“I’m not musical.”
I hear this a lot from my clients. They want their children to develop a lifelong love of music & place them in piano lessons.
What I explain is that they are musical. You do not, in order to considered musical, need to be able to:
- Play an instrument,
- Sing professionally (or even in key), or
- Analyze the theoretical details of a piece.
Merriam-Webster defines musical as “having an interest or talent for music”. If you as a parent have an interest in music, then you are in a great place to create musical experiences as a family.
Experience Music as a Family
Like many things in life, experiencing music as a family does not need to be an all or nothing proposition.
Perhaps the idea of going to the symphony makes you feel sleepy. (Haydn wrote a very special symphony for people who fell asleep towards the beginning of some of his performances.)
But, maybe the idea of going to a rock concert sounds like just the thing.
There is nothing that says you have to follow a “classical” way of doing things for you family. It is about experiencing music together, not doing something because you “have” to.
5 Ways to Experience Music in Your City
In parts of Canada, we celebrate Family Day each February. And, this is perfect opportunity to do something a little special together. That being said, the following ideas can work at any point in the year.
Go to a (living) music museum
More & more museums are moving towards interactive installations, rather than quiet, “do not touch anything” spaces. Music museums are no exception to this.
A quick search online should give you some ideas of places close to your home.
For example, in Calgary we have Studio Bell: Home of the National Music Centre. Over Christmas one year, our family & my parents went downtown to check it out. After going through all 4 levels, we not only had gotten in quite the cardio session, but made wonderful memories as well.
Attend outdoor music festivals or concerts
Many cities & towns have festivals or concerts throughout the summer months. Often these are held in the city or town centre & are geared for the whole family.
Imagine taking your family to a festival & enjoying watching musicians perform right in front of you! And, perhaps getting a little treat from one of the food vendors that is sure to be close by. Or, bringing something special along with you.
Name That Tune
This is perfect for either in the car or when it is too cold to be outside.
There are 2 ways to set-up the game:
- Each person pulls together song options for the game (5+ options per person, they provide the audio)
- Pull up a random playlist on YouTube or radio station & the whole family guesses … let each family member pull up a playlist/station so it is fair.
Points can be awarded based on:
- Who answered first, or
- Name of song,
- Name of artists
Make a Silly Instrument
Embrace your inner child & grab all the art supplies/recycling in the house. Give a time limit & everyone creates their own instrument.
Make up rules (or not). But, make sure that each instrument makes different sounds at the end. It could be pitched like a piano or guitar or un-pitched like drums. What matters is having fun together.
If you are looking for inspiration, watch this video of a symphony in Paraguay that makes instruments from the local landfill.
Video Game Dance Off
If you family loves video games, buy a game (like “Just Dance”) that allows you to dance together … or against each other.
Even you are not a DDR expert (& really not many of us are), it is fun to get exercise in a new way.
Making Memories
You will notice that all of these ideas have one thing in common.
It is about experiencing music as a family. It is about creating a memory.
Let me know in the comments what memories you have created as a family!
For 5 ideas that can be used each & every day, click below.
