Does your kid know the lyrics to every Zeppelin song ever recorded? Does he plead for a Fender Esquire the way most kids beg for a new bike? Are you on the receiving end of star-making performances that are plenty worthy of a standing ovation?
If the answer is yes, you could have the next Robert Plant or Bruce Springsteen living under your roof. But, regardless of whether your progeny has real talent, there are real-world benefits to encouraging your children’s passion for air guitar.
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“Music helps build confidence,” says Albie Monterrosa, Music Director at the Lakehouse Music Academy in Asbury Park. “I see lot of kids come here really introverted. They feel like they don’t fit in at school. But, once they realize that being in a band means being part of a team, you see a change in them so quickly.”
There’s also the added bonus of daily songwriting, guitar, voice and drum lessons from working professionals. “We introduce them to basic songs and teach them how to play,” says Monterrosa, whose summer camp features weekly themes including Billboard Top 40 and The Beatles. “Kids walk through the doors not knowing a lick on an instrument and, by the end, they’re playing with a group.”
Here are Monterrosa’s top 5 tips for raising a bona fide rock star:
Have a Musical Home
“Play music at home all of the time. My parents were not musicians, so nobody taught me. My dad was in the banking world. My mom was a stay-at-home mom. But music was always played at my house constantly. If you love music, your kids are going to love music, too.”
Exercise Those Pipes
“Make sure that you encourage your kids to sing. Singing is happiness. Our voice is our instrument. Every child loves to sing.”
Keep Instruments Around
“If you have an old guitar, dust it off and get it out of the attic. Kids want to bang on the piano. They want to bang on the keyboard. Put instruments in front of them.”
Enroll Your Kids in Lessons
“Find local teachers graduating from high school or college. They want to take on the world, but one way for them to earn a little money is to give inexpensive lessons.”
Log On to YouTube (Really!)
“A lot of kids who come here [to the Lakehouse Music Academy] have learned from YouTube. I’m like, ‘How did you learn that piano chord?’ They’ll be like, ‘YouTube.’ Then they come here for a proper education. We teach them the theory behind it and proper techniques. But there’s a lot of talented people playing on YouTube.”
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Additional Image Courtesy Chelsea Bene
