Tip of the day

The tip from the expert for this week comes from my sister, Mary, who is a music teacher in the Memphis area. She gives some tips and ideas for instilling a love and appreciation for music in young children:

• Have fun! When you are interested in something and are having fun with it, they will be too.
• Find upbeat and/or newer versions of the classics to help get them excited.
• Use music to teach and reinforce core curriculum. They seem to remember the material better when they have a song to learn.
• Kids seem to learn better when they have a movement to go along with the music. After all, everyone loves air guitar! Be crazy, have fun, that is what I do!
• Some of the musicians that we enjoy are Greg and Steve, Dr. Jean, and Laurie Berkner.
• To teach kids how to read music, try the Freddie the Frog books.
• Use puppets with music. The puppets capture their attention and get them excited about learning the song.
• If you want to teach your children an instrument, start them early. Let them play with rhythm instruments so that they learn the steady beat. Piano is a good instrument to start formal lessons on.
• You and your children do not have to be perfect. Just have fun!