Classical music for children

[Poetryinaction]

My 6 year old son has always loved classical music, and always asks for Classic FM on the radio if we are in the car. He calls it 'ballet music'or 'lovely, relaxing music'.
How can I encourage this interest? We are getting a piano soon, and I will get lessons for myself and then teach him.
Anything I can do in the meantime? He has a really good ear, and has always sung with good pitch, even from very little.
Thanks

The first thing I would have suggested, normally, is to take him to concerts, opera, ballet as often as possible! Obviously not happening now ...

1. Try BBC Radio 3 for a wider and more challenging range of music. At least, that's how things ought to be. R3 is chasing the youth vote and easy listening so there are far fewer decent programmes now. But if you have it on more or less continuously (at home, not just in the car!) you should get a reasonable range. The Saturday schedule might appeal. If he's really keen I'd suggest listening to The New Music Show on iplayer as it's after his bedtime.

2. Informed by your radio listening you can make use of Spotify or whatever you use to stream music to listen to specific or random pieces.

3. Again, difficult now but as things get back to normal find out if he can join a choir at school / church / wherever.

4. Piano lessons are great but the only disadvantage of the piano is that it provides fewer opportunities for orchestral playing. So perhaps let him try out a string or percussion instrument so he can eventually join a school or other local youth orchestra.

5. Have you any musical friends, or acquaintances? A good way to nurture a musical interest is an ongoing conversation /exploration with someone knowledgeable but not overbearing.

By the way - are you musically talented? If not, it might be better for him to receive lessons directly from a piano teacher, rather than via you ...

Has he watched Little Einstein’s? I don’t think it’s still on but you can get the DVDs I think. Each episode is based around a piece of classical music and they talk about the composer and instruments as well as the style of the music. At the same time the little characters go on some sort of adventure. It’s really good!

Oh yes. There must be loads on both TV arts channels and YouTube. Had forgotten those!

Scala radio is good too. Lots of orchestras just now have video clips of their players being interviewed or playing lockdown duets etc, it makes it more personal than always just a whole orchestra and you get to see the instruments better. Try following the BBC Scottish symphony orchestra, for example. Lots of resources around about discovering music eg BBC ten pieces, or classic 100. Chrome music lab experiments ( just Google that phrase) are great for exploring sounds and creating music with no knowledge of standard ways of writing music required. If he likes singing NYCOS ( national youth choir of Scotland) have loads of videos on their website for singing games, they are really fun. Also the Benedetti foundation have loads of sessions on their website, look for the percussion ones or general musicianship ones for a starting place. There is so much online just now.

Why don’t you get him music lesson? 6 is not too young for piano or many strings.

There's lots on the Royal Albert Hall website.

I would say pick a few recordings he can get to know well, rather than more radio. At his age I really loved Beethoven's pastoral symphony (number 6) - explain the story to him (there are lots of descriptions online) and get him to listen out for eg the storm, the rainbow after the storm, the cuckoo, the people dancing and playing instruments.

I was a little bit older when I got to know The Planets by Holst but again he might enjoy that. Just knowing the names of the sections got my imagination going.

I liked ballet music too, particularly Swan Lake and The Nutcracker Suite with all the dances. Sadly I hated ballet when I actually saw it, nothing like what was in my head! Still loved the music.

And could he join a choir? Church choir is free if money's an issue. That's how I got to know how music worked, how to read music etc. I'm an atheist now if that worries you.

David Walliams marvelous music pod cast is very entertaining

When theatres and concert halls open again, see if you can find a performance of Peter and the Wolf or The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. They are often performed together. There is a recording that David Bowie narrated.

In the mean time

Agree with pp - do not get piano lessons yourself then try to teach him. Any sort of teaching, but especially instrumental, is a specialist job.

By all means join in - quite a lot of teachers are happy to teach both parent and child together when the child is young (I've got a couple of adult friends who've done this with their DC). Though beware of the fact that as the adult you'll be better placed to pick up some of the more intellectual aspects of music learning, which could be demoralising for your child.

Finally - be led by which instrument your child wants to learn. Sit and watch a YouTube recording of Peter and the Wolf (Prokofiev) or Britten's Young Person's Guide to the orchestra together and let your DS see all the instruments in action, then ask him if there's any he particularly fancies.

(Brass instruments probably need to be left till he's a little older. Beware of the flute because unless he turns out to be stratospherically good he won't get a slot in an orchestra )

Cross post with Bike

My music tea her always advised that we should play the basoon, tuba, euphonium or harp if we wanted to play in an orchestra.

Agree with pp - do not get piano lessons yourself then try to teach him. Any sort of teaching, but especially instrumental, is a specialist job.

This. It’s very important he is taught by a proper music teacher - damage can be done if not.

Definitely time to take up an instrument. Most instrumental teachers who specialise in teaching children are also good at choosing music children enjoy. The grade syllabus (if you choose to go that way) has a range of music for different age groups. One of mine got a merit in grade 1 violin shorty after 7th birthday so 6 is definitely not too young.

One thing (and in addition to the orchestra point above) - if you're spending your own money on the piano you might feel heavily invested in your son dedicating himself to it. But you must encourage him to try several different instruments and be prepared for him to abandon the majority of them. It can be so dispiriting as a child to be made to feel you must stick to the first thing you try ...

The planets is a favourite in our house too. Agree with picking a rarer instrument. Mine started in year 3. None of them are planning to be musicians right now but they've all enjoyed playing in ensembles and orchestras. We are very lucky to have an amazing music service here that encourages music in schools so they get the chance to try out lots of different types.

We are getting a piano soon, and I will get lessons for myself and then teach him.

Sorry, but why on earth would you do that? This has to be one of the most ridiculous things I've ever read on Mumsnet. Do you do this with his class lessons or other hobbies?

Apart from anything else, unless you already play or are unusually talented, by the time you get anywhere near good enough to be teaching someone else your son will be a teenager.

@BikeRunSki

My music tea her always advised that we should play the basoon, tuba, euphonium or harp if we wanted to play in an orchestra.

You'd end up rather disappointed if you studied the euphonium following that advice, given that they're not found in a standard symphony orchestra...

Thank you for all the well informed replies. I really appreciate it.
I am musical and I am a teacher, but I have never learnt the bass clef. I teach him other things, like singing, languages, art skills, reading etc.
I am not a music teacher though. I really want to learn the piano, so I thought I would get lessons, then naturally would teach him, just as I have done with other skills. Just to save money on paying twice really. But I will look into other instruments for him.
Thanks again.

The grade syllabus (if you choose to go that way) has a range of music for different age groups.

No it doesn't. It has a range of music for different levels of expertise, but there is no correlation at all between repertoire and age of performer in the syllabus of any music exam board, other than there being some preparatory (pre-grade) exams which are generally aimed at younger beginners.

That said, there is plenty of published music written to appeal to children.

A good choir (where they do theory and musicianship as well as singing) is perfect for his age. They’re usually in churches, but our local one is fine with children of any faith or none, as long as they will sit nicely through the service and sing religious music. Ask a local music teacher or a parent with musical kids for a recommendation - some are much better than others.

I teach him other things, like singing, languages, art skills, reading etc.

Why do you have to be a conduit for all these skills and activities? Sounds a bit unhealthily Oedipal to me. Is your son home schooled?

That's lovely that he's into music and you sound very supportive. Piano is a great start, he can pick up other instruments as he gets older. I would say get him lessons directly too. My 6 year old is currently having them over zoom so I watch / help. I can play the piano but it's a bit like driving, I'd be no good teaching someone to drive as I have too many bad habits! You could learn together that way.
Melody on cbeebies is really nice and has some lovely famous pieces. Also make use of other people's Spotify playlists, ballet music, classical for kids etc. Lots of kids like orderly things like Mozart but try Mussorgsky, Saint Saen and Debussy for some really evocative music and get him to have a think about how it makes him feel.
Also you can learn to sing in harmony together, that's always fun. Also also you can get a few basic instruments, ukelele, recorder, percussion etc so it's always around. Good luck! X

Thanks again. Isn't it natural to teach your child skills you know? I teach languages as a job, it would be strange to me not to teach him some. His dad is an artist so when they do artwork together he teaches him some skills.
He goes to school, and outside of school has drama and swimming lessonns. He has never wanted any other lessons in anything else.
He loved Melody when he was little and learnt a little ukelele at school, but we don't play instruments in the house at the moment so he's not exposed to that. Some lovely ideas here, thanks.
We sing a lot and I think he'd be great in a choir but haven't found any for his age yet.