How to Start Homeschooling Musicians for Carnagie Hall

With synthesizers and digitizers taking the genuine artistry from music these days, computer-based home schools can bring back the good old days of instruments, sheet music and a syncopated rhythm. Homeschooling musicians will prepare students for invitations to classical-music camps or jazz-music camps in places they probably have not been to before, an adventure all on its own. There are a only few notes to play when training a musician, and that is what we are about to listen to see if everything’s in tune.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Musical instruments
• Patience
• Time to practice music

1. Choosing a musical instrument is the easiest part of becoming a young musician. Just pick from one of three musical categories--brass, woodwinds or percussion. Woodwinds are the category where we find the flute or piccolo, clarinet, saxophone, recorder, oboe and bassoon. Bringing the beat comes from percussion instruments a few of them are: Bass drum, snare drum, timpani, cymbals, xylophone and timbales. Next is the pride of the band: Brass instruments. This includes the trumpet, trombone, French horn, flugelhorn and tuba. Once the students pick an instrument they like, they can begin to make music together.

2. Reading sheet music is the challenging part for both the student and the instructor, as a witness from both sides of the aisle. Rhythms are how the notes of the melody fit within time and pitch. How high or low these rhythmic notes sound are the two pillars of reading music. While music instruction may differ depending on the type of music that will be learned, the basics still cover everything. Using flash cards while learning to read music will translate to reading sheet music. The best way to start is by learning the pitch of the notes, then emphasizing the rhythm in which they are played. Off-key musicians uncannily are always on beat.

3. Practice, practice, practice. This is what it takes to get to Carnegie Hall. Emphasizing practice will strengthen students in the long run if he or she ever begins playing for a city orchestra where practice can last eight hours or longer. Then add performing tours that last for months until it seems that the fingers on the end of each hand are going to fall off at the next stop. Practice is not just for quantity, it is for quality--quality music play and quality performance time after time.

Tips & Warnings

• If a student chooses to play more than one instrument, let them.
• A cow bell is just as important in percussion as a bass drum, support both students.
• Classical music camps or jazz music camps are by audition. Keep a good digital recorder to send in samples.
• Local orchestras donate their instruments to worthy causes, and a home school music program is a worthy cause.
• Practice makes students better and usually is done late in the evening. Buy a mute for each instrument.

Resources

• How to Read Sheet Music