A month ago he found a music catalog and spent hours learning about different kinds of guitars, and dreaming about having a better instrument. The catalog has gotten really worn.

Then Nathan discovered that the Gibson guitar company was running a contest with the grand prize, a $5,000 guitar, the Firebird X. I wondered, how could a guitar cost so much money?

Nathan tells me that guitars all have different sounds. Some have a country sound, some have a hard metal sound. They are so diverse that many musicians have to bring 5 or more guitars to their concerts.

The Firebird X is the only guitar that can completely change its sound. All you have to do is flip a switch. And it can tune itself to any key desired. That is pretty amazing.

Well, Nathan talked of nothing else for a couple weeks. His birthday is coming up and he thought it would be the best present ever. I didn’t know how he would do it, but I told him to go for it. Of course, Mike was totally supportive.

Nathan went to work. He composed his own song. He wrote his own lyrics. He created his own slide show and video to go with his song. The topic was “What revolution means to you.” He posted his completed video on YouTube and submitted it to Gibson.

Mike & I marveled how fast kids can learn to do things when they’re properly motivated. We both agreed that the project has been a wonderful one for Nathan. He did some recording in our neighbor’s home studio, he learned to make and edit sound with a slide show of pictures off the internet, and best of all, he created his own music and inspiring message with it.

Here’s his video entitled, “Firebird Revolution (Quicktime).”

Nathan made it into a group of 15 finalists and finished 3rd for American entries. I’m thrilled that he came so close!

I’m most of all pleased that Nathan jumped at the opportunity and did the required work to qualify. And I can honestly say, his work is very original and from his heart. He did an excellent job and we will be getting him a new instrument ourselves.

How Nathan will look if he wins!

I hope you’ll take 3 minutes to watch Nathan’s video, and the next time your child, relative or friend has big dreams, encourage them. Be a cheer leader.

We all need cheer leaders when doing great things.

UPDATE- Nathan didn’t win the contest, but HE CAME IN THIRD PLACE! We are so proud of him and feel he did an amazing job. We bought him a bass guitar for Christmas as a consolation prize. Way to go Nathan!

It’s possible to do all these things through the medium of music. I know because I’ve done it, and I’m going to share some of my tips on successful use of the power of music in our families and homes.

Music is a great way to teach children values and academics. From birth to grade 5 they love repetition, and are hungry sponges memorizing and soaking up all to which they are exposed. After grade 5, they tire of repetition more quickly, but they still absorb the examples and messages in their environment. I have tried to maximize this consideration by choosing fun music which teaches facts, ideas, principles and values I want my children to learn.

Here’s an ideal example by one of our family favorites, Tom Chapin.

The Wonderful World Of Yes
I could base half my home school curriculum on this method of teaching! It’s so fun! We learned the names of many countries from this song, but it also provided a concrete example of how people on the other side of the world are much like us.

My experience has taught me that when I lead the way, my children often enthusiastically follow and internalize things long-term. So exposing my kids and actively participating myself as much as possible has been key for me.

My mother taught me and my siblings a love of music from her example. We sang as a family regularly for friends, family, and on the Welk Christmas shows.

I never took any singing lessons until after I started having kids. I loved music and wanted to sing better. I joined a community choir, and really enjoyed producing beautiful music with that group. From this time that my children were young they could see I had a passion for music and singing.

Singing at the piano with my son Nathan

I’ve heard lots of people say they just don’t have a good voice or can’t carry a tune worth anything. The fact is, singing and appreciating music is a learned skill. I’ve learned to appreciate many forms of music over the past few years, just by exposing myself to it, and finding new music to love. Anyone can do it if they’re willing to invest the time.

I will say that it is easier to develop your ear as a child, just like learning our native language, which is why it’s so important for us to expose our children to lots of great music when they’re young. My kids have excellent ears, meaning they can find and hold a pitch. They can listen to a song a few times and be able to sing the melody with the right notes.

It’s just exposure and practice. Anyone really can do it. The extent to which you are successful in helping your children love music and develop a good ear depends upon your own personal passion and mindfulness. It also helps to have a strong starting point.

#1 Invest a little time finding good music. I found a bunch at the public library when we lived in Tucson (I’ll share my favorites in a future post). Now there are so many more places to look. Amazon sells songs and many karaoke versions for 99 cents. You don’t have to buy whole albums anymore. You can just pick the songs you want and make your own custom play lists.

#2 Play the music in your car, when you’re working around the house, and anywhere else it’s convenient. The car is a sure winner, though. I just play it in there for a while, and we all learn and enjoy songs that way. I change CDs when I get tired of them.

#3 Get over your self consciousness and hesitancy to sing along. Let your kids hear you. It’s fun. They don’t care that you’re not a star. And singing along will actually improve your own ear, ability to sing on pitch, and quality of voice. Music lessons are great, but you can learn tons by just experimenting with the sound of your own voice. The shower is a great place to do this, because the moisture helps your vocal cords not get hurt. Find the sounds that feel good to sing and ease up when your voice starts to get tired. Tell whoever lives with you not to pay any attention, and sing your heart out.

#4  Find the music without the vocals after you and your kids learn certain songs (find ones you love or feel strongly about). Order it on Amazon, find computer software that can remove vocal tracks, browse your local music store for songbooks with fun music and a sing along CD, or tape record a friend that plays the piano (if you have the sheet music).

#5 Make time to sing. Your kids will either join you, or at least be influenced positively by what they’re hearing. Practice in the car, at a piano or keyboard, or at the CD player. Then look for opportunities to sing for relatives, grandparents, neighbors at school, church, local talent shows, and Christmas programs. Your kids will feel so good about themselves when they do this, and their confidence will soar

#6 Inspire others by your example. There is so much worthy music out there, that is motivating, educational, fun, and even life changing. Seeking out music like this has not only had a great impact on my own family, but sharing it has inspired others. Most importantly, it helps me on a daily basis to be a better person.

Here is a recording of Nathan (13 yrs)  & Raquel (11 yrs)  singing a song they’ve sung often for patriotic occasions. Click to hear One Voice

Stay tuned for posts on our favorite music resources and more recordings of our family!

My mother is on left with red hair.

This had a real impact on our family. We’ve all enjoyed singing our whole lives, although none of us have achieved degrees in music.

I want to make a connection with a concept I mentioned in my last post called “You, Not Them.” This concept involves teaching your children through your own example. Hence the importance of developing your personal talents, increasing various skills, and investing in your own passions and dreams. When your children see you doing these things, they follow your example and become passionate, too.

I have to explain to people that we don’t always do formal school in our home. We do some formal programs and curriculum with our children, but it’s usually seasonal as we feel necessary. As our children grow, we place them in more and more formal learning environments, the ones we feel are best for them at the time.

I love to have my children help me can food and make nutritious meals for our family. The time I spend working with them teaches them lifelong skills that are practical and important to me.

Children notice and absorb everything, just like little seeds germinating in rich soil. They will follow our example, whether for good or for bad. If we only force them to do the things we think are important, without leading them ourselves first, we run the risk of them developing “hate of learning.”

For example, when my kids are playing and my husband is singing while strumming his guitar in the background, they are absorbing by osmosis the lyrics and messages my husband is passionate about.

I’ve seen this principle at work many times in my own children. If I can find ways to inspire them and help them learn without forcing them, their speed and depth of learning increases exponentially.

So, without further ado, here is a video of my mother on public television, involving me at 2 yrs of age in her passion for music. It’s the Lawrence Welk Christmas show of 1972. We’re singing “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.”

So, the moral of the story is . . . if you want your children to learn something, think about learning or doing it yourself, or at least having them often see that for you, it is a passion.