There comes a time when you realize that the guidelines from your parents in early years of your life helped you meet the best version of yourself. That happens when parents are able to understand the ‘individual’ needs of their kids and treat them as per their personality and interests. Especially, if a child has some gifted abilities; it is their duty to lend a hand to make him reach where he deserves to shine!
In this post, we will talk about the children with natural ability to connect with music from a young age. They usually possess an inborn aptitude for melody, rhythm and harmonic principles (keep in mind that not everyone has these qualities). Now the concern is, how to figure out whether your little one is musically gifted or not? What are the signs, signals and hints to determine it? Fret not! Read till the end for the much-needed know-how!
A Checklist For Parents to Indicate a Musically Gifted Child
If you are unaware of your kids’ budding interests, then this checklist will help you indicate their abilities and cater them accordingly.
Have a look to figure out if your little one is showing any of the following signs:
1. S/he is Responding to Music More Than Other Mediums
If your youngster seems inclined towards the music playing on the TV or anywhere in the surroundings, then it is one of the initial indicators. The first step is to observe the activities of your little one closely. For a small experiment, you can play music on your screen. If they instantly get attracted towards it and paused their ongoing activities; that’s a noticeable sign!
2. S/he Listens to The Music Carefully Rather Dancing On The Rhythm
Dancing on a beat is a common practice, be it for adults or kids. It is the way to enjoy a tune or music AND THAT’S NOT NECESSARILY A SIGN!
A musically gifted child would be showing more interest in the vocals, instruments and harmony.
3. Your Child Will Start Being Creative With The Tones and Lyrics
Ever heard an adult humming a tune while doing a routine task? It’s common with kids too. Usually, they start singing their favorite poems while playing with toys. However, a gifted one will start showing his/her creativity with the tune and lyrics by adding different words and notes, etc. This is because, children get lost in their imagination while playing and every sound coming out of them shows their natural ability to associate music with their speculated scenarios of fantasy. So, you need to be all ears for your little ones next time they are having a play time.
Beside these, here are a few more indicators:
- They quickly learn to play and catch tunes
- Come up with innovation in the music compositions while humming or singing
- Can instantly recognize a tune only through a few notes
- Are sensitive to sounds, high pitch or low-key
- Are able to produce a pleasing or emotional tone, whether on an instrument or vocally
How To Motivate a Musical Child?
If you see any of these symptoms in your kids, then it is your responsibility to actively support them and that too without putting pressure on their little brains. That’s very much possible by following the mentioned tips.
1. Make Music a Fun Activity
First of all, you need to understand that the only way to nurture a talented child is to help them learn with fun. Pressurizing kids will only lead to disasters.
However, you can practice some music-related activities or games that will help your kid learn a lot. Fortunately, you may find a lot of stuff online in the form of videos as well. Don’t forget to applaud their achievements, encourage their attempts and motivate them to do what they love doing the most.
2. Figure Out Their Preferred Instruments
Some of the musically gifted kids are able to play several instruments naturally. If that’s the case with your little one too; observe his liking or preferences for a particular instrument.
For instance, if they get all excited for guitars; gift them one on their birthdays or any other occasion to make it accessible.
| Note:
Know that choices and liking of kids change overtime, it’s a part of growing up. But providing them right tools will aid them in exploring their talent and nurture it. |
3. Teach Them Music
This tip is for those youngsters who are interested in music but are not capable of playing instruments properly. That’s when you can play an active role of teaching them the basics of music. Get them a record player, so they can listen to different beats, including the old classical, jazz and more. The key is to make music and its tools approachable for them. The easier the access, the more they can learn.
4. Record and Analyze
A lot of practice is required to master a thing. According to a study, practicing a skill 10,000 hours will make a person good at it.
When it comes to music, your kids can record their sounds online, listen to them, identify mistakes and repeat the process in the name of practice. If s/he is not able to figure out the faults in the recording; you can help them improve. Make sure not to be too harsh to them. Your goal should be to encourage them not to belittle them. You can also record the tunes on your cell phones or laptop.
5. Create The Right Environment
The type of environment you are offering to your kids plays an important role in their development, especially in the early years of their lives. The same thing goes for the budding musicians out there! Some kids are capable of facing people and displaying their abilities in front of others without any hesitation. While a majority of them are shy by personality. You need to determine where your kid lies in which one of these two categories and treat him/her accordingly.
Be easy on your kids; make sure you are not forcing them to become something they are not. The only way to boost confidence in a shy kid is to empower him in the silence. Provide him a suitable environment to practice, dedicate a room or corner of the house for the purpose. For the other case, don’t ask your kid to perform whenever you are in a gathering if s/he is not comfortable. Respect your kids preferences so they can value yours.
6. Let Them Connect With Friends
Another great way to encourage a musically gifted child is to let him/her socialize, especially with the kids sharing same passion and interests. They can play different musical instruments together and work as a band, meet up for jamming sessions or just chat about the latest happenings in the music industry.
7. Ensure A COMPETITION-FREE Experience
This one is probably the most crucial part of the whole process. It is requested not to compare your kids with their age fellows in any part of their lives because it is TOXIC and will do more harm to them than good. Understand that every child is different and so is their learning capacity. If a kid in the family started playing drum from a very young age doesn’t mean your child should be a head of him. This is important, please don‘t neglect this point.
8. Hire a Professional
Do you feel like you are not good enough to teach your musically gifted young one? Worry not! Hire a professional to ease the burden off your shoulders. You can either enrol him/her at an academy or appoint a music teacher for one-to-one sessions, depending on the nature and preference of your kid. Both of them have their own benefits and disadvantages. Take a look at the given chart:
Learning Through Music Academy | The environment is professional. It’s like opening eyes in the world of music. | The setup allows the kids to make new friends with same interests, liking and activities. Share ideas in group discussions and learn from others too. | May get chance to perform in front of a small audience as an activity or experiment. |
One-to-one music sessions | A great initiative for the shy kids who might not be comfortable in an exposed environment all of a sudden. | The teacher will be able to give an undivided attention to the student and focus on his weak points to work with. | Individual attention will allow the kid to accept new people in their life and encourage them to take part in group activities at school or with friends. |
Tip: this guideline to well known schools for musically gifted children will be helpful for you!
Conclusion
A gifted child is a blessing itself, and you should not neglect that at any cost. If your child has an inborn love for music; it is your duty as a parent to encourage him through different gestures. For example, you can perform music related activities together, buy them an instrument they are interested in or hire a teacher for them, etc.
Whether your younger one wants to make it a career or not; learning music is a fun activity that can be really helpful in their cognitive development. So, why are you waiting anymore? Start observing the little ones closely, look up for the signs and follow the guidelines in order to reveal the musical genius underneath!