Great way to introduce instruments to kids

This is a great way to introduce a beginner violin player, or any instrument for that matter, to the actual instrument. A teacher in Juneau, Alaska has introduced a program that helps kids learn about and care for musical intruments, as well as learning the basics of musicianship.

El Sistema is a free program that has served more than 1 million children in Venezuela. Families and children craft paper string instruments together so students can develop respect, care and discipline for their instruments while building basic musicianship skills. Other cities taking on the program are Los Angles, New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Atlanta and Durham, N.C.

The kids will get lessons 3 times a week, starting with the instruments they've crafted. The students will take up the small mock instruments in class and practice holding them properly, using fine and gross motor movements, rhythms, holding the bow and when to play and stop. Heagy said they will sing the songs they’re “playing” so they get used to the movements and will learn to play in a group.

The students will perform a piece in October as an orchestra, and then they will get their real instruments and continue from there. This program is truly amazing and it's an incredible way to teach kids and to introduce them to music. I'm such a big proponent of people learning musical instruments and I feel it should be something that is taught more in schools. It's an excellent way to develop the mind and it's a different approach than just getting kids to memorize dates and history and things like that. It teaches application which is something missing from a lot of school programs.