Children's Music Making Essentials

My list of the top 5 things you need to enrich your child's life with music.

1. Library Card - Our public libraries are an amazing source for music materials and as long as you return them on time they are practically free. The Children's Books section houses many selections authored from our favorite nursery rhymes. Taking old favorites and making them new again. Videos and Cd's are also available for you to try. Since you aren't buying them you can widen your scope of selection and take something new home. Who knows you may find a new favorite. Don't feel like you have to stick to just children's themed items. Kids are more sophisticated than we realize and are able to appreciate many different styles. The skies the limit.
2. Homemade Music Instruments - This mostly applies to crafting your own percussion instruments from things you may already have around your house. Toilet paper tube or water bottle shakers, coffee can drums, hand painted dowel rod rhythm sticks. Tutorials for all of these things and more can be found online or soon on the Elliott Music Studio blog. Give supplies to your child and let them loose. Don't forget to take video of your new handmade music band.
   
3. CD Player or MP3 player - This is pretty self explanatory but I had to list it. Once you have visited the library or borrowed music from a friend you need something to play it with. CD players are great for younger children who are old enough to push play by themselves or stop or fast forward, etc..
   
4. Computer - In my music making this is probably my most important tool when I am learning new things. With YouTube.com and the tons of children's music websites out there with free downloads you shouldn't run out of new things to explore. Search for Children's Music on this blog to find some of my favorites. With older children you can download one of the many open source recording software programs out there and start your own recording studio at home.
   
5. You - You are your child's most important music making tool. You are there to expand their horizons and share with them new and exciting things. You don't have to be an amazing musician to accomplish this. You just have to want to start this journey with your child.
   

Happy Music Making!