a backbeat. Encourage them to jam with frien ds using their music theory or to try out some new software for digital recording and composing. Let them get silly, trying to play on one foot, or with a small dance routine. For more adventurous musicians, encourage them to seek out their own contempora ry pieces to learn. If they have a favorite song, or just a favorite hook in a song, challenge them to transcribe and learn it. When music is play, practice is fun. Connect with Music Peer Groups Online or In - Person Most young people do better and are mo re dedicated when they have peers. Encourage your child to join or even build a music peer group. Your child's music teacher may connect you with other students or - if you're flying solo - network with other parents to build a group. A music group is muc h like a learning pod, with other young people to play and practice with. Children who all play the same instrument will be more like a study group while children with mixed instruments and a good foundation might form an impromptu jam - band. Fellow music s tudents can practice their music together, providing social activity and shared motivation. Decide as a group whether the students meet in - person or share an online musical group. Switch to Digital Concerts and Performances Finally, don't let performances , recitals, and concerts go by the wayside just because large in - person gatherings are diminished. Instead, refocus on digital concerts. Your child can still play their best pieces for an audience, just not in person. Music lessons may include recitals an d online performances, and you can also organize your own music performances at home. Parents can help their children make scheduled recordings of their progress in mini - recitals. Through a music teacher or musical practice group, shared performances can b e made where several young people show off all their hard work with their instruments. Rekindling interest in musical instrument practice and performance is not difficult, it just takes intentional effort. If major interruptions have stopped the constant f low of practices and performances, start it back up again. Help your child reconnect with their instrument through contemporary music and old favorites, build a schedule around practice again, and give them back the sense of community with other music stud ents and shared performances.