By now, we’ve all seen that video, “When Mama Isn’t Home”. You know the one. It features a father playing trombone with his son backing him up with the oven door. The vaguely White Stripes sound behind this odd pairing went viral back in 2014, proving that anything can be turned into an instrument, including your kitchen appliances. Whether or not you want to use various household objects as the rhythm section of your next duet is up to you, but it’s not necessarily the best way to make music with your son. While it may get you over 9 million hits, it’s definitely not a solid start to your son’s musical education. If you genuinely want to jam with your kid, you need to start him off on the right foot.
First thing’s first — he needs to choose an instrument. More specifically, he’ll need to find the right one. Finding that special instrument that inspires him is the only way to make sure he’s in it for the long haul, so it’s important to land the one he wants. What’s correct will differ from kid to kid. While you may be a seasoned guitarist (or trombonist), he may not find this particular musical instrument fun or interesting in any way. If he’s stuck playing something he hates, then the chances of you and your son jamming together in the future are pretty low.
It’s okay to offer up some guidance as he decides what instrument he prefers. Let him play around with your guitars so he can get a feel for the instrument. Make a point of searching through the biggest online music store together. Ask him questions as he explores his options to make sure he’s hunting down a realistic instrument. By giving him this agency, the probability of his success behind the fret or keys goes up exponentially. It won’t be a constant struggle to get him to practice when your child actually wants to learn more about his instrument. And you know what they say about music: practice makes perfect.
You can help his practice at home by making it a fun thing to do in the hours after school. Give him a reason to pick up the guitar or sit at the keyboard. That reason may be the chance to jam with his dad. If that’s the case, join in on his exercises or provide a way to blow off some steam by playing around in between the scales. Don’t be discouraged if he needs more convincing to log the hours. A reward system, wherein he gets to choose how he spends his free time or what he gets to eat for dinner, might be what you need in order to get him to practice. Bribery though it may be, it works!
Last but not least, enroll your kid at a music school if your kid shows interest and potential in music. You can click here now to find an experienced qualified instructor to teach him the ins and outs of an instrument. These professionals are valuable resources when it comes to your child’s musical education. They can deliver techniques, practicing tips, and general guidance to keep your kid on track towards mastering his preferred instrument. This, coupled with deliberate practice, can get him ready to jam in no time. You may also get in touch with a Motown Record Producer for more advice that your kid can use in case he or she wants to go pro in the music industry.
What you and your son get up to when mom isn’t home is up to you, but once he’s got an instrument in his hand and some lessons under his belt, you’ll be able to make some music — much better than anything coming out of an oven door. So float the idea to your son and start checking out online music stores for inspiration. You can also check out this helpful site to get an idea. Before you know it, you might just film your own viral video of the two of you jamming.