Starting Kids Out Right With Rhythm

Elevation Music Store

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To begin, introduce your child to the physical qualities of their new instrument.

The initial goal is to make your child feel comfortable with their new instrument. Tell them what the name of the instrument is, and then show and identify for them all of the instrument's different parts. Encourage them to feel the different materials and textures. Some areas to consider include: the drum head (playing surface), drum shell (sides of the drum), carry strap, mallet handle, mallet head (end), handle (on any hand percussion instrument), striker (for a triangle), and even shaker fill (although they can’t see or touch the non-toxic fill, they can still get a “feel” for it).

Familiarize yourself and your child with your instrument's particular voice/voices.

Invite your child to explore with you all of the different sounds that they can create with their new instrument. With any type of drum, experiment with the different sounds you can obtain by striking the drum head in its center (deeper sound), the edge (higher sound), and the outer shell areas. Encourage them to try playing with their hands in a variety of ways: open-handed vs. closed-handed, hard, soft, fast, slow, and slap-release vs. slap-hold (muffled sound). Then ask them to try the same thing using the mallet head (end) and the mallet handle.

Any type of shaker can be shaken quickly, slowly, loudly, softly, and even in a circle to obtain different sounds. Hand percussion instruments are available in an amazing variety of shapes and sizes: clappers, knockers, jingles, bells, tone blocks, etc. Experiment and enjoy your discoveries!

Name the Mystery Instrument - Submitted by Didier Heck of Waterloo, Belgium

Place several instruments in front of your child and play them together, one-at-a-time. Say the name of the instrument as you play it. Once your child is able to name each instrument, ask him or her to put their hands in front of their eyes. Play an instrument for them and let them guess which instrument you have chosen!

For the youngest children, when selecting your group of instruments, consider using at least one instrument from each of the various percussion families. The LP RhythMix Steps n’ Stages approach to early childhood music education will help: Stage 1- Wood Tones, Stage 2- Shakers, Stage 3- Leading Tones.

For a more advanced version of this exercise, teach an older child to tell the difference in sound between various drum types. They will learn that the bigger, deeper drums make a bigger, deeper sound! Alternately, you can try this exercise using only wood tones, metal tones, and shakers!

Mimic the Familiar Rhythms of Your Child's Environment.

Help your child to develop their listening skills by encouraging them to tune into the sounds around them and try to mimic them. Some fun suggestions are: walking footsteps, skipping footsteps, galloping footsteps, running footsteps, a ticking clock, even the waves pounding the shore during a family excursion to the beach! The rhythmic possibilities are endless!

Play Along with Music that Appeals to You and Your Child.

After familiarizing your child with the variety of sounds that they can create with their new instrument, a terrific way to get started playing is to drum, shake, tap, or jingle along with a recorded song. Any lively piece will do!

Simply beat a drum, shake a shaker, or jingle a jingle stick to the beat. This is a time for experimentation and discovery. Make an effort to refrain from correcting your child at this early stage of the game. Remember that there is no right and wrong— fun is the name of the game!

Don’t be surprised when your child starts to request songs they’ve heard on the radio to play along with! This is a very healthy sign that they would like to expand their musical repertoire!

"There is nothing better than music as a means for the upliftment of the soul." -Inayat Khan (Indian Sufi master, 1882 - 1927)

"The drive to create, perform, and reproduce music is common to all mankind, a drive so basic that when a man cannot find an instrument to suit him, he creates his own." -Joseph Howard (American songwriter, 1878 - 1961)