Drummer Cafe Community Forum

I have a djembe, bongos, practice conga (rim/head), chimes, clave, shakers, etc. laying everywhere around the house.  Often the TV/Stereo is on a (cable) music channel and I hear a groove that screems for my interpretation, so I play along.

Even my six year old is now banging and shaking pretty darn well.  If she stays interested, her internal rhythm machine will be effortless at my age....whilst I still have to concentrate more often than I like.

Do you have kids at home?  Are they interested in percussion?  Do you encourage impromptu jamming?

<pls excuse my typing---one more hand surgery to go  :P>




I don't have any kids but I've had piano students as young as 3, plus a lot of my friends have kids so I get to be around them a lot and encourage them to jam all the time.   :) They are all interested in percussion.  Kids can play great.   I used to work at a music school teaching piano, beginning drums/percussion.  Sometimes the child would arrive for their first piano lesson not very enthusiastic or excited < ;D> so, I'd bring out the box of percussion instruments and they're suddenly very interested  ;D  I'd ask them what their favorite song is and before you know it we're drumming/shaker-ing/grooving to whatever that song was <usually "Mary Had a little Lamb" or "Barney">.   I was like, "cool, don't mind me, I'm just going to jam out, feel free to join me",  that way they don't feel pressured.  ;D  But usually I would just have to bring out the box of percussion instruments and they're digging in the box in 2 seconds.  Shakers, etc. are great fun and good for introducing direct participation in the creation of a pulse by way of hearing it and feeling it.  This is cool that your daughter is developing an interest as well as rythmical foundation at a young age.  

Whenever I'm between projects or on a break (like now) I bring the kit home and keep it set up. I make sure to give the kids (6 & 3) some "kit time". And I make sure that they get their own turns to be in there by themselves and experiment, their turn basically lasts till they stop on their own. I also try to set up up times where I grab a guitar and we "jam".
The 3 yo definitely will be a drummer, no real hint yet of keeping a beat or playing in time, but you can tell he has the right dynamic. The 6 yo owns a kids guitar but has no real interest yet in learning to play it correctly, he also says if he gets in the school band he wants to play trumpet. Also he seems to get bored first with his kit turn.
I think the next purchase should be a used piano and lessons. I fugure that's the best way to get the music basics (which I never had) and should help them in any direction they go.

i don't have wee ones, but i always buy my friend's kids percussion instruments of one sort or another. usually it's one of those smaller remo drums. they actually sound really good. this past week my girlfriend's kid turned 1, and i bought him a lollipop drum and maracas. they're totally too big for him, but what the hey. he can still have fun. i bought him a hat/scarf set as a backup so mom wouldn't freak.

i think it's great to get kids into music at a young age. it help them develop in so many ways.


i secretly want one of those real small kiddie drumsets myself.

My 5 yr old son (excuse me - 5 and a half - he just corrected me) sits behind my Slingerland Buddy Rich-ish style set (he can't reach the pedals) while he tells knock-knock jokes.  Each joke is followed by a rim shot/crash.

Hmmm... I wonder where he picked that up?  :)

Favorite knock-knock joke:
Knock-knock
Who's there?
Banana
Banana who?

Knock-knock
Who's there?
Banana
Banana who?

Knock-knock
Who's there?
Banana
Banana who?

Knock-knock
Who's there?
Banana
Banana who?

Knock-knock
Who's there?
Orange
Orange who?

Orange you glad I didn't say banana again?

Ba-doom, crash!

My kids (7 and a half yr old twins)  share a love for music like my wife and I do.  We always have music on, especially when they were very little and before they discovered "Barney" and the endless parade of shows after that.  With all that music and the fact that they saw me drumming all the time, my son absconded with a bunch of my sticks and a pad by the time he was a year old.  We bought them some toy percussion and they had a ball with them.  Then we bought my son a little yamaha electronic drum kit thing that has 7 pads on it and a lot of different kit sounds.  I think it's the Yamaha DD 55...   Unforutantely, after my son got my hopes up, he won't let me work with him much!  I didn't start playing until I was about 11 and my dad was a drummer too, so there's still hope that the seed was planted and he'll want to give it a go.    My daughter ended up being more fascinated with piano and has been playing for over 2 years now.  

When I got home from work yesterday both my grandsons were here. They're 4 and 9....I noticed my sticks and both pads out. I didn't say a word, just let them have at it. If they continue to show interest I'm going to get some "thrasher" cymbals and set up my old set that's seen many miles. I'll just let them grow interest at their own pace. When I'm not home they can bang on that set and drive grandma nuts.    ;D

My niece just turned 1.  She has been shaking and hitting things all her very short life.  Her dad and I are both drummers and she will be too, it seems.

Anyway, I've just finished building her a kit.  I took a 15" marching snare that I had laying around and converted it to a kick drum, an 8" rack tom and I converted a 12" rack tom to a floor tom.  It has 10" hats and a 14" crash/ride.  I had a hard time giving it to her because I wanted it for myself.  ;)