Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange
Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [children]

For questions relating to children in music. Examples include teaching music to children (theory and practice), instrument selection, and specific technique for younger musicians.

28 questions
29
votes
14 answers

My child's violin practice is making us tired, what can we do?

My daughter began taking violin lessons 2 years ago, she's now 7. She became interested because she saw an older cousin play the violin. At the beginning, we were told that in order to progress, one should practice everyday. We've followed the…
l0r3nz4cc10
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16
votes
8 answers

I'm tonedeaf. If I sing to my baby, will I damage his/her musical ear?

I'm amusical - I cannot discriminate between higher and lower pitch even when there is a large difference between them. I want my child to develop musical abilities. I know that an out-of-tune piano can affect the development of absolute pitch…
Niv
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16
votes
6 answers

Primary school child writing music

My young (8 year old) child is starting to play around with writing music, and he's done a bit both on pencil and paper, and with a tablet app that is still writing on a staff, but takes some of the direct elements out (ie, you pick "eighth note"…
Joe
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12
votes
4 answers

What is a normal singing range for children?

What is considered a normal singing range for children? That is, when choosing a key for a song for children to sing, what range should the melody fall within? Alternatively, what is an expected full range, and where is the comfortable range…
Ulf Åkerstedt
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12
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2 answers

What is the best way to introduce my 4 year old to harmonica?

My 4-year-old son just got a standard 10 hole harmonica in C from his grandmother, and I would like to give him a good start that will encourage him to enjoy playing. I myself started out just like this, and I own a 10 hole chromatic harmonca which…
awe
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11
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14 answers

What instruments can a four-year-old with left-side paralysis begin to learn/hope to ever learn?

My four-year-old sister has tragically suffered left side paralysis from a brain injury. Because she's so young, her brain is remarkably plastic, and a lot of functionality has returned. She can walk, she can talk, and cognitively, she's fine. Her…
General Nuisance
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6 answers

What can I do to help my guitar student get off the ground faster?

About me: I'm an intermediate guitar player whose preferred style is extreme metal. I've never given lessons before. I only read tabs but I have a basic understanding of music theory. About the student: She's 10 years old. I got her a guitar and…
progressiveCavemen
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8
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11 answers

Should a right handed child hold a guitar left-handedly

Going to try and distil this down to one question! Background: My 9yo daughter is interested in music, and and at the moment rock guitar. We have loads of guitars and ukes around from me and her mum playing so she likes to just pick up and twang.…
Whelkaholism
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8
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2 answers

Breathing technique for younger brass band players

I'm a conductor in a church brass band. Currently I train children to learn a brass instrument from 10-11 years old up. I plan to lower that age limit but starting to work with kids younger than 10 years old, I have started to worry about the…
artaxerxe
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7
votes
6 answers

Assess child's ability or interest in music and piano

I've played the piano a while ago (24 years to be exact!), then had to stop for a number of reasons. Now I'm 37. I want to start playing again, not just for myself, but to get my 5-year old daughter interested in music as well. I never really had…
SomethingBetter
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6
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7 answers

What qualities of a guitar should I seek for an 8 year old?

We are looking for a guitar for my son, and have seen cheap ones at Toys R Us, et al. He is just starting out, and we are trying to gauge his interest before spending too much. Would it be worth starting off with what is essentially a toy, and…
Don
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6
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2 answers

Should very young bassists use a German bow?

I play bass with a German bow, and teach this to my students. Recently my school aquired a 1/8-size bass. Should I get a German bow for this one, or would it be too big? Should I rather use a French 1/8 size bow, but with a "German grip"?
Elincello
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6
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2 answers

Making music digitally -- where should children start?

Digital musical instruments: How could children play with and learn, alongside traditional instruments? And how do the ecosystems for making music in iOS, Android, and Windows tablet compare? Virtual instruments, sequencers, sound editors.…
Bill Baker
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5
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7 answers

My young child shows great interest in music. How should I help him develop his skills?

My son is 4 years old. Since he was small, he could hum tones and pieces of music. When we got a piano he was very small, not even 2, and would hum the tone as the tuner worked. I know my tuner and he said, "that's not normal you know, right?" …
Tre
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5
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4 answers

Teaching guitar to a 6yr old

I'm a self-taught amateur guitarist of about 10 years. Never had any formal lessons. Picked up what I could from books. When my nephew was 4, he saw my guitars and wanted to try them. He was quite interested and enjoyed making sounds on it. He ended…
Will T.
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