Parents often comment that want their children to be self motivated to practice their instrument. While a daily, scheduled practice time is highly recommended, there are a few things that we can do to help inspire a love of music which can really give purpose and motivation to our practice.
1) Listen to music!
Any chance you have, any style- in the car, at home while your cooking dinner and when your in the yard playing are all great times to have some music playing. Discuss about what you like about a song. Or what you don’t!
2) Watch music videos and live performances on Youtube.
There are some amazing resources on youtube. I tell my students to watch there favorite bands and study the person that is playing the instrument they are learning. I am inspired, motivated and learn new things each time I do this.
3) Go to concerts. For those young ones that have never been to a concert, this can be life changing experience. For those that live near Canton, I really like the Verizon Amphitheater in Alpharetta and there are some great small venues like
the Tabernacle where you can see a wide variety of well known musical acts for
lower ticket prices. Also, check out the Atlanta Symphony once a year, they are an awesome bunch of musicians! I love the movie themed concerts. They play the scores from Harry Potter, Star Wars, etc. as well as family concerts and concerts for young people.
4) Guitar Hero!
Many of my students enjoy Rock band, Guitar Hero etc. and know the songs by heart. This gives a fun launching point/reference when their music teacher asks the question “what kind of music do you like?”
These are just a few tips that are fun and can help the musician in your household continue to be inspired to get better at their instrument. Try a couple and let us know what works for you!