Having children of my own I can see how they have benefited from having access to guitars and other musical instruments as they’ve grown up. We’ve never pushed them toward learning to play an instrument like piano or violin. Instead we’ve given them the space they need to develop their own individual interests, just as I was, and we think that this approach has been very good for them.
Our youngest son has shown no interest in making music whatsoever. He is a very keen sportsman, loves football and online gaming. However his older brother was bashing out rhythms on a toy drum kit from about the age of three. By the time he was seven he was easily capable of accompanying my rock and roll guitar playing on his child size drum kit.
My daughter has something of a rebellious nature and has always liked to challenge her mother and me. In recent years she has begun to take a keen interest in music and for her this is all about playing Drum and Bass music at phenomenal volume levels which tend to regularly upset the neighbours. Her interest in DJ equipment and modern dance music has led to her developing skills in music production using computers and it’s looking like she will progress to a music technology course at college.
I think that parental influence has clearly affected the inclinations and interests of my three children. We’ve always tried to ensure that boundaries are clearly defined but encouraged them to be independent. As they grow through their teenage years their independence and self reliance is becoming increasingly apparent. We just wish that our daughter wouldn’t keep upsetting the neighbours with her loud dance music.
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