Is the ocarina a good instrument for young children?
Ocarinas can be a good instrument for young children because the instrument is mechanically simple, however this does not mean that you can give a child an ocarina and expect them to master it, or achieve much of anything without guidance.
There is a great deal more to playing the ocarina than the obvious factors like fingering. Wind instruments often look easier than they are because many playing techniques happen inside the body:
- The tongue is used to create articulation.
- Breath control must be developed to play in tune.
- Everything must be coordinated with the rhythm.
There are also other things like the development of rhythmic accuracy, ear training, music reading, and understanding the intent of some music in order to perform it musically.
None of these things are that hard to teach, but It is extremely important that adequate guidance is provided for them to be grasped.
I think that music is best taught to children by breaking it down into skills that later come together:
- Introducing some simple rhythms by clapping, or making it into a game of touching different body parts to a beat.
- Pitch and how different notes sound together can be introduced using a xylophone or similar.
- Then the two can be brought together on the ocarina. One may start with breath control and demonstrating how two notes sound together when they are vs are not in tune. One could then teach fingerings and some simple tunes.
By introducing and developing skills separately, when they are later combined its much easier for a child to grasp. The page 'Teaching music to children' covers my thoughts in more detail.
Do be aware that ocarinas are loud, cannot be muted, and have a very piercing tone. They can be fatiguing to listen to for prolonged periods. Learning an instrument absolutely demands repetitive practice. Thus, if you are a parent and your child takes to the instrument, you'll hear this sound for years.
