(UPDATED: January, 2019)
Most school-age kid’s schedule are loaded with fun activities. If you’re on the fence about adding music classes to the list, take note of the benefits that come with signing your little one up for lessons. Your child might not be the next Beethoven, but may have an easier time learning math, practicing good manners, having patience, and becoming a team player.
It improves academic skills.
Music and math are highly intertwined. By understanding beat, rhythm, and scales, children are learning how to divide, create fractions, and recognize patterns. Music wires a child’s brain to help them better understand other areas of math, they’ll start reciting songs, calling on their short-term memory and eventually their long-term memory. Musical instrument classes also introduce young children to basic physics. As an example, plucking the strings on a guitar or violin teaches children about harmonic and sympathetic vibrations.
It develops physical skills.
Certain instruments, such as percussion, help children develop coordination and motor skills; they require movement of the hands, arms, and feet. This type of instrument is great for high-energy kids. String and keyboard instruments, like the violin and piano, demand different actions from your right and left hands simultaneously. These instruments not only help develop ambidexterity, but they can also encourage children to become comfortable in naturally uncomfortable positions. Enhancing coordination and perfecting timing can prepare children for other hobbies, like dance and sports.
It cultivates social skills.
Group classes require peer interaction and communication, which encourage teamwork, as children must collaborate to create a crescendo or an accelerando. If a child is playing his instrument too loudly or speeding up too quickly, he’ll need to adjust. It’s important for children to know and understand their individual part in a larger ensemble.
It refines discipline and patience.
Learning an instrument teaches children about delayed gratification. The violin, for example, has a steep learning curve. Before you can make a single sound, you must first learn how to hold the violin, how to hold the bow, and where to place your feet. Playing an instrument teaches kids to persevere through hours, months, and sometimes years of practice before they reach specific goals, such as performing with a band or memorizing a solo piece.
It boosts self-esteem.
Lessons offer a forum where children can learn to accept and give constructive criticism. Turning negative feedback into positive change helps build self-confidence. Group lessons, in particular, may help children understand that nobody, including themselves or their peers, is perfect, and that everyone has room for improvement. This skill is easily transferrable to public speaking, once a child is advanced enough, they’ll possess musical skills that will help them stand out.
It introduces children to other cultures.
By learning about and playing a variety of instruments, kids can discover how music plays a critical role in other cultures. For instance, bongos and timbales may introduce children to African and Cuban styles of music. Although the modern-day violin has roots in Italy, learning to play it exposes children to classical music popularized by German and Austrian musicians. Versatile instruments, such as the violin and piano, can accompany a wide repertoire of styles, including classical and jazz (which originated in the American South). It’s important to familiarize children with other cultures at a young age because this fosters open-mindedness about worlds and traditions beyond the ones they know.
What to Consider When Selecting an Instrument
Ultimately, the instrument you and your child choose should depend on a number of factors. Here’s a list of questions to consider before bringing home a new music maker:
- Is your child excited about the instrument? Does she like the way it sounds and feels?
- Is the instrument too challenging or is it not challenging enough (for both you and your child)?
- Does your child’s temperament match the instrument?
- Can you afford the instrument and the maintenance that comes with it?
- As a parent, do you like the sound enough to listen to your child practice it for hours at home?
- Is your child specifically interested in a particular music style? If so, factor that into your instrument choice, as some specifically cater to certain styles. For instance, a violin player will have a hard time fitting in a jazz ensemble.
Experts don’t always agree on which instruments are best for big kids to learn, but many music teachers do agree that it’s hard to go wrong with the piano, percussion (like the drum or xylophone), recorder, guitar, or violin.
(All of the above information was taken from the parents.com web page)
Below is a list of several music teacher available in Jeddah. If you know of any others please let us know by leaving comment below or sending us an email at jeddahforkids@gmail.com
Guitar
Dina Bin Mahfouz
Phone: 0505666021
Available: Saturday
Ages: 5-12yrs
Location: Muntassir Alireza House
Rates: Please call
Eugene Caranto
Phone: 0538763604
Available times: Sunday-Saturday 6-10pm or Friday 8am-8pm
Rates: please call
Location: Near Danube on Hera Street
Ahmed Zeeshan
Phone: 053 481 7768
Location: Al Safa
Lesson Duration: 2 hours
Rates: 200sar/lesson at teacher’s home (Al Safaa), 250 sar/lesson at student’s home
Minimum Age: 9 years old
Additional Info: Ahmed has been teaching boys and girls aged 9-18 years old over the last 2 years. He is from India and fluent in English and Urdu/Hindi.
Ali Arif
Phone: 059 901 0466
Student Age: Minimum 12 years old
Lesson Duration: 1 hour per week
Rates: 100sar per class/ 400 per month
Additional Info:
Mr. Arif has been playing guitar for ten years and has a recording studio in Pakistan.
Piano
Yasmin Maamoun El Shennawy
With over 17 years of experience teaching students aged 4-40 Yasmin prepares students entering piano examinations. Additionally, she is experienced teaching children with special needs.
Location: Al Marwah District
Mobile: 0582668667
Fees: 1000 SAR/ month (once per week for 60 mins)
Faisal Alkhani
Faisal is a music and biology student from the American University of Sharjah. He is a concert pianist with several band and solo performances and has been teaching piano and music in private sessions for 4 years now. His students range from 5 to 29 years of age.
Faisal is fluent in English and Arabic and can teach students with varrying levels of experience. His fees average around 150-200 riyals per hour depending on how far he has to travel. For students in his home the fees are 130 per hour.
Phone: 0508500037
email: faisalalkhani@gmail.com
Location: Pending
Friend Zone
Phone:012-622-4344/ 012-622-4345
Location: Al Naeem
Fees: 1 month one time a week/ 1000Sar OR 1 month two times a week/2000Sar
3 months one time a week/ 2800Sar OR 3 months two times a week/5600Sar
Day: Monday/Wednesday
Violin/Viola
Bassam Saad
Phone: 054 257 6644
Student Age: Minimum 5 years old
Lesson Duration: 1 hour, once or twice weekly
Fee: 250 sar/lesson
Location: Andomi Compound at Madinah and Sari intersection
Additional Info:
Before lessons begin, Mr. Saad prefers to meet his students to introduce them to the instrument.
Mr. Saad has more than 32 years experience in teaching the technique of violin playing as per Russian, British and Japanese methods. He was a member of many Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, performing in Lebanon, Morocco, Tunis, Spain, France and Canada.
Students should have their own violin, music stand and shoulder rest. Books will be provided unless they have their own.
Wael Sedky
Fee: 300 he comes to you or 250 you go to him
Duration: One hour lessons (you can choose once or twice a week)
Location: Al Sulaimaneya District – near Carrefour.
Phone: 0533629434
Ages: 6-60 yrs
Additional Information: Dr. Sedky is a University Prof. of Violin, Viola and Chamber Music with a Ph.D from the High School of Music in Berlin, Germany. He has also experience as a viola player in Symphony and Chamber Orchestras in Egypt and abroad. Mr. Sedky has performed solo and Chamber Music recitals in: Egypt, Sudan, Portugal, KSA, Azerbaijan, Austria, France, and Germany plus was the recipient of first prize in String Instruments Competition and was the best string player in Egypt,1992.
Jeddah For Kids 