Change your child’s thinking toward non-standard music and introduce them to the art of Jazz.
Are you fed up hearing the same pop songs emanate from your teen’s room or phone ad nauseam? You’re not alone. Although you know there is more to the musical world than what drones on on the radio, it can be hard to sway your child from the tunes their peers love. There’s still a little something that can be said about parental influence — many successful musicians say they were heavily influenced by what their parents were into as they were growing up. Fortunately, there are a few fun ways you can expose your children to the music you love, like jazz, without them tuning you out.
Hit up a Record Store
There’s nothing like vinyl to bring out the best in original sound quality. If you have a record player, take your teen out to local record stores to pick out some new titles. If you’re lucky enough to have several record stores in your area, make it a point to try a new one out every now and then. Other good sources of records are garage sales, estate sales and thrift stores.
Take in a Broadway Show
Taking your teen to see the hit Broadway musical Chicago is an excellent way to introduce an appreciation of jazz. Not only does the show have great music your teen can become immersed in, he or she can embrace the culture and the feel of the jazz era. It’s an opportune time to bond with your child and enjoy a night out as well.
Find a Jazz Concert
Recorded music is one thing, but live music is a totally different experience. Whether you find a restaurant that features live jazz, discover a small jazz club, or you find a jazz concert or series, take your child and see if that sparks an interest.
Enroll Your Teen in Jazz Dance
Jazz is a popular method of teaching dance, so see if your teen is interested in learning how. Try to get some of his or her friends to join in on the classes, so they can all enjoy being together and learning a little bit of the culture while they learn to move to the music. If there are no jazz classes in your area, look online to see if you can find instructional DVDs or streaming videos to learn at home.
Encourage Your Teen to Take up an instrument
Sometimes you can get a teen to take interest in a genre of music if he or she can actually play along to it. Encourage your child to take band in school and see if playing the trumpet or saxophone (or any other common jazz instruments, including, piano, bass, drums or trombone) is up their alley. Some schools have an existing jazz ensemble that may have available positions. This may be an easy segue into appreciating other types of music as well.
Leave a Reply