‘’Where words fail,
music speaks.”― Hans Christian Andersen.
Teaching a child a
musical instrument can be one of life’s greatest gifts, not only a useful skill
in later life should they wish to enter into teaching (or God forbid, playing
in heavy metal bands – see earlier blog). But, as recent surveys show, children who learn a musical instrument tend to have a better attention span and are also better
disciplined than children who aren’t quite as fortunate to learn an
instrument at an early age.
But what
instrument(s) should be considered? Gone are the days when the school musical
instrument department consisted of one battered French horn, one just as
battered violin and a dozen recorders.
In recent years, developments in Chinese manufacturing have
seen an influx of musical instruments that deliver on both price and
playability. Plus, a new national campaign scheduled for Autumn of this year by
Fresh One (the production company behind Jamie’s School Dinners) will see
internationally renowned pianist James Rhodes trying to persuade government
officials to increase budgets when it comes to musical education, as well as
encouraging members of the public to donate unwanted instruments to schools
around the country - ensuring future musical talent from these fair isles.
There is also such a
selection of good instruments on offer these days for all ages, you can be sure
of finding something of interest. 15 years ago school assembly would have played out to the sound of the recorder; while still popular this has given way to the
impressive rise of teaching the ukulele to early classes in recent years.
While clarinet and
flute still figure highly on the older children’s musical instrument classes,
so too has there been a steady rise of other instruments such as guitar, bass
and piano. Again, helped by recent developments in technology, most instruments
can now be studied in silence helped by headphone sockets (there are even
electric drums for the more adventurous parents).
Most local music
shops can offer advice on beginner instruments and also teachers in the area.
Gig Gear in Harlow is a firm favourite and offers a fantastic selection of
instruments, with knowledgeable staff on hand to help with any questions. PlanetSound in Ware (formerly Playsomething) offers lessons onsite, also with a good
selection of instruments to choose from. The Guitar Studio in Hertford has been
running now for two years and also offers a good range of stringed instruments
and lessons from beginner intermediate and advanced level onsite.
Talking of drums... while most parents would run a mile at the thought of his/her child learning
such a monstrously loud instrument, drums are actually one of the most instant
of all instruments to learn to play and also one of the most enjoyable –
instilling a sense of rhythm that can be developed further with other
instruments. Just avoid the neighbours…
Lisa
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