Jam Sessions and Joy: 5 Ways to Help Kids Fall in Love With Learning an Instrument

When learning music feels like a magical adventure instead of a chore, kids will keep coming back for more.

Music becomes a shared language when families learn, play, and make mistakes together. ZoneCreative/Shutterstock

The magic of music is undeniable. When a child learns an instrument, it opens a new world to them, similar to learning a new language. Convincing children to enjoy learning an instrument, however, can be tricky.

I have taught guitar and ukulele over the years to my own children, individual students, and groups of students. Over the years, I have come up with five ways to help children not only learn an instrument, but also love learning it.

Let Them Watch You

Seeing you play an instrument will inspire your children or grandchildren to play it too. You don’t even need to know how to play. For example, imagine you are at a family gathering and there’s a piano in the room. If you start tickling the ivories, you can count on some little friends sidling up to the piano, ready to make their own tunes as well.

When children see you trying to master the unique nuances of an instrument to make beautiful music, they can’t help but be inspired.

Play With Them

Playing together fosters a love for learning instruments. It can be a struggle to get little Timmy to practice the piano if he never sees the adults, outside of a teacher, play the piano themselves. It’s also a struggle for children to enjoy playing an instrument if they don’t have anyone to play with, because it should be fun. After all, it’s called “playing” an instrument, and play is always more fun with friends.

If you are not an accomplished musician yourself, that’s OK. You don’t need to prepare to play at Carnegie Hall; you just need to have a jam session. That could be playing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” on the ukulele or the harmonica, which can be learned after a quick search on the internet and 10 minutes of practice.

Learning music in a group is also an incredibly effective way to learn. In Ireland, pub musicians learn to play in community. The musicians stand in a circle. One or a few will know a tune, and they will start playing it. Those who don’t know will listen a few times through, watching their fingers and hearing the notes. Before long, they grasp the gist of the tune and can join in.

Consider Different Ways to Teach

Music can and should be learned in multiple ways.

It’s always helpful to learn about standard music notation with treble and bass clefs, but if you or your child is learning guitar, it’s more useful to be able to read chords and tabs—a shorthand chart that marks the numbers of frets and strings for stringed instruments.

Memorizing songs can build strong emotional ties to music. Meanwhile, learning to play by ear can strengthen one’s intuitive understanding of music structure and how songs ebb and flow. Being versatile in musical learning may also increase the benefits of playing instruments for your children, from improved motor skills to cognitive and emotional development.

Listen to Different Genres

We live in a time where access to any and every music is easily available, but how often do we take advantage of that? If a child grows up listening solely to pop songs on social media, their ears will only be trained to like that specific music. They won’t be able to understand and digest the heartwarming, pounding, and breathtaking music from Africa or the concert halls of Europe. Encourage them to listen to good music in any and every genre.

Make Memories

Making a lasting memory playing music is often not planned; it just happens.

Last semester, I was teaching ukulele to a group of students. From the Beatles to John Hartford and Counting Crows to countless folk songs, these kids had played so much together. On one of our last classes, as we were getting ready to pack up for the day, one of the students started playing the chords to the anthemic “Zombie” from The Cranberries. We all started to play and sing along, and the words and communal strumming washed over the whole room. When the song was over and we had run out of words to sing, we all just kept playing the chords, hoping the moment would continue on.

Alas, the moment ended eventually, but I feel confident that it will live on in the lives of those students. I also know that more than a few of them have begun learning the guitar.

Their decision to continue playing music throughout their lives is music to my ears.