{"id":46,"date":"2017-07-28T23:28:48","date_gmt":"2017-07-28T23:28:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irenejackson.com\/guitar\/?p=46"},"modified":"2018-06-30T17:26:30","modified_gmt":"2018-06-30T17:26:30","slug":"kids-n-guitars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irenejackson.com\/guitar\/2017\/07\/28\/kids-n-guitars\/","title":{"rendered":"Kids &#8216;n Guitars"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.parenting-blog.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/guitar-lessons-kids-children-toronto.png?resize=451%2C337\" width=\"451\" height=\"337\" \/><\/p>\n<p>[NOTE: I no longer teach children under the age of 15, but I definitely have some advice for those of you who have children who have shown an interest in playing!]<\/p>\n<p>Teaching kids to play guitar is a whole different experience from teaching adults. \u00a0Over the years I\u2019ve taught many children, with varied results! \u00a0One thing you have to keep in mind with children is the fact that they have shorter attention spans\u00a0\u00a0. \u00a0I tend to take little breaks from playing with them to ask them questions, just so they don\u2019t get too frustrated or restless. \u00a0Then we get back to the music. \u00a0On the other hand, kids are little learning sponges and they don\u2019t tend to be as hard on themselves or have the higher expectations of themselves that adults do.<\/p>\n<p>If you are considering giving your kids\u00a0music lessons, here are some things to consider:<\/p>\n<p>1. \u00a0If possible, just try it out for a month. \u00a0Some kids just aren\u2019t musically inclined, or they simply aren\u2019t interested! \u00a0It\u2019s not a failure\u2026there may \u00a0be a time later on in their lives when they would like to try again. \u00a0If however, you get through a month and your child is still interested, then you can make a longer commitment. \u00a0Some schools or organizations want you to commit to a whole year at the very beginning. \u00a0You know your child best\u2026can they stick to something for a year? \u00a0If you think that it\u2019s just a matter of MAKING them, consider the fact that they may end up having a pretty negative feeling about music for a long time if they are forced to do it that way. \u00a0I have taught many adults who experienced exactly that in their childhood, and it took them years to recover. \u00a0I imagine some never do.<\/p>\n<p>2. Okay, so you\u2019re ready to give them lessons\u2026but what about an instrument? \u00a0If it is at all possible, try to rent one first. \u00a0I recommend this to adults too. \u00a0This way, you are not stuck with an instrument you don\u2019t want if you child doesn\u2019t continue. \u00a0A lot of music stores will also put your rent towards the purchase of an instrument later on\u2026so you can\u2019t lose! \u00a0Most guitars rent for $20-$40 dollars a month, other instruments vary.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- 468x60, created 2\/16\/10 Tips & Blog Banner --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 468px; height: 60px;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-9055632105156461\" data-ad-slot=\"5617248249\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p>3. Practice time! \u00a0If your child is taking serious music lessons, including theory and\u00a0sight reading, then you should check with the instructor as to how much they expect your child to practice. \u00a0I teach pretty simple and basic songs and don\u2019t include much in the way of theory. \u00a0If a child sits down for 10-15 minutes a day and plays, I\u2019m happy! \u00a0Leave the guitar out where your child will remember to play it. \u00a0Make practice time at the same time every day, which will make it a habit. \u00a0Some kids have no trouble practicing because they are loving it! \u00a0But others need a little encouragement. \u00a0If, after a period of time, your child starts to grumble about practicing, unless you are grooming them to be a virtuoso\u2026let it go. \u00a0If they don\u2019t come around again, consider giving up lessons for awhile. \u00a0I don\u2019t believe in forcing your child into music lessons!!! \u00a0I can\u2019t stress that enough!<\/p>\n<p>4. I allow parents to sit in on the lesson if they want to. \u00a0I don\u2019t care what the teacher says, you should be allowed to do this! \u00a0This will not only give you a sense of how your child is doing with the instructor (and how the instructor is doing with your child!), but it will also give you an idea of what they are working on so you can encourage your child at home. \u00a0If you would rather not join your child, that\u2019s okay too. \u00a0And there are some kids who have behavioural problems when their parents are around, so don\u2019t do it if that\u2019s the case. \u00a0You don\u2019t have to sit in on every lesson either, just once in awhile if you prefer. \u00a0It\u2019s always good to know what the teacher is like with your child at any rate.<\/p>\n<p>5. \u00a0Don\u2019t be afraid to switch teachers. \u00a0Sometimes your child and a teacher might not click, and the last thing you want is for your child to think that all teachers are the same. \u00a0Obviously, they are not! \u00a0Interview a few of them if you have time, to see which one your child favours. \u00a0Most teachers will be willing to meet with you first and explain their methods and give your child the opportunity to get to meet them.<\/p>\n<p>Music can turn out to be a life-long love, especially playing an instrument. \u00a0Don\u2019t be too discouraged if your child loses interest at some point. \u00a0They are continually changing and growing, so of course their interests will change too. \u00a0But giving them some lessons at the very beginning will plant a positive seed that they may sow later on in their lives and will be grateful for!<br \/>\nIJ<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[NOTE: I no longer teach children under the age of 15, but I definitely have some advice for those of you who have children who have shown an interest in playing!] Teaching kids to play guitar is a whole different experience from teaching adults. \u00a0Over the years I\u2019ve taught many children, with varied results! \u00a0One [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/irenejackson.com\/guitar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/irenejackson.com\/guitar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/irenejackson.com\/guitar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/irenejackson.com\/guitar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/irenejackson.com\/guitar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/irenejackson.com\/guitar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":111,"href":"https:\/\/irenejackson.com\/guitar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46\/revisions\/111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/irenejackson.com\/guitar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/irenejackson.com\/guitar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/irenejackson.com\/guitar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}