What's the best age to start piano lessons?
Around this time of year I begin to have parents ask me about what the best age is for starting children in private music lessons. The easy answer is "As soon as possible!" Starting early is optimal, as is starting early in any endeavor. A strong foundation built while a child is young gives him a much better chance of mastery of the instrument as the years progress, and that leads to more enjoyment of music as well.
Students in kindergarten and first grade will need to show basic reading/pre-reading readiness skills before starting lessons. Can they read? Do they know their alphabet, numbers, shapes? Is their tracking ability sufficiently developed? Can they count? It isn't necessary for a child to read fluently, only to attain a basic reading/pre-reading level.
Is you child able to complete basic exercises along the lines of "which picture is different?" Playing the piano and reading music is all about identifying patterns, starting with the groups of two and three black keys on the piano. If you already have a keyboard in your home, ask your child to find the groups of two black keys by covering them with a card. If, after two or three attempts, they still have trouble with this exercise, you may want to wait.
Can the child sit and quietly and attentively listen to an entire picture book? Asking questions about the story is fine; asking unrelated questions is a warning sign. In order to be successful with piano lessons, it's necessary to sit down and work for a very long time, perhaps as long as 10 minutes in a row, without interruption! To some kids this may be a sign to wait a year.
Is you child capable of following directions? Of waiting and listening to the answer, then obeying?
Are you ready as a parent to help your child with music lessons? At the younger ages, the parent is actually just as involved in lessons as the student, if not more so. The parent must be committed, able, and willing to practice daily with the student until the student is able to do so on his or her own. This varies from child to child, but in most cases, children should not be expected to practice on their own until age 8 at the earliest, and even then will require supervision. Parents do not need to have musical training, but they do need to put in the time day in and day out with the student, and to carefully observe each lesson.
You may have noticed that I left out "student interest" from the list of readiness skills. This is not an accident! Although student interest in lessons can be a wonderful asset and is desirable, most young children (under age 7 at least) are simply too young have their own well-developed "interests." Similarly, the typical 7 year old is simply unable—and should not be expected to—commit themselves to the routine and rigors of serious music study. We as parents must make these decisions for our children. This doesn’t mean that the wishes of the child should be ignored; it does mean that, at least at the younger ages, it is the parent, more than the child, who must commit to lessons. While there are a few exceptions, young students’ interest level is determined primarily by the interest level of their parents (which they often model), their relationship with the teacher, and of the many successes and achievements which come with consistent practice. A supposedly uninterested student can do exceedingly well with positive reinforcement and frequent practice!
Sometimes young children can benefit from a group-style lesson. If you have a highly interested 4 year old who just doesn't seem to be ready for one-on-one lessons, you might still be able to stoke their interest, learn some basic skills, and have a lot of fun in a group piano class, or a general music class such as Kindermusik (http://www.kindermusik.com) or Musikgarten (http://www.musikgarten.org). Beware that most proprietors of group instructions have a strong financial incentive to keep a group going once it has started, regardless of the best interests of the individual students. It's wonderful to enjoy lessons, but it's even better to learn skills that stay with you through your whole life. Because group classes are great for enjoyment but less good for skill building, look for introductory lessons for a few semesters and then expect to transition to private lessons within the first few years. Suzuki (there are literally hundreds of Suzuki web sites) lessons are another option which I do not endorse for children possessing reading readiness skills (I believe the Suzuki approach handicaps children by unnecessarily delaying reading instruction, though many disagree with me on this point); however, Suzuki can be a godsend for those with great difficulty reading.
So, my real answer is, "Start them as soon as they're ready, because an early start makes for a more complete and successful music education!"
Students in kindergarten and first grade will need to show basic reading/pre-reading readiness skills before starting lessons. Can they read? Do they know their alphabet, numbers, shapes? Is their tracking ability sufficiently developed? Can they count? It isn't necessary for a child to read fluently, only to attain a basic reading/pre-reading level.
Is you child able to complete basic exercises along the lines of "which picture is different?" Playing the piano and reading music is all about identifying patterns, starting with the groups of two and three black keys on the piano. If you already have a keyboard in your home, ask your child to find the groups of two black keys by covering them with a card. If, after two or three attempts, they still have trouble with this exercise, you may want to wait.
Can the child sit and quietly and attentively listen to an entire picture book? Asking questions about the story is fine; asking unrelated questions is a warning sign. In order to be successful with piano lessons, it's necessary to sit down and work for a very long time, perhaps as long as 10 minutes in a row, without interruption! To some kids this may be a sign to wait a year.
Is you child capable of following directions? Of waiting and listening to the answer, then obeying?
Are you ready as a parent to help your child with music lessons? At the younger ages, the parent is actually just as involved in lessons as the student, if not more so. The parent must be committed, able, and willing to practice daily with the student until the student is able to do so on his or her own. This varies from child to child, but in most cases, children should not be expected to practice on their own until age 8 at the earliest, and even then will require supervision. Parents do not need to have musical training, but they do need to put in the time day in and day out with the student, and to carefully observe each lesson.
You may have noticed that I left out "student interest" from the list of readiness skills. This is not an accident! Although student interest in lessons can be a wonderful asset and is desirable, most young children (under age 7 at least) are simply too young have their own well-developed "interests." Similarly, the typical 7 year old is simply unable—and should not be expected to—commit themselves to the routine and rigors of serious music study. We as parents must make these decisions for our children. This doesn’t mean that the wishes of the child should be ignored; it does mean that, at least at the younger ages, it is the parent, more than the child, who must commit to lessons. While there are a few exceptions, young students’ interest level is determined primarily by the interest level of their parents (which they often model), their relationship with the teacher, and of the many successes and achievements which come with consistent practice. A supposedly uninterested student can do exceedingly well with positive reinforcement and frequent practice!
Sometimes young children can benefit from a group-style lesson. If you have a highly interested 4 year old who just doesn't seem to be ready for one-on-one lessons, you might still be able to stoke their interest, learn some basic skills, and have a lot of fun in a group piano class, or a general music class such as Kindermusik (http://www.kindermusik.com) or Musikgarten (http://www.musikgarten.org). Beware that most proprietors of group instructions have a strong financial incentive to keep a group going once it has started, regardless of the best interests of the individual students. It's wonderful to enjoy lessons, but it's even better to learn skills that stay with you through your whole life. Because group classes are great for enjoyment but less good for skill building, look for introductory lessons for a few semesters and then expect to transition to private lessons within the first few years. Suzuki (there are literally hundreds of Suzuki web sites) lessons are another option which I do not endorse for children possessing reading readiness skills (I believe the Suzuki approach handicaps children by unnecessarily delaying reading instruction, though many disagree with me on this point); however, Suzuki can be a godsend for those with great difficulty reading.
So, my real answer is, "Start them as soon as they're ready, because an early start makes for a more complete and successful music education!"
Comments
Just a few of its strengths that I love are:
- The ability to begin lessons as young as age 3, a very formable and "sponge" age for developing musical skill.
- The strong musicality that ear training develops in these young children. A 3-to-5-year-old is generally too young to put a piece of music in front of with much real success and comprehension. A properly-trained Suzuki a student at this age is being taught a strong connection to and mastery of their instrument, as well as a high sensitivity to musicianship. By the time this strong foundation is laid, they have much more competant readiness to begin reading music, which is typically the most successful after they have learned to read and speak their native language with mastery.
Just my two cents. :)
I have seen some Suzuki-trained students become excited about making music; I have seen others pushed too hard too early and turned off for a lifetime.
Just my .02 cents! :)