Some time ago, Chang Dad wrote an article on how to choose sports interest classes, which was welcomed by many parents: under the double reduction policy, how to choose training classes for children? Three dimensions to choose the most suitable interest class for children!.
At the same time, many parents left messages in the comment area, wanting Chang Dad to talk about how to choose an interest class for their children.
Sports interest classes and musical instrument interest classes have always been the two most popular categories in interest classes, so the responsive Chang Dad rushed to answer everyone's questions as soon as he had time!
The many benefits of learning musical instruments for children do not need to be said by Chang Dad.
In 2013, a group of German socioeconomic experts conducted a multi-year survey and wrote an article called How Learning a Musical Instrument Affects the Development of Skills, which concluded that "music is more than twice as effective in improving cognitive and non-cognitive abilities as sports, drama or dance." ”
And the researchers found that children who had undergone long-term musical training showed better cognitive skills, school grades, more responsible, more inclusive, and more ambitious. In addition, long-term musical training may affect mathematical abilities, perceptual control, and visual memory.
The words of a parent can well represent the voice of Chang Dad- "Music education is not the education of musicians, but the education of people." The goal is not to develop skills, but to develop people. The core meaning of music is to cultivate children's perception ability. ”
In the past, for children to learn musical instruments, parents generally think of traditional instruments such as pianos, violins, cellos, etc., and the accompanying impression is that the cost is high, the entry is difficult, and the time is long... However, with the development of the Internet, some instruments that are quick to get started and easy to get started have gradually entered the vision of parents.
Compared with the traditional instruments of the piano, these instrument projects are simple and easy to learn, which is perfect for parents who want to cultivate their children's musical sense and let their children feel the joy of music. Moreover, it can also be used to observe whether the child has a talent and interest in music, and whether he can continue on a more professional music road.
Today, Chang Dad will tell you what "small and beautiful" musical instruments are suitable for inspiring children's musicality, and children are good at getting started, and the more they learn, the more they get started!
Ukulele
Suitable age: from 5 years old
The umbrella of children's interest, it turns out that music can be very simple.
The "fires" of ukulele in recent years are not without reason. It is called "the simplest plucked instrument" by many people, easy to get started, as long as the child learns hard, he will soon be able to play and sing by himself, and play the piano that can flow for several years, and play a violin that is like sawing wood for three or five years, so that children can easily get a sense of achievement and are willing to continue practicing.
The ukulele is a type of guitar instrument, invented in Portugal, flourished in Hawaii, gained attention throughout the United States in the early twentieth century, and gradually spread to all corners of the world.
The ukulele can be counted as a simplified version of the guitar (two strings less than the guitar), and the chords are easier to remember and press, which is in line with the child's level of intellectual development. Its strings are nylon,000 softer in texture and less laborious to press.
And it is small, mini cute, more in line with the proportion of the child's body, the child can hold, reach, play.
As for how old you start learning, it depends on the state of the child. If the child can sit still and concentrate, 5 or 6 years old can be, if not, it is okay to learn a year or two later.
Ukulele price is not expensive, generally buy a 300-600 yuan can be, it should be noted that there are 3 sizes in the ukulele, 21 inches, 23 inches, 26 inches. There is a rough criterion when choosing:
If the child's height is less than 1.2m, it is more appropriate to choose 21 inches;
Height between 1.2m-1.4m, choose 21 or 23 can be;
If the height is more than 1.4m, it is recommended to choose 23 inches;
If the height is above average and the fingers are long, it is recommended to choose the 26-inch ukulele.
Guitar music teacher Wang Shi once said that for children's enlightenment instruments, ukulele is a particularly good choice, even better than the piano from the perspective of cultivating children's interest in music. It is like a key that opens the door to the art of music.
African Drums
Suitable age: from 3 years old
The source of happiness for babies, feel the vitality of life in the rhythm.
Humans are inherently interested in rhythm. We can often see such a phenomenon: very young babies, hearing the drums and rhythms, the small body can not help but twist with it, which makes people can't help but be funny. The African drum itself has a strong sense of rhythm, so that people have to dance when they hear the sound, and they listen to the fluttering heartbeat in the mother's stomach for many months, and they have a natural affinity for the rhythm.
And the African drum is very good at percussion. Compared with the drum kit that requires the coordination of hands and feet and eyes, children learn African drums, it is easy to feel the joy of rhythm and enjoy the sense of accomplishment of mastering an instrument. Generally speaking, children can take selfies and sing after more than a dozen lessons, and it is very easy to get a sense of accomplishment.
The African drum is also one of the more engaged instruments. What is "engagement"? It can not only be played by several people and dozens of people at the same time, but also can be played in conjunction with a variety of instruments, such as bass drums, jazz drums, etc., becoming a happy musical body. So, learning African drums can also make more good friends!
The African drum is a very suitable instrument for young babies, it is not limited by age, physical conditions and training places, etc., and generally three or four-year-old children can learn it.
Its price is not expensive, generally speaking, the domestic basic model is more than 200, the imported one is more than 1,000, and the best one is more than 3,000. For starters, it is enough to choose a few hundred dollars.
Although African drums are simple and easy to play, they are the rhythmic basis of other instruments, and after learning African drums, it is easier to learn other instruments. Understanding rhythm is a compulsory course for cultivating musical accomplishment, and learning African drums can make children feel the vitality of life in the rhythm.
Children's electronic keyboard
Suitable age: from 2 years old
The child's musical enlightenment experiment table collides with its own voice in the keys.
Even if these "new things" mentioned above have not been played by ourselves when we were children, we should have played the musical enlightenment instrument of tens of millions of children - the electronic keyboard! Its features are really powerful, and the price is not expensive.
Not only can it simulate hundreds of sounds such as piano, guitar, violin, organ, drum, etc., but some children's pianos actually contain animal sounds, vehicles, thunder and rain, cheering and clapping, and music games such as listening to sounds.
By playing electronic keyboards, children can not only understand piano music, but also feel the complete world of music.
Over the years, the electronic keyboard has been updating and iterating, just like the computer, more and more powerful, and the price is getting cheaper and cheaper. Although there are tens of thousands of yuan of professional-grade electronic keyboards, for children, as long as a few hundred dollars, you can choose the overall size of the friendly, suitable for children's small hands of the electronic keyboard, as long as it is a regular large factory can be produced.
It should be noted that there will be many toys like electronic organs on the Internet, the price is dozens of pieces, but the timbre is not good, but it will destroy the child's sensitive small ears, delay the child's sense of body and interest, and it is not recommended to choose.
Ethereal drums
Suitable age: from 1 year old
The sound of nature, the afterglow is melodious, and you feel the charm of music during the beating.
Compared with African drums, the age of ethereal drums is more widely used. Older babies can use it to play music, and babies as young as one or two years old can use it for musical enlightenment, because it only needs a simple tap to make an ethereal, long-distance sound, and the aftersound is like a natural sound.
Every child likes to knock and hum, which is the child's innate instinctive response to the rhythm. At this time, they can use the ethereal drum to fully activate the musical cells in their bodies.
How beautiful is the sound of the ethereal drum? Get a feel for it in the video below:
The creation of the ethereal drum is inspired by the chimes of the Western Zhou Dynasty, which can well interpret popular music on the basis of retaining Chinese charm and ethereal longevity. It has a wide range and is highly playable, marked with note positions, easy to identify, simple and easy to learn.
Many instruments, even if they are easy to learn, need to practice for a while to play a complete melody. Not to mention the violin, which even after two or three years of study, it still sounds like a sawbed leg. The ethereal drum is basically zero requirements for the player, and to learn it, there is no need to learn complex theories, as long as it can identify its 8 tones.
The scale arrangement of the ethereal drum is different from that of the keyboard instrument, and its pitch arrangement order is designed according to the comfort of the human body and the coordination of the left and right hands, and the two hands are played alternately. This design is more suitable for children who like to knock and beat, children will not feel bored, and can feel the fun of music from it.
The mouse rings the bell
Suitable age: 1 year old and above
An exclusive instrument for small children, enjoy the joy of music in percussion.
Many parents should have heard of Orff music, which is a music teaching system created by German music educator Carl Orff, which combines language, rhythm, games, and music teaching to comprehensively improve children's language ability, comprehension and performance ability.
"Little Mouse Eight-Tone Clock" is a characteristic Orff instrument, it is composed of 8 cute little mice, each mouse has a fixed pitch, after professional tuning, just form a scale, from bass do to treble do.
Its pronunciation principle is similar to that of mechanical bells, but the material of imported steel makes its sound have extraordinary penetration. Similar to the ethereal drum, as long as it is gently tapped, it can produce a crisp and pleasant sound, and it is easy to learn, practicing for a few minutes a day, mastering the technique for five days, and playing independently for a month.
Compared to the ukulele and African drums, the mouse bell is suitable for younger children, used to make musical initiations and build children's interest in music. It is quick to start, easy to learn, and maximize the protection of children's enthusiasm for learning music. Moreover, through the children's performance on stage, children can also fully build self-confidence.
bibliography:
Hille, Adrian and Schupp, Juergen, How Learning a Musical Instrument Affects the Development of Skills (September 2013). SOEPpaper No. 591, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2338467 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2338467