Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

Starting Kids in Music

I teach beginning bluegrass to 4-6th graders at a public school, and we begin with a simple two chord song, “Katy Daley” (tweeking a few lyrics; it’s good soda pop, eh? :wink: ). I’ve also discovered a wonderful instrument that is easy to learn and blends nicely with bluegrass; check out the Merlin by Seagull. I can’t bring myseld to allow a Uke in there. In regard to the usual instruments, I also differentiate instruction by allowing some to play one chord while others play another during a song, or I even let them begin with easy partial chords. For example, instead of playing a full G on guitar, they may only strum the bottom 3 strings while using a single finger on 1st string at the 3rd fret. Likewise the 2nd string at the first fret for C. We build up from there, while more proficient students peer tutor others on their journey to full chords.

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It’s cool to read y’alls stories.

I was the kid that wanted to quit guitar lessons when I was in 6th grade, and my parents said “ok”. Like Ben said, every guitar lesson was time when I had to miss a football game in the front yard of Mark or Trey’s house after school. How was I ever going to play for Texas A&M if I didn’t spend time playing more football?!?

High School went and my plans to play at Kyle Field faded away because this certain girl wanted to go in a different direction.(Silver lining: She’s now my bride!)

I never picked up an instrument again until 4 years ago when I bought a cheap banjo off of Amazon. Soon after buying it, one of my classmates told me about Ben and I gave enough plasma to buy a Lifetime membership. It’s been a fun ride, but sometimes I’m still frustrated at the basic things I have to learn and relearn and relearn again, along with all those basic music theory lessons that I still struggle through.

I wish mom and dad would have made me stick with those guitar lessons.

Fun Trivia: My music teacher’s name was Mrs. Record

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How can I get my 6-year-old daughter who loves performing arts to learn how to play an instrument? She’s been singing Disney and Broadway songs and totally has a knack for it. But I want her to excel more in Music if possible. She doesn’t even believe me when I told her she has to learn to read notes if she wants to pursue musical theater someday.

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Does she have access to any instruments in the house that interest her? Step one is getting an instrument into her hands. Some may disagree, but I don’t think teaching notes right out of the gate is the best way to inspire children to play. The notes come in time, well, maybe. I never did learn to read music. :slight_smile:

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If she wants to do formal musical theater she will have to know how to read, yes. Like Mark said, get a uke or something in her hands. If it was my kiddo, I’d get her in classical piano with a reputable teacher pronto.

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I think I know what you are saying, and if so, it is a valid argument to get the interest stoked before getting into the “work”. I am not telling you anything you don’t know, but things are different for kiddos than you and I. Kids are wired to learn. Learning a language is as natural for them as breathing. That ability to learn quickly tapers off. I think that learning music (including reading and theory) at a young age could make a huge difference in the person’s ceiling as an adult. So, from my perspective, how much and what you encourage depends on the goal: do you want them to simply enjoy music or do you want them to have an opportunity to do something special with it? I think both goals are valid.

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I just want her to acquire skills that she might use in the long run. And what Mike said is true when it comes to learning a language at early age. I’m just happy for my daughter that she already has something that she loves to pursue when she grows up. All I need to do is encourage, provide, and guide. I can’t teach her everything because I myself don’t know everything.

I signed my 7 yr old up for piano lessons this week. I’m still gonna er her a stringed instrument at some point. I’m going to wait for piano lessons for the 4 yr old until he is better at recognizing his letters.

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Along the same lines, is Banjo Ben a good learning tool for kids? My 9 year old wants to play and has a travel size banjo. Private lessons in my area are scarce and expensive, so I’m looking into the online route.

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Hi Audrey, I would say @BanjoBen is a great teacher for kid’s. I am still a kid at 72. Seriously I am sure if you email Ben he would be happy to work something out for you. ben@banjobenclark.com;

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Hey @mbradshaw80, I’d be honored to have your kiddo on board! Yes, I think my beginner learning track is navigable by kiddos, especially when they have their parents there to ask questions when they need.

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Thank you!

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