5 ‘Awesome’ Instrument Study Activities For Teens

Do you think that your teens are too old for instrument studies?

Do you think that they will find instrument studies boring?

Well, I’m sorry to be in your face but, I want to let you know that no, they are not too old for instrument studies, and no they are not going to find instrument studies boring if they are introduced to it with age appropriate activities. 

Also I want to take this opportunity to let you know that instrument studies can be really fun and engaging and that they are at the best age to explore musical instruments at an advanced level. 

Are you convinced now?

Great. 

With this post I have also made worksheets available to go with suggested activities, so please don’t forget to download them. 

Ready to get started? 

Ok, let’s go. 

Research 

Pick an instrument of choice, like the violin or the clarinet for instance and learn about it in depth. 

Learn about the instrument family it belongs to (string family in the case of the violin and woodwind family in the case of the clarinet). 

Learn about the origin and the evolution of the instrument. 

Learn about the role it plays in the orchestra. 

Ask your teen to create a presentation on the instrument of choice, remind her to use a variety of online tools and apps to make the presentation interactive.  

Compare

Ask your teen to compare the violin or clarinet or selected instrument with another instrument, either from the same family or a different family. 

For the sake of this example, let’s say the instrument of choice is the piano, then your tween can compare it with the marimba, which is also from the percussion family, or she can compare it with the trumpet, which is from the brass family. 

Compare and Contrast Melody

Your teen can take this activity a step further and compare and contrast the songs performed on a violin with those performed on a trumpet etc. 

Remind her to ensure that the songs selected are the same but played on different instruments. This in turn will help her to figure out which one sounds better and why. 

Analyse

Next, tell your teen to select a song played purely on the instrument of choice and then analyse whether that instrument was best suited for the song, or if a different instrument would have been a better choice, why or why not? 

Want more ideas on how to introduce your teen to music analysis? Then read my post, 5 ‘Absolutely Fun’ Music Analysis Ideas For Teens. 

Composers

With this activity your teen can research composers and musicians who exclusively write and perform for the instrument of choice. And learn more about them in depth. 

Here are more ideas on how you can introduce your teens to composer studies in the homeschool – 4 ‘Ridiculously Innovative’ Composer Studies Activities For Teens. 

Let me know what you think of the ideas suggested above and if you think your teens will enjoy the activities. 

Would you like to fill your homeschool with instruments? Then read my post, 9 ‘No Fail’ Ways To Fill Your Homeschool With Instruments, and learn how you can add instruments to your homeschool at a fraction of the cost.