10 Ways to Teach Basic Music Skills to Your Children (Even If You're Not a Musician)

Originally posted on Real Life

After college, I taught K-8 General Music, Chorus and Drama for 4 years. When I had my first daughter, I organized homeschool music classes for a while, and began teaching private piano and voice lessons from home.

Around the beginning of the year, parents usually start asking me about getting music lessons for their kids. I usually don't take on more students in the middle of the year. Sometimes, they'll get someone else, and sometimes they say they'll wait till August, and I put them on the waiting list.

There are several reasons your children might not be able to start lessons right away:

• Lesson times are unavailable
• You have monetary challenges
• The child is not quite old enough
• Your schedule is too packed

There are also several ways to start teaching basic music skills, even as a non-musician parent. I'll outline a few things you can do at home to make sure your child is ready for lessons, gains music skills as a homeschooler, or just wants to have some creative fun. These suggestions are more for younger children (6 and under), but if your kids enjoy them, then go ahead with them.