The Number One Reason You Should NOT Buy Musical Instruments

The Number One Reason You Should NOT Buy Musical Instruments

by | Apr 22, 2022

The Number One Reason You Should NOT Buy Musical Instruments

The first thing parents do when they sign their kids up for music lessons is to purchase a new musical instrument. 

While this may seem like the most logical thing to do, I’m here to say that no it isn’t. 

Yes, I can hear the screams out there saying that I’m crazy, but really, hear me out with an open mind and let me tell you why I think the first thing you should be doing is NOT buying a musical instrument.

Before I start, let me also tell you that the Number One reasons is actually many huge reasons combined together. 

So let’s start

 

Expensive 

Ok. so this one is a no brainer, but it is not the only reason. 

For instance if you buy a piano it can be very expensive, but whereas if your child is only learning to play the recorder, and you buy a recorder, it is not very expensive and therefore, expense alone is not the only reason, but it is a huge one. 

So what are the other reasons?

 

Guilt Ridden

Yes, this is a big one. When you purchase a new instrument, you almost always will take your child on a guilt trip. 

Not only have I been taken on a guilt trip by my parents on many occasions as a child, but I have done the same to my kids inadvertently, even when I have consciously not wanted to do so. 

Also when we purchase a new instrument and put down all that money we tend to want our kids to stick with it, even if they don’t want to and are not very good at it. 

Yes, I can hear you say that unless we stick to something when it is hard, how are we going to learn? 

All worthy arguments, but when we allow the money that we have spent on the instrument to cloud our judgement, things can get out of hand, don’t you think?

There also can be instances where your child hates it, but is just too guilt ridden to admit that he/she doesn’t want to learn to play the instrument and thus, it can be very bad again. 

 

Intimidating

When kids know the amount you’ve spent and the sacrifices you’ve made to purchase them the instrument, it can be a great motivator for them to learn the instrument and stick with it, but it can also be very intimidating. 

And it can go back to what I stated above, ‘guilt’, which can be a bad thing. 

On the other hand if you see that they are good at it and love to play and then scrimp, scrape and invest in the musical instrument, it won’t intimidate or guilt them into learning but, will motivate them greatly, and teach them, while also showing them the value of sacrifice and hard work.

So what should you do then? Should you have them learn an instrument without actually investing in one? 

How will they practice? 

How will they get better at it?

Not to worry. I have a variety of solutions and alternatives that will work. 

 

Try-Out

This is something that is essential when the investment is a big one. For instance purchasing a piano can be very expensive and if your child has never learned to play piano in the past, you don’t even know for sure if he/she will like it. 

So why not try it out first? Try an online course like mine, Read Music Notes and Play the Piano in 5 Days for FREE. 

But how to learn without a piano? Read this post, and implement at least one of these strategies. Desperate To Learn To Play The Piano, But No Piano/Keyboard At Home?

The strategies stated in the above post will work whether your child wants to learn piano, or guitar, or drums or anything else. 

 

Rent Rather Than Own

Why not rent instruments like guitars, clarinets, trombones and others, instead of buying them. 

Yes, in the long run renting can be a lot more expensive than owning but in the short term it will be a huge cost saver. 

Also your child can get a feel of the instrument and learn it and know for sure if he/she wants to continue before you decide to invest. 

One thing to be cautious about is to make sure that the rental agreement is month to month and you can cancel at anytime without penalties or additional hidden charges. 

Also when deciding to buy after renting, if you are going to buy from the same store or school, check if you can get some credit for the payments you made when renting. 

 

Buy Second Hand

This is another good option because, for one thing you will be saving quite a bit, but also because, if your child loses interest midway, you can sell the instrument for nearly the same price you purchased it for, and not take a huge loss. 

 

Now, that you have read the post, do you agree that the Number One thing you shouldn’t do, is to purchase a musical instrument when your child starts music lessons?

 

Want more ideas on how you can fill your home with musical instruments without spending a fortune? Then you will love my post 9 ‘No Fail’ Ways To Fill Your Homeschool With Musical Instruments.

Karen Cadera

Karen Cadera

Founder/Creator

Mom, Teacher, Minimalist, Zero Waste Enthusiast, Multi Pod.

My daughter loved the games, but there were also worksheets and videos. The weekly lesson plans were complete, and I never questioned what I should be doing next.

Lisa Tanner

Homeschool Mom

Play Piano Today!

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10 ‘Ridiculously’ Simple Ways To Make Music Lessons More Affordable

10 ‘Ridiculously’ Simple Ways To Make Music Lessons More Affordable

by | Apr 5, 2022

10 ‘Ridiculously’ Simple Ways To Make Music Lessons More Affordable

If you find adding music lessons to your kids’ extra curricular activities to be extremely expensive then you are not alone. 

This is a complaint that I get from many parents and I have to say that it is not wholly unfounded. 

However, it doesn’t have to be so, there are many different ways in which to reduce the exorbitant cost of music lessons and this post I’m going to explain ten great ways in which you can do just that.

 

Buy Second Hand Instruments And Books

Yes, simply buying second hand musical instruments like guitars, trombones, pianos and much more can be real life savers and end up saving you a fortune. This is especially true if you have many kids all learning different instruments.

Don’t know where to get good quality instruments and books at a cheap rate or how to source them? 

No worries, read my post 6 ‘Unbelievable’ Ways To Add Music Resources To Your Homeschool and also 9 ‘No Fail’ Ways To Fill Your Homeschool With Instruments or Desperate To Learn To Play The Piano, But No Piano/Keyboard At Home? and you will be well on your way to saving a ton of money from the get go. 

 

Supplement Learning With Online Courses

This is a very innovative way to reduce the cost of music lessons. 

For example if your child wants to play the guitar, a large part of learning at the start includes learning to read music notes and learning chords. 

Sometimes this process alone can take 6 – 12 months to master depending on your child and the actual playing part only starts after that. 

So why not take an online class, where you pay a small fee upfront, learn the basics and then go for private one on one music lessons to fine tune the learning?

Did you know that learning to read notes when playing the piano can take as much as 6 months or even more with one on one music piano lessons? 

Why not instead join my Read Music Notes & Play The Piano in 5 Days challenge, and learn to read music notes for FREE before your child attends piano lessons. 

 

Focus On One Instrument

If there are multiple children learning music in your household, one of the best ways to keep costs down is for all of them to focus on just one instrument. 

This way not only can you save on instrument purchases, but you can also hire just one teacher and gain many other benefits as I will explain later in this post. 

 

Have Group Lessons

Learning only one instrument will enable your family to have group lessons, which can be very cost effective when compared to one on one private lessons. 

Besides saving on tuition, if you have to transport your kids to music lessons and back, it reduces scheduling complications, saves on gas, and will be convenient for you overall. 

If you have only one child looking for music lessons, why not look around for group lessons anyway, and compare the cost with one on one lessons.

And have your child join an existing group, or bring together kids from your homeschool co-op or neighbourhood and have group lessons. 

 

Ask For Family Discount

If group lessons are not possible because of disparities in the learning situations of each of your children, why not ask for a family discount, if you have more than one child learning from the same teacher, or at the same music studio?

 

Have Goals

This is key to keeping music lesson costs low. 

Know your goal and speak to your children’s music teacher about what goals you want to see at the end of the year or end of six months. 

You have to remember that not all children learn alike, so have a different goal for each child and be flexible. 

However, having a goal is essential and will give you a roadmap and help you track the progress and see if the music lessons are worth it or not. 

 

Use Existing Music Resources

Instead of going out and buying new books and resources, try to use what you already have. 

Most homeschool parents I know have tons of material in their homeschool and it is a waste to spend more money on materials. 

So speak to your children’s music teacher and try your best to use existing resources as much as possible. 

 

Avoid Buying Cheap Or Age Appropriate Musical Instruments

This is another big one. With some instruments like the Ukulele or a guitar for instance, there are different sizes depending on age. 

While it is essential to use age appropriate sizes, they can be a huge waste of money, unless you have many kids and there are younger kids who can use the same instrument, as the older ones grow out. 

Sticking to an instrument like the piano, or simply waiting until your child is a tween and able to handle the standard size instrument can be a big cost saver. 

Also investing in a good quality instrument, rather than a cheap one, will help you save tons of money in the long run. 

 

Join An Orchestra/Church Choir

Some free ways to learn music is to look around for a church or group choir or an orchestra and ask if your child can join. 

Want more ideas on how you can teach your kids music without private lessons? Then I’m sure you will find this post very helpful 6 ‘Ridiculously’ Simple Ways To Bring Music Into Your Homeschool Without Private Lessons.

 

Take Online Lessons

Online music lessons are way cheaper than the one on one lessons and can be a big cost saver. 

They can also work as a great primer, so your children can learn the basics online, and then proceed to one on one lessons to learn the more advanced concepts. 

Not sure about online lessons? Then read these different posts that argue for and against online music lessons and make up your mind. 

 

6 ‘Must Have’ Features In An Online Piano Course, 

4 Benefits You May Have Not Known About Learning Piano Online, 

6 ‘Must Know’ Reasons Why Online Music Courses Are Not For Your Child, 

11 ‘Undeniable’ Benefits of Learning Piano Online, 

3 ‘Must Ask’ Questions Before You Commit To Online Piano. 

 

What is your biggest take away from this post? Which one of the above strategies will you implement to reduce the cost of one on one music lessons? I would love to hear from you. 

Karen Cadera

Karen Cadera

Founder/Creator

Mom, Teacher, Minimalist, Zero Waste Enthusiast, Multi Pod.

My daughter loved the games, but there were also worksheets and videos. The weekly lesson plans were complete, and I never questioned what I should be doing next.

Lisa Tanner

Homeschool Mom

Play Piano Today!

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5 Mysteries Of Playing ‘By Ear’ Resolved

5 Mysteries Of Playing ‘By Ear’ Resolved

by | Mar 22, 2022

5 Mysteries Of Playing ‘By Ear’ Resolved

Have you often watched someone play on the piano or any other instrument a tune that they heard on the radio or a tune that someone just hummed to them? 

Didn’t it almost seem magical that they could do that?

I knew one such person. My dad. He could play any tune he heard at anytime and I couldn’t. And I was always under the impression that I had to be born that way, or else there was no way to play ‘by ear’ The worst thing is that no one even told me that, that was a myth until very much later. 

If only someone had told me as a child that I could train my ear as well, it would have saved me years and years of sadness and disappointment in myself. 

So in today’s blog post, I want to talk about some of the mysteries of playing ‘by ear’. 

 

Absolute Pitch Is Not Necessary

There is this common myth that in order to play the piano by ear it is important to be born with Absolute Pitch. 

Well, that is wrong. Only around 1 – 3% of the population is born with such an ability and way more people than that number are able to play the piano by ear. 

There is tons of research that shows that what is important is not ‘absolute pitch’ but rather ‘relative pitch’ and ‘relative pitch’ is something that can be taught and learned. 

 

You Don’t Have To Be Born With It

If the previous point didn’t make it clear to you, let me reiterate. 

Your child does not need to have been born with the ability, ‘relative pitch’ is something that can be learned. 

Hence, if your child has not shown any ability to play by ear so far, don’t fret, it can be taught and he can learn it. 

 

You Don’t Have To Train Your Ear When You Are Young

If your child is a teenager or even a pre-teen don’t worry. There is no upper age limit by which relative pitch has to be learned. 

Any age is fine, even for you as a parent right now it is not too late to learn to play by ear. 

 

The Ear Can Be Trained

Yes, this should have been clear by everything that I have said so far. But if it wasn’t clear, then let me  tell you again. 

Your child’s ear can be trained. 

Yes, it will take time, and a lot of work but have you ever come across anything that is worthwhile doing without having to first put in some hard work? 

 

You Can Train Your Child’s Ear, Even If You Haven’t Learned Music

Now this must be a big surprise for you, but truly I tell you, this can be done. 

You don’t have to have a knowledge of music in order to be able to train your child’s ear. 

Read my blog on 5 Ridiculously Simple Ways To Train Your Child’s Ear In The Homeschool, for more information on how you can do this. 

 

All my piano courses incorporate ear training, so come join the course, and let me give you the necessary tools and tips on how you can teach your child piano and train his musical ear. 

Karen Cadera

Karen Cadera

Founder/Creator

Mom, Teacher, Minimalist, Zero Waste Enthusiast, Multi Pod.

My daughter loved the games, but there were also worksheets and videos. The weekly lesson plans were complete, and I never questioned what I should be doing next.

Lisa Tanner

Homeschool Mom

Play Piano Today!

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Yes, in as little as 30 minutes I can show you how to teach your child to play the piano, for FREE.

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5 Ridiculously Simple Ways To Train Your Child’s Ear In The Homeschool

5 Ridiculously Simple Ways To Train Your Child’s Ear In The Homeschool

by | Mar 8, 2022

5 Ridiculously Simple Ways To Train Your Child’s Ear In The Homeschool

Most people think that children have to be born with the ability to play an instrument by ear in order to so, while others think that memorization is the only way to be able to look like one is playing an instrument by ear. 

And I’m here to say that, neither is correct. 

In this blog post I want to show you, how you can train your child’s musical ear even if you yourself have never learned music in the past. 

Now before we get started, I have to tell you, that this will require some learning on your part but it is not something that is going to take years to do. Rather it can be done in as little as a month, but the entire process of training your child, will of course take a lot longer. 

So, now that that is out of the way let’s get started. 

 

Learning Relative Pitch With Music Theory

Yes, this will require some knowledge of music theory but don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. 

Just join my Read Music Notes in 5 Days and Play the Piano course (which is currently being offered free) and you and your child can learn the basic music theory needed to get this step done. 

With this step all you have to do is to familiarize your child with being able to name the sound that they hear. 

Skip Ups, Skip Down, Step Ups and Step Down

Have your child’s back face the piano or keyboard and you play two adjoining keys. 

If you play C and then C#, that is a step up, C# to C is step down. 

Likewise C and then D is a skip up and D and then C is a skip down. 

So, here’s how you do it. You first play the skip up pattern and say that this is called a skip up. 

Then play the skip down pattern and say that it is skip down. 

Next play either one of the patterns and ask your child whether it is a skip up or a skip down.

That’s it. 

Rinse and repeat throughout the keyboard. 

Remember, not to over do it. About 10 minutes or less of ear training per day done every day will have greater results in six months than hours of ear training done sporadically. 

 

Practice Singing Easy Songs

This is another way to train your child’s ear even if you’ve never learned to play an instrument. 

Listen to a really easy nursery rhyme to begin with and then sing it. 

That’s it. 

Sing it until your child is able to sing it in tune perfectly. 

Once you’ve gone through the easy nursery rhymes, you can up your game and try a harder song. 

Want to learn more about how to train your child’s voice effectively? 

Then I think you will find my blog 6 ‘Super Easy’ Exercises To Train Your Child’s Voice, very helpful. 

 

Singing At The Correct Pitch

Make sure that your child is able to sing at the correct pitch and is able to raise and lower his voice according to the tune. 

This can be done by starting with easy songs and then progressing on to much more difficult ones. 

One of the biggest mistakes parents make is that they get the child started on a very difficult song, and think that their child has no ear for music. 

 

Clapping In Tune

Again start with very easy tunes and have your child clap in tune to a specific song. Playing an instrument by ear is not only about hitting the right notes, it is also about playing the right note at the right time. 

So rhythm and beat are very important. Often times, we find it annoying when the beat is missed, but don’t always recognize when a wrong note is played. 

So you can see how important it is to play in beat and clapping is one way of getting your child to learn rhythm and beat. 

Want to learn more about to teach your child rhythm and beat in the homeschool? Read my blog post on 4 ‘Super Easy’ Ways To Teach Rhythm & Beat In The Homeschool. 

 

So tell me, which one of the above tips are you going to get started with today?

Karen Cadera

Karen Cadera

Founder/Creator

Mom, Teacher, Minimalist, Zero Waste Enthusiast, Multi Pod.

My daughter loved the games, but there were also worksheets and videos. The weekly lesson plans were complete, and I never questioned what I should be doing next.

Lisa Tanner

Homeschool Mom

Play Piano Today!

Teach your child to play piano, today.

Yes, in as little as 30 minutes I can show you how to teach your child to play the piano, for FREE.

What are you waiting for?

Click Here

This program reminded me (and allowed me to teach my son) how to read music. To me, that was the most important thing that we learned together. Of course, it was very rewarding for me to watch my son play the piano with both hands at the same time, while reading sheet music. His favorite parts of the course were actually playing the songs and doing the worksheets provided.

Carrie M.

Stay At Home Mom

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3 ‘Must Know’ Reasons Why Learning To Sing Is Important

3 ‘Must Know’ Reasons Why Learning To Sing Is Important

by | Feb 8, 2022

3 ‘Must Know’ Reasons Why Learning To Sing Is Important

Many people who are able to sing, discount that ability and they do the same with kids as well. 

I have seen and heard of many parents who don’t really pay attention to their kids’ ability to sing. 

What most don’t understand is that while it is important and even nice to be able to play an instrument, being able to sing gives kids and adults a huge advantage, when it comes to learning music. 

Surprised? Well, don’t be. 

Read on and let me explain. 

 

Helps Train The Ear

Yes, you read that right. Being able to sing helps train a child’s ear. 

Even a simple nursery rhyme goes high and low and simply being able to distinguish he differences and imitate it, goes a long way in helping to train the ear. 

By helping kids to understand the different nuances in pitch, volume and speed, we actually help to speed up the process of musical learning because they learn to distinguish the differences in the melodies and harmony. 

 

Boosts Musical Memory

This is a very important point. 

Often when children start sight reading music, they have to be able to read, understand and interpret things like timing and rhythm and keep to the beat. 

Unfortunately, not many kids are interested in music theory and since a knowledge of music theory is necessary for them to be able to decipher these aspects from a piece of sheet music, if they are able to hum or sing the tune, often a knowledge and ability to read the notes alone is sufficient. 

This is because they remember the tune and can hum it and therefore, can play with the correct rhythm even if they can’t understand and interpret the musical signs. 

Also being able to sign a song with the correct rhythm, beat and pitch, enables them to play by ear, because their musical memory is far ahead of most other kids who can’t sign and therefore, don’t remember enough of the tune to try to play it by ear. 

 

Helps Communicate Musical Ideas

Say your child cannot read and write music or even if he does, his knowledge may not be advanced enough for him to write down his compositions. 

Well, if he can sing then he can definitely still communicate his ideas for tune, pitch, rhythm, beat and volume by singing or humming and thus have someone else write down the music for his composition. 

 

As I have told you previously, many great musicians were unable to read or write a single note of music, yet that didn’t stop them composing and having their music published. 

The difference is that they were able to communicate their compositions to people who could actually write it down for them and thus, they were able to get their creations into the world and the ability to sing was one such way that they got those creations from out of their heads and on to paper. 

 

This is one of the reason that many of our music courses also encourage and help with singing. So, come take a free course and see what your child can learn. 

Karen Cadera

Karen Cadera

Founder/Creator

Mom, Teacher, Minimalist, Zero Waste Enthusiast, Multi Pod.

My daughter loved the games, but there were also worksheets and videos. The weekly lesson plans were complete, and I never questioned what I should be doing next.

Lisa Tanner

Homeschool Mom

Play Piano Today!

Teach your child to play piano, today.

Yes, in as little as 30 minutes I can show you how to teach your child to play the piano, for FREE.

What are you waiting for?

Click Here

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6 Absolute ‘Must Know’ Ways To Reduce your Child’s Frustration When Learning Music

6 Absolute ‘Must Know’ Ways To Reduce your Child’s Frustration When Learning Music

by | Dec 28, 2021

6 Absolute ‘Must Know’ Ways To Reduce your Child’s Frustration When Learning Music

As with anything else in life, we are all very excited when we first learn something totally new, but that enthusiasm doesn’t last very long, especially when we see how difficult it is to get to the level of mastery that we are looking for. 

This is no different for kids. 

They often see others play the piano and how nice it sounds and looks and think that they can do the same from day one. 

And the shock that they get, when they realize that is not so can be so frustrating that they often give up learning to play a new instrument. 

Do you know that the piano is the easiest instrument to learn to play and the hardest to master? 

Well it is, and if your child is learning to play the piano or any other instrument I hope that the tips that I share in this blog will help you reduce the frustration and if anything help bring back some of that initial enthusiasm that your child first experienced when learning to play the piano. 

Remember, the tips that you learn here will work with any instrument, irrespective of what your child is learning to play. 

So here goes. 

 

Practice Is About Progress Not Perfection

This is key to remember. We often think that we have to be perfect from the get go. 

That is not true. 

No one can be perfect from the get go and in my experience the fact that we allow kids to believe that they can be or should be perfect from the get go is what results in so much frustration. 

I learned this the hard way after so much self reflection and I have found that simply talking to my daughter before she sits down to practice and telling her that she is not going to be perfect and that that is ok, has helped immensely. 

 

Have A Growth Mindset

If you’ve been a reader of this blog for long, then you will know what a big fan I am of Carol Dweck, so it is no surprise that I am a big advocate of the ‘growth mindset’ philosophy. 

As a parent you have to have that mindset and your should teach your child that from the very start. 

Tell her that we should strive for improvement and making mistakes is ok. 

Mistakes are a stepping stone to success, and each and every mistake teaches us something. 

 

Engage Visual, Auditory, and Kinaesthetic Senses

Some kids are visual learners, others are auditory learners, and still others are kinaesthetic learners.

So it is very important to ensure that your child is engaged appropriately according to her learning style. But it is also important to have all senses to be engaged, so that learning can be more ‘whole’. 

This is why all our music programs are designed to engage all the senses instead of simply one sense or another alone. 

 

Have A Multi Pronged Approach

Having a multi pronged approach means having physical and theoretical understanding at a basic level. Thus, simply learning to play the instrument alone may not be enough but learning music theory will help to aid in the learning process. Read my blog 5 ‘Absolute Lies’ About Learning Music Theory, to gain a better understanding of why this is so important. 

 

It’s OK To Make Mistakes

This is a part of the growth mindset and something that you need to drill into your child. 

There is no shame in making mistakes and making mistakes is how we learn. 

None of us learned to walk without falling and none of of learned to talk without making mistakes, so why should learning to play the piano or any other instrument be any different?

Once you get rid of that shame of making mistakes, you will notice that half the battle has been won. 

 

Learn Alongside Your Child

This is very important at least at the initial stages. Learning alongside your child will not only help her learn better, the bonding experience will be priceless and most importantly you might even be surprised at how fast your child learns compared to you. If this is not the case, you will at least be more aware of her frustrations and thus, be better equipped to understand her and help her stay enthusiastic. 

Celebrate the victories, even the small ones and tell her how proud you are of her. 

Want to learn more about how to learn alongside your child, then my blog post 5 ‘Surefire Ways’ To Ensure Your Child Continues To Learn Music, will definitely help you. 

 

Do you think you can implement the tips that I have provided above? 

Do you agree with them?

Want help and support, then come join us on FB and let us support you as you help your child through her musical journey. 

Karen Cadera

Karen Cadera

Founder/Creator

Mom, Teacher, Minimalist, Zero Waste Enthusiast, Multi Pod.

My daughter loved the games, but there were also worksheets and videos. The weekly lesson plans were complete, and I never questioned what I should be doing next.

Lisa Tanner

Homeschool Mom

Play Piano Today!

Teach your child to play piano, today.

Yes, in as little as 30 minutes I can show you how to teach your child to play the piano, for FREE.

What are you waiting for?

Click Here

This program reminded me (and allowed me to teach my son) how to read music. To me, that was the most important thing that we learned together. Of course, it was very rewarding for me to watch my son play the piano with both hands at the same time, while reading sheet music. His favorite parts of the course were actually playing the songs and doing the worksheets provided.

Carrie M.

Stay At Home Mom

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