Theory & Notation Education for Children

There are a lot of skills that go into a successful music career or hobby, and reading music is absolutely one of them. It's true that you can pick up an instrument and play songs without having read the sheet music if you have at least a good ear and an accurate sense of timing, but only if you've already heard those songs before - and playing that way doesn't go as far to help your understanding of music concepts. To give young musicians a better start, it takes a solid foundation of theory and notation education for children. That's what you'll find in this section, and with these materials, it's easy to put kids on the path to a lifetime of musical fulfillment.

Most of the resources here are books, offering easy-to-understand lessons for little musicians all the way down to the preschool level in titles such as the Schott Music For Children Volume 1: Preschool by Carl Orff and Gunild Keetman. Some books are curriculum-oriented, like the Hal Leonard Thirty Days to Music Theory (Classroom Resource), while others are devoted especially to notation, including Alfred's Ready to Read Music Book & Data CD. From all that variety, it's easy to choose theory and notation education that's perfect for a whole class or an individual student's needs.

The best way for people of any age to learn is by doing and experiencing, so if you want to get the best results from music education for children, you might also look into some of the interactive resources that are found here alongside the various books. For instance, there are one-on-one teaching and quizzing materials like the Alfred Essentials of Music Theory: Flash Cards - Note Naming, as well as multimedia-enriched instructional guides such as the Alfred Essentials Of Music CD Book 1. Designing a personalized education program can be as simple as piecing together a strong collection of these materials.

It's never too early for a child to start experiencing the joy of music, and keeping that joy alive for a lifetime begins with learning. This selection of theory notation and education for children will go a long way on that front, preparing kids with the knowledge they need to fully understand and appreciate music for years to come. So whether you're a teacher, parent or mentor, if you know some aspiring young musicians, you're in the right place to get them started!