How These 3 Celebrity Kid Musicians Got Their Start (And How Your Child Can, Too!)

By Jamie Ratner, CertifiKID Founder & CEO
Posted Mar 10, 2020 Parenting

This post is sponsored by Music & Arts. CertifiKID receives compensation from companies whose products and services we recommend to our audience. However, we only promote businesses we genuinely believe in and feel will appeal to our subscribers. 

Taylor Swift. Billie Eilish. The Jonas Brothers. Aside from being internationally recognized names, these musicians all have another thing in common - they had their first hit before the age of 18! Before I had kids, I would only think about the celebrities themselves - how they were making millions of dollars and selling out arenas. It seemed so glamorous, and really blamed my parents for not pushing me to become a virtuoso on the piano or violin. If only they had, I would be famous, too! Now as a parent, I not only realize how foolish I was, but have found myself thinking about the role these superstars’ parents must have played in their success.

In a 2009 Good Housekeeping article, Denise Jonas talked about the road her sons traveled on the way to superstardom. While Denise’s husband, Kevin Sr., had a passion for music and tried to make a profession of songwriting, the need to support their growing family directed him towards directing music at a church. Denise and Kevin Sr.’s three sons all enjoyed singing along with their dad. It soon became clear that their sons had inherited their father’s love of music, and soon, they were singing in musicals and commercials. Eventually, that led to a recording contract and appearances on Hannah Montana (starring another young star, Miley Cyrus)!

For Billie Eilish, coming from a musical family helped. Both of her parents are musicians. Her older brother, Finneas O’Connell, started writing music at age 12, and Billie and Finneas would work on his music together. After he wrote “Ocean Eyes” for his band, Billie actually recorded it and posted it on the internet. After it fell into the hands of the executives at Interscope Records, she was signed to the label.

Of course, before they were even in a position to impress anyone with their talent, they had to hone their craft. Even for children who have stars in their eyes and insist that they will be famous pop stars when they grow up, it’s often challenging to get them to recognize the importance of the hard work they have to put in so that they can forge the same path. For those of our kids with smaller size ambitions (learning how to play “Old Town Road,” for instance), how can we make sure that we’re putting them in the best hands to get the foundational skills they need to succeed?

Enter Music & Arts. Starting in Bethesda, Maryland as a small, home-run business, Music & Arts now has nearly 300 stores with 120 educational representatives in 29 states! When my kids were in fourth grade, they were offered the opportunity to learn to play an instrument. I knew that Music & Arts would be the perfect place for us to rent instruments and take lessons. The staff worked with my kids to narrow down the field of instruments to the trombone and clarinet. Once they had made their selections, it was easy to set up lessons. Further, there was seamless integration with their school, so it made for easy, open lines of communication.

Is your child ready to potentially become the next worldwide musical phenomenon? In partnership with Keep Music Alive, Music & Arts is proud to celebrate Teach Music Week!

Music & Arts is opening its doors at more than 215 of it’s Nationwide locations. Music & Arts will be offering Free Beginner Guitar Classes as well as Open Mic Night and Free Consultations with their background checked, university trained instructors.

PLUS! Register for lessons during their open house weekend and receive a FREE BOSE SPEAKER with one month of lessons

Music & Arts’ mission is music education. As the nation’s largest music lesson provider offering a wide range of classes for the beginner to the seasoned player – Music & Arts is here to help to guide your budding student on their musical journey.

What can you expect with lessons at Music & Arts?

• A safe, fun learning environment for all level of students
• Background checked, university trained instructors
• Personalized private lessons to help your child reach their fullest potential
• Convenient and flexible scheduling options to fit your busy lifestyle

Join Music & Arts during their Lesson Open House Weekend, March 20 - 22 to see how lessons with the #1 lessons provider can start your student on their musical journey.

Taylor Swift learned the hard way that knowing how to play an instrument could be the difference between a ton of “no’s” and a “yes” for a recording contract. While Taylor spent years (granted, she was a tween, but still) trying to get someone to sign her, it wasn’t until she learned how to play the guitar at age 12 that doors really started to open for her. Being a young girl who sang, wrote her own songs and played the guitar really made her stand out, and the rest, they say, is history.

Much to my chagrin, neither one of my children has gone on to worldwide fame for their skills. As a parent, I found working with Music & Art to be a breeze. Getting them to practice enough so that I can retire to an island in the Caribbean while they sing and play their hearts out? Well, that’s been a tougher path for me to find. Any suggestions? Maybe I should call up Denise Jonas and see what worked for her.

~ Jamie Ratner, CertifiKID Founder & CEO

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