The ocarina has a long history. It’s an ancient musical instrument that first appears 1,200 years ago. Historians tracked its origin to many different cultures in Central and South America. The Incas, Aztecs, and Mayans played clay ocarinas shaped like animals.
Ocarina for Kids – Introduce Children to the Joy of Music
Let’s be honest now. An ocarina is not the first instrument that pops on your mind when you’re trying to introduce music to your kids, right? That’s alright, many parents are as oblivious as you about this musical instrument. It’s not the most popular kid in the musical block.
“So, why should my kids learn the ocarina?”
Because it’s easy to play. There is nothing to set up or tune. Your kids would be up and playing in tune without any problem. It won’t take years of practice before they become good enough to show their play in public.
Moreover, the skills your child get while learning the ocarina are transferrable to other sting and wind instruments. With their familiarity with musical notes and playing the melodies and harmonies, your kids can adapt playing with other instruments faster.
Ocarinas are also affordable.
Plastic ocarinas are about $15 and they come in various eye-catching bright colors that kids just love. Plastic ocarinas are a lot more durable that clay ones so you won’t have to worry about your kids breaking their instruments. It’s not indestructible though. If your child smash it against a brick wall or your dog treat it as a chew toy, it may make the instrument unplayable. Just a little heads up.
Plastic ocarinas won’t produce sound as amazing as the ones made of clay, but it can come close. Shop around and you can find one that’s practical and produce beautiful sounds. You can be sure the kids will still have plenty of fun regardless of what material is used to make the ocarina.
“What kind of music can kids play on the ocarina?”
In the modern world, the ocarina is often linked to New Age music. The kinds people often use for relaxation purposes. Your children, however, can play any music they please from nursery rhymes to pop.
Older children will only need a little help to get them started , but for younger ones you should get involved more and learn to play the ocarina along with your children. Spending your quality time with your kids like this will be a very rewarding experience for you and your children.
Now, the ocarina is made with different number of holes, from 4 to 12. Surprisingly, the number of holes does not dictate how easy it is to play. The thing that matters is the fingering patterns or schemes.
A good ocarina will have its pitch move up when you uncover one more hole. Using an ocarina with consistent fingering scheme will make learning easier for your children and allows them to play music with quick tempo without much problem.
