If you’re a parent looking to introduce your young child to the world of learning a musical instrument, drum lessons in Orlando can be a great place to start. Drum lessons in Orlando offer students of all ages the opportunity to learn the drums and are tailored to your child’s age and ability. And while it is great to start children young to develop their skills and longevity with an instrument, teaching particularly young children can come with its own set of joyful challenges. If your child is less than 7 years old, these games can be a great way to start honing their skills while they have a blast. Easy enough for teachers and parents, these games will remind everyone how fun it can be to learn an instrument.
1. Simon Says
One of the best ways to get kids interested in playing, while also learning the foundational parts of the drum set, is to play the game Simon Says. This game is great for so many reasons – everyone knows how to play Simon Says, even small children! The best part of this game is that the kids are so engaged with the game, they forget they are learning. This game is perfect for Orlando drum teachers to teach the different parts of the drum set, what each part does, and how it sounds.
2. Repetitive Challenges
One of the biggest components of becoming a drummer is learning consistency. Playing the drums is mostly steady tempos and repetitive patterns over and over again, for long periods of time. This requires discipline, steadiness, and strength. It’s tempting to learn a new pattern or technique only until you can do it perfectly one time, but this won’t cut it for learning the drums. That’s why this challenge is a great way for children to learn the repetitiveness of the drums. Ask your young drummer to see how many times they can (correctly) do a certain task or play a certain pattern. Count loudly and excitedly, and then turn it into a game of trying to break their own high score.
3. Matching Tempo Game
An absolutely essential aspect of being a drummer is the ability to keep time. This concept might be a little too out there for young learners in drum lessons in Orlando, but fear not. You can turn on a metronome and ask your student to keep the beat with sticks, a practice pad, or a cymbal. Vary the tempos between slow, medium, and fast to keep your student on their toes! This should be a really fun game for your young drummer, and it’s a great way to help them learn the essential elements of keeping rhythm. This takes the essential skill and breaks it down into a very simple task and game.
4. Free Play
While it’s important to keep lessons and practices structured to learn essential, foundational skills of drumming, it’s also important for kids to just be able to let loose. They’re kids, after all! To keep things fun and engaging, give your student an opportunity to hit any drum or cymbal however they like- slow, fast, loud, quiet – it’s up to them! Children typically get very excited to engage in free play, and it can be a great end to a lesson.
5. Follow the Leader
This is another super simple game that teachers can use when they want their young students to master foundational techniques. A simple game of “Follow the Leader,” or copying the teacher, is a great way to teach kids certain skills. You can even work in a few silly motions like sticking out your tongue or crossing your eyes for them to copy to keep it light-hearted, fun, and engaging.
Hopefully, you’ve found these ideas encouraging! And, one of the best parts of drumming games is that they can be practiced at home with parents or siblings to reinforce what your child learned in their drum lessons. Engaging with your child’s learning at home can be a great way to stay involved and supportive. Hopefully, they’ll be having so much fun in their drum lessons, and they’ll be begging you to play along at home, too.
If your child is interested in having drum lessons, contact us today! Our teachers come right to your home for every lesson, plus we offer virtual music lessons, too. Our online music lessons are taught by local music teachers with live lessons tailored to your child!
