Tongue drum for children: supporting physical and mental development

Music can help! Playing the tongue drum children's models (mainly D major and B major) is a method of developing emotional intelligence that is very accessible to children. They can have access to this fun but educational method from a young age. Even babies become much calmer, more relaxed and happier by listening to the sounds of the tongue drum.

But what exactly is a steel tongue drum, especially a children's tongue drum ? The steel tongue drum is a percussion instrument made of steel in which the notes of a scale are produced by the vibration of cut tongues of different sizes. The steel tongue drum had several predecessors, primarily the Whale Drum by Jim Doble and the Tambiro by Felle Vega. In February 2007, Dennis Havlena, inspired by the physical properties of the Tambiro and the tonal arrangement of the handpan, created a steel tongue drum with a circular cross pattern and from an empty 10 L propane tank. Steel tongue drums are similar to handpans, only much smaller and therefore well suited as a children's tongue drum model .

How can tongue drumming help children with emotional intelligence? For example, if your child tends to cry and act up, it may be a sign that they are not able to properly control their emotions. Emotional intelligence is an important skill. We learn the basics in childhood and continue to develop them throughout our lives. These basics help us to distinguish other people's emotions and successfully manage our own (especially unpleasant ones). But what if a child has a problem here?

This and other important topics will be covered in this article today, so read on because it will be very interesting!

WHY IS THE TONGUE DRUM GOOD FOR CHILDREN?

Let's look at why a Sonodrum children's tongue drum set is the best gift you can give your child this year. You'll thank us later when you know why it's so much better than, say, a xylophone.

Tongue drums for babies

A tongue drum for a baby is of course a pretty stupid idea, but how about if you, as a parent, play a children's tongue drum for your baby ?

Positive impact

You can introduce babies to musical sounds by playing the instrument for them. Interaction occurs when you let them join in playing the tongue drum.

When you play, you can introduce rhymes and use your actions to attract and hold the child's attention. Watch their reactions to see what they particularly like and what they don't.

The nice thing about the tongue drum for babies is the gentleness of the sounds in contrast to other children's instruments such as the xylophone or various other types of drums.

Tongue drums for toddlers

Toddlers can sometimes be quite rough with the toy, so the tongue drum is ideal for children as it is durable. Playing music with your toddler is a great way to bond and enjoy time together, you can teach and your child can learn. Watch and listen to what your toddler's random playing on the tongue drum sounds like. We think you'll agree that it's a much better sound than most children's instruments produce!

Do something good for your ears and those of your kids. No matter who plays it or what is played on it, these colorful children's xylophones simply stay in your head. Especially when the melody is just a random tinkling. The sounds are shrill, so very different from the sounds of one of the tongue drum kids sets that can be found on the market. Consider the acoustic stress that you can be exposed to with conventional percussion instruments for children!

Tongue drum for children: promotes development

Adding a few words can help develop vocabulary, and playing regularly can help build habits and routine.

As children's skills develop or they become more interested in the tongue drum you are playing with them, you should encourage this interest by giving the child their very own drum. They must look after it and take care of it. This will encourage the child's sense of responsibility. Tongue drum kids sets are easy to find on sonodrum.com by looking for the standard versions.

Keep them interested by showing them tongue drum videos on YouTube and encouraging them to learn and play. Maybe even make a video.

Also, encourage your child to show off their new kids tongue drum set to family and friends. As mentioned, you won't be subjecting your family and friends to the horrible sound of cheap children's glockenspiels/xylophones. This tongue drum will actually sound great no matter what the child plays on it!

Tongue drum for children – from 3 years

Learning to play the tongue drum with a children's tongue drum model – whether seriously or just for fun – teaches some important lessons, not the least of which is patience and commitment.

Trying to remember melodies and different chords promotes memory improvement. And the development of intelligence quotient (IQ) as your child figures out which notes go with others, simply by ear. All of this leads to increased neural activity and brain function.

The tongue drum in kindergarten

The ability to concentrate is practiced, as children try to perfect their newly acquired skills even at kindergarten age, especially when they want to present something to the teacher or you for praise, or want to compete with their peers. The kindergarten tutor quickly recognizes which child is ambitious and wants to be "best in class" and which child is just playing for fun.

In kindergarten and with several children's tongue drum sets in use, children learn to play in a group, that is, to actually set up and coordinate their own playing with that of the others. Others can sing in a choir. These activities are important for social connections, emotional intelligence and coordination.

What is the easiest instrument for a child to learn?

Since the invention and development of the handpan and later the tongue drum, we have found that the tongue drum is by far the easiest instrument for children to learn. Because the notes and scale are arranged in such a way that there is little room for error, there are simply no wrong notes. It makes learning easy and encourages rapid mastery and development of skills.

In the past, the most popular instruments that children can easily learn were the following

• guitar
• violin
• clarinet
• Trumpet
• Drums

We firmly believe that the children's tongue drum outshines all of these instruments because of the ability to create beautiful sounds and melodies with a limited number of notes. It offers a great introduction to learning music without the frustrations and limitations that can come with some more complex instruments. Many people have tried to learn multiple instruments as a child but lost interest when progress was not as noticeable.

We believe that if all of these individuals had first learned music on a Junior model tongue drum, they might have done better with other things like the guitar.

Drum instruments suitable for children

Here is a list of suitable drum instruments for children. Suitable for children because they can hit them and make sounds, although these may not always be pleasant for our already overworked ears. We deliberately did not put the children's tongue drum and the drum for children on the list because they make very pleasant sounds. However, they are the most suitable instruments for children that exist today.

• Egg Shaker
• Hand tambourine
• triangle
• Ring
• xylophone
• Children's drums
• Children-Marima
• Marrakesh

Are steel tongue drum sets for kids safe?

Steel drum kids sets are generally quite safe, but there are some precautions you should keep in mind if you own one or are considering purchasing one for the kids.

1. Steel tongue drums can be heavy and can cause serious damage if dropped. Be careful and make sure your hands are free of grease/water before attempting to pick up your instrument. This is even more true for the child playing the tongue drum. It is best to sit on the floor with it so it cannot fall.
2. Do not allow small children to play with the supplied mallets unsupervised, and under no circumstances allow your child to put the mallets in their mouth.
3. Use your common sense.

Benefits of the steel tongue drum for children

• Playing tongue drums can change the composition of molecules, relax the body and mind, and make you and your children happy, which increases the body's immune function.
• Our steel drum is made from a unique alloy, hand tuned and precision cut.
• When you or your child are angry, depression cannot be overcome. Playing the tongue drum relaxes and one can enjoy the beauty of the art to free oneself from psychological constraints.

·         It is perfect as music therapy for anxiety for adults and children to reduce stress. Many children suffer from fear of the dark. With a little music before going to bed, this fear can be combated naturally. Let your child play a little with the children's tongue drum models, or hold a small concert with your Sonodrum tongue drum - "Premium".

The 5 best tongue drums for children

1. The Muslady, 13.2 cm diameter, Mini 8-Tone is recommended for children due to its durability, lightweight design and size. Because it is small, your child can take it anywhere and provide entertainment in many situations.
   
   
2. Sonodrum tongue drum - "Standard" - Handmade - (14cm / 20cm) - C major is ideal for children, as this scale will optimize their first musical experiences. It is only a little bigger than the first in the list, 14 / 20 cm in diameter, but has a carrying bag and mallets included in the tongue drum children's set. It is complete fun that also makes an excellent gift.
   
   
3. The Sonodrum Tongue Drum "Standard" - Handcrafted - D Major, 20 cm diameter is the best tongue drum for beginners. Great design in an 8-inch format that makes it super portable, as well as the ability to change the tuning, combined with a great price, offers great value for an introductory instrument.
   
   
4. The Sonodrum tongue drum “Standard” – handmade – C major, 20 cm diameter is the best tongue drum for our juniors aged 10 to 14 years. The pitch differs slightly from the previously mentioned drums, it is a bit more adult!
   
   
5. The "OcarinaWind", Mini C Major, which you can find on Amazon. It is small and handy, but has the C major scale, which not all children like. Nevertheless, it is very suitable for kids because of its lightness.

How many notes does a handpan drum for children have

The final sound is beautiful and bell-like and can be played in pentatonic, diatonic or chromatic scales. You can play the tongue drums with mallets or by hand.

Scales

In Western music, there are 12 notes in the chromatic scale. Depending on the order and pitch of these notes, you can create other scales. The most commonly learned scale is the C major scale;

If you mix the 1, 3 and 5 of this scale you get a major chord, or CEG for C major. The formula for a minor chord is 1, b3, 5, which is a flat third. So C minor is C-Eb-F and the minor scale is .

The major chord and scale have an uplifting and intense aura, while the minor scale is sadder and more contemplative. Depending on which notes in our scale are raised or lowered, our music takes on a special note.

The handpan for children has eight tones, and the D major version is recommended because the tones sound cheerful and are therefore particularly found in children's tongue drum sets.

Learn to play a drum instrument

Anyone, regardless of age or musical ability, can play a steel tongue drum and make it sound. These instruments require no training and it is quite simple to pick up a mallet, strike a note and start making music.

The children's tongue drum can be played with the hands or with sticks. Place the drum on the floor or on the child's lap so that it cannot fall. The blow can be strong, but not too strong. After a short contact with the surface of the instrument, the fingers should "bounce" like a tennis ball. The shorter the contact time with the surface, the longer the sound.

For beginners, it is best to start with the index finger. Strike the surface of the drum with your fingertips, on the spot that is normally used for the fingerprint. After a little practice, the notes played with your fingers will be as loud and clear as if you were using the soft sticks of the steel tongue drum.

Conclusion – It is the ideal gift for children

The tongue drum kids sets are a wonderful parent-child gift. They can not only train toddlers' auditory development, but also visual development. This music drum is a musical gift that promotes brain power, confidence, memory, patience, social skills and creativity. It is the best gift for boys and girls on birthdays or other occasions, such as Christmas!