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Ages 12 and Up
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This page is designed for parents and teachers. The information below will help guide you in making appropriate choices for a child within this specific age group.
Maturity levels of kids can vary greatly, all age groupings on this website are merely guidelines. |
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- 12 and up are ready for more- These young adults, with a bit of help from parents, will have no problem with adult harmonica instruction. The instruction on this website is geared towards younger kids. Take a look at the next bullet point for more appropriate content for this age group.
- Harmonica Lessons.com- The content from Harmonica4kids.com is a very small portion of our parent website, Harmonica Lessons.com.
If you and/or your child would like to continue the pursuit of harmonica playing, please consider visiting and becoming a member at Harmonica Lessons.com.
- Type of Harmonica- A standard size 10-hole diatonic harmonica of about 4 inches is preferred. A good quality, air tight harmonica that costs anywhere from around $20 to $40 is recommended.
- Holding the Harmonica- Encourage holding the harmonica by the ends with the low notes on the left (like a piano) with the numbers over the holes showing. For more experienced players, Hand Effects can be added after memorizing songs and/or scales (hand effects are taught at our parent site, Harmonica Lessons.com).
- Playing Single Notes (one note at a time)- Young adults should strive to make a small hole with their lips and create a single note (versus playing 2 or more notes together which is called a "chord"). It is not essential, but it does allow the melody to sound clearer and more recognizable (as always, more info on obtaining single notes is available at our parent site, Harmonica Lessons.com.
- Songs and memorizing- Read through a song 5-6 times before trying to do it from memory. Encourage memorization of songs by tackling only a few notes at a time and then reviewing and repeating numerous times before moving on. Do this without looking at the notes on the computer screen or printed page. Slow, correct repetition is the key to instilling muscle memory.
- Jamming to Music- Playing along with CDs, guitar, keyboards, piano, and other instruments may be encouraged. Although this website does not delve into the improvisational side of playing, you can get plenty of info on this at our parent website, Harmonica Lessons.com.
- Keep it simple! Make it fun!- The most important rule for teaching anything to anyone of any age. The "Fun" factor keeps 'em coming back for more.
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