Extra-curricular activities are a fantastic way for your child to continue learning outside of the classroom. They can open your child’s mind to new interests and help them to develop key social skills. Although learning a musical instrument can be considered an extracurricular activity in itself, perhaps there are some activities which will assist your child’s learning. We’ve been having a good think here at Practissimo, so here are 5 extra-curricular activities we think you should definitely consider trying out with your child:
1. Sports
Participating in some type of sport will help teach your child how to work in a team, as well as develop key motor skills, patience and concentration - all of which can be applied to learning a musical instrument! Any sports which help develop hand-eye coordination would be fantastic to help with playing an instrument too! (and of course, it’s also a great way to keep your child active!)
2. Languages
Learning a second language from a young age has so many benefits, with communication being really relevant to music. Learning a language from another country is also a fantastic way to introduce your child to musical styles from all over the world! Even better would be to learn some Italian musical instrument terms with your child, which will greatly benefit them in their music lessons!
3. Arts
Any extra hobbies which involve the arts and being creative will inevitably help your child with their instrument playing. Activities such as drama or musical theatre will help develop your child's confidence in performing. They'll also help with feelings of nervousness and anxiousness that they may encounter in future concerts. Participating in any kind of drama will also help the to express different feelings and emotions, which they should also be doing through their playing!
4. Choirs and Orchestras
One of the most valuable activities to suggest to your son or daughter is to join some musical ensembles. Joining a choir will help them with their general musicality, whilst playing in an orchestra is a fab way of them getting some practice in, without even realising! They’ll learn from their peers around them, and develop their sight-reading skills too. Many area have beginner orchestras, so you can get your child involved very early on, even if they can only play a few notes, and they’ll usually let you give it a go for free!
5. Attending Concerts
An amazing way to keep your child engaged in their instrumental lessons is to take them to see as much live music as possible. Not only will they see what can be achieved with a lot of practice and dedication, but hopefully they will also be inspired to get home and practice! Live music of absolutely any type is perfect, and if you’d like some tips for taking your young musician to see live music, why not check out our previous post about that here!
So there are just 5 extracurricular activities to try out with your child, is there anything your son or daughter already does that you’d recommend to other parents of young musicians? Leave a comment below!