#66 Learn A Musical Instrument

A great way to spend time with kids is to learn a musical instrument together

Learn A Musical Instrument Together:

Learn a musical instrument together. I love this idea. It is one of my favorites because of the possibilities it offers. This could be a one and done date for the two of you, and if so, that’s great because you’ve gotten to do something unique to spend time together. But, what if…it turned into something more. This idea has the potential to lead to you, your child, or both of you to enjoy the instrument so much that you continue playing it for years to come.

I love to ask others what their story is as it relates to their career, hobbies, or playing a musical instrument. “What made you decide to become an engineer?” “What made you decide to take up the hobby of stamp collecting?” “Why did you start playing the violin?”. I think those stories are compelling. What I’ve found is that so often it is something simple that happened in their past or somehow, they were introduced to it by someone.

Probably the best way to conduct this idea is for the two of you to take an hour-long music lesson from someone. You can google the instrument you choose, “lesson,” and your city to see any available lesson options. Hop on Facebook and ask friends who they might recommend for lessons, or you can use (with caution) Craig’s List to find someone. You can also contact a local music store in your town and ask who they recommend for lessons.

If you would like to do this on your own at home, just the two of you, that’s certainly an option as well. If you don’t have a musical instrument at your house to try, contact your local music store and ask them if they have any instruments you can rent for a day. You can also reach out to friends or family members to see if they have a musical instrument you can borrow.

What this date introduced your child to a musical instrument that went on to change their lives and possibly then the lives of others?

WMTDS (What Makes This Date Special):

Imagine for a moment that we look ahead 20 years, and you have gone to visit your child and their family. They have you over for dinner for your birthday. After dinner, they want to play a song for you. That date you had so many years ago not only lead to your now-grown child to play a musical instrument but your grandchildren saw your (grown) child playing and wanted to play as well.

This may or may not happen, but you simply never know what introducing your child to an instrument might have on their future. You also never know how it might impact yours as well.

Teachable Moments:

Learning to play a musical instrument.

Importance of practice and the willingness to be bad at something today so that you can be good at it tomorrow.

Variations:

There are so many different musical instruments that you can learn, but it doesn’t have to be a musical instrument. You could take up the hobby of learning to draw, computer programming, refinishing furniture, or cooking. There is an endless list of hobbies you could do with your child that has the potential to impact their lives long-term.

A great way to spend time with kids is to learn an instrument together

Expense:

The expense for this idea can be free if you have the instrument you need (or can borrow one). You may also have costs related to a lesson by an instructor or renting an instrument.

Planning:

This idea requires some advanced planning so that you can find and schedule your lesson with an instructor or so that you can rent the instrument from a local music store.