Last week on the Hoffman Academy Blog, we explored The Joy of Music in the Home and the many benefits of incorporating music into your family’s life. This week, we’re bringing you 7 simple ways you can create a more musical home, right now. Check them out!
1. Listen to LOTS of Music
Also known as “passive listening,” having music playing in the background is the first and easiest step to creating a musical home. Turn on the radio or your favorite music streaming service and let the music fill your home! Besides providing enjoyable ambiance, music also has mental benefits. Music has been shown to reduce pain and anxiety as well as act as a stress reliever and help with memory. Creating a musical home can bring many mental benefits so turn up the volume and play your favorite tunes!
2. Begin or End the Day with Music
To create a musical home, tuck music into the quiet corners of your day. Set the tone of the morning by playing music while getting ready. Making breakfast, brushing teeth, or doing chores are opportunities to play your family’s favorite tunes or find new ones. Maybe you’ll enjoy Fleetwood Mac with breakfast and Elton John for lunch. Perhaps surf rock pairs well with dinner and a piano concerto makes a tasty dessert. Music can provide a nice backdrop for your daily activities so have fun figuring out what music fits the mood. End the day with soothing sounds. Playing classical or ambient music can be calming while the family winds down for bed.
3. Create a “Music Corner” in Your Home
Who would want to practice if every session starts by setting up an instrument, carrying a chair in, and tracking down books? It’s easier to get started if you have everything in one place! Here’s a few musical corner ideas:
- Keep your piano, keyboard, or other instrument somewhere that’s easily accessible.
- Make sure your chair or bench is already there.
- Have all books and materials (including a pencil!) nearby so you don’t have to search for them every time or interrupt a practice session to go find something.
- Be sure your music corner has good lighting! Attach a light on your piano stand or have a lamp near your instrument so you can see your music well.
- Make your musical corner inviting. Decorate it in a way that helps you enjoy your space and want to return to it.
- Fill your musical corner with lots of different instruments and ways to create sounds. There’s no limit to music you can create!
Bonus: Making the instrument easily accessible will encourage your student to play for fun as well as for practice! For more ideas on creating a music room in your home, check out this article from Redfin.
4. Make Your Own Instruments
Pots and pans and rubber bands – anything can become an instrument in a musical home! It makes a super fun craft project, too. Check out this post from the blog The Red Tricycle for 17 Homemade Instruments that Actually Play Music, including:
- Making drums out of plastic bins
- Stretching rubber bands over shoe boxes to make your own banjo
- Filling containers with dried beans or rice to make shakers
5. Sing and Dance Together
Creating music with your children is the best way to encourage musicality in them and is GREAT for family bonding. The best part? You don’t even have to play an instrument to do it! These 5 tips are great ways for non-musical parents to engage with their kids in the music making process:
- Make up silly songs for chores.
- Have a dance party to your favorite music.
- Use your homemade instruments to play along.
- Props like scarves can turn a “flowy” piece of music into a magical dance.
- Paper-plate tambourines enhance any beat!
6. Have a New Music Day!
Challenge yourself (and your family members) to discover new music at home! Dedicate one day as “New Music Day” and discover music you either have never heard of or want to learn more about. Spotify makes it easy to explore new sounds. By clicking “Search” on Spotify, you can browse by genre and mood. Some of their options include Caribbean, Anime, Rock, Focus, or Cooking. There’s much to be discovered! Listening to new music can expand your musical palette by introducing different rhythms, time signatures, and feelings. Everyone in the family can take turns sharing the music they found! Who knows you just might find a new genre you enjoy.
7. Host a Recital
Sharing what you’ve learned is one of the joys of playing an instrument, and a great way to bring people together! Your recital can be as simple as two or three songs you’ve learned to play. Invite friends, family, and/or neighbors. Make an art project out of creating invitations and programs. Have a “reception” afterward with tasty treats. For inspiration and some fun templates, we have a Piano Party Packet in our Music Learning Resources.
Enjoy making music together with your family!