How to teach music at home when you are not musical

You can teach music at home with no training. A parent’s job is to play good music often, sing with the child, and learn the names of things together. You do not need to play an instrument, read notes, or sing well. Fifteen minutes, three times a week, is a workable plan for an elementary child. Lessons on an instrument are the one part to hand to a teacher.

What “teaching music” means at home

A home music program has four parts. A parent with no training can lead the first three.

Part	What it is	Who leads it
Listening	Hearing pieces and talking about them	Parent
Singing and moving	Songs, clapping, marching, and dancing	Parent
Knowing	Instruments, composers, and music words	Parent and child learn together
Playing	Lessons on an instrument	A teacher

A plan for 15 minutes, three times a week

Day 1: listen. Play one piece. Ask two questions: “What did you hear?” and “How did it make you feel?” Write or draw the answer on a listening journal page.

Day 2: sing and move. Sing two songs your family knows. Clap the beat of one. March or dance to the piece from Day 1.

Day 3: learn one thing. Read about one instrument or one composer. Play the Day 1 piece again and listen for what you read about.

Use the same piece for one or two weeks. Repeating a piece is how children come to know it.

You do not need to sing well

Young children do not mind a parent’s voice. Sing in the car, at bath time, and during chores. If you cannot hold a tune, sing along with a recording and let the recording carry it. Folk songs and nursery songs have small ranges and are easy to learn. See folk song study for homeschool.

You do not need to read music

Listening, singing, and composer study use no written notes at all. When you are ready, the page takes about ten minutes to understand. Read how to read music for parents. Keep the plain glossary of music words nearby for the Italian terms.

Learn beside your child

Say “I do not know. Let us find out.” Then look it up together. A parent who learns in front of a child shows how learning works.

Five things to learn in the first term:

1. The four families of the orchestra, with the instrument families listening chart
2. The names and sounds of eight instruments
3. Fast and slow, loud and soft, with the tempo and dynamics word cards
4. The life and three pieces of one composer
5. How to keep a steady beat with your hands and feet

Let the guides do the explaining

Each listening guide on this site tells you what to say and when. Start with these.

• Peter and the Wolf
• Carnival of the Animals
• The Four Seasons by Vivaldi
• The Nutcracker Suite

For a full year laid out week by week, use the 36-week composer study schedule.

Questions any parent can ask

• “Is it fast or slow?”
• “Is it loud or soft? Does it change?”
• “Which instruments do you hear?”
• “Does a tune come back?”
• “What would you call this piece?”
• “What picture does it bring to mind?”

There are no wrong answers to most of these. Your child is learning to pay attention.

What to hand to a teacher

Instrument lessons. Technique needs trained eyes. A beginner who learns a poor hand shape has to unlearn it later. Read how to choose a music teacher.

Choir. A children’s choir teaches singing in a group and reading from a score.

Co-op and community classes. Some homeschool groups run music classes, bands, and choirs.

You can still be the practice helper at home. See how to help with practice when you cannot read music.

What you do not need to buy

• A boxed curriculum
• An instrument for yourself
• A set of classroom instruments
• Worksheets for every piece

A way to play music, a library card, and a few printed pages are enough for the first year.

Common worries

“I will teach it wrong.” You are sharing music, not grading it. The facts are in the guides.

“My child will ask something I cannot answer.” Write the question down and look it up together.

“I do not like classical music.” Start with short pieces that have a story or a strong beat. Try the piece picker and choose by mood.

“We have no time.” Play the week’s piece at breakfast or in the car. Listening counts.

Next steps

Plan the year with composer study for homeschool. For what to cover at each age, see homeschool music curriculum: what to cover each year. Build a term with the composer study planner.