BENGALURU : We’re back where we were a year ago: Schools are closed and kids are at home, unable to meet their friends or participate in outdoor activities while a general cloud of uncertainty hangs over everything. As parents and caregivers, we’re trying to create meaningful experiences for our children, while keeping them safe, and keeping everyone’s mental health intact. It’s hard, especially when we’re trying to balance a million different things, and we don’t have the luxury of time to plan a million wholesome at-home activities and spend all day with our kids. Here are some ideas we put together on what kids can do with music to stay positive and build their (virtual) communities this summer:
Create playlists: Many streaming services allow you to make custom playlists. Make one and share it with your friends, or you can even make it with your friends. You can have different playlists for moods or times of day - be creative and discover new favourite songs together!
Join a class together: Whether you want to learn an instrument, or sing bhajans, or learn pop songs, everything is more fun with friends. Most music schools, including ours, will put friends together in the same batch if you ask.
Music making apps: There are many apps available on Android and iOS that you can use to make music together. Be a DJ, composer or instrumentalist! Choose a drum loop, pick some chords, sing a line on top of it. Have fun being creative.
Practice challenges: If you’re already learning music, have a summer practice challenge with your friends. See if you can each work on music two hours a day. Check in and motivate each other and share your progress. At the end of a week share a recording. At the end of the month post a video!
Virtual band: Though there are definitely challenges to making music together online, but if you can work around then, start a virtual band! Discuss the music together on calls, take turns playing, record separately and share. Have fun with the process and be creative! (The authors run SaPa - the Subramaniam Academy of Performing Arts