What is a good age for a child to start taking music lessons? Is 4 too young? And what instrument is best to start them off on? Many thanks...

Four is a definitely NOT too young to start learning to play an instrument.

Mozart was five years old when he composed his first minuets. I'll say no more!!

Does your child show any interest in a particular instrument? My Mum says that when I was four I would use the wire caging of the fireplace as a keyboard (while the fire was off, of course) and pretend to play while singing. So they bought me my first instrument (a Bontempi organ) and I've played keyboards/piano ever since. If your child loves to sing - why not consider the ABRSM singing programme, after grade 5 she'll probably still need to learn Piano anyway?

When I was at school they made me do tests to see which instrument suited me, e.g. they made me do arm tests and a blowing test to see whether I was more suited to bowed or a brass instrument. I failed the brass and ended up doing violin lessons - didn't last though - my family said I sounded like a cat crying. But I did stick with Piano.

4 is not too young, but you will need to find the right teacher for one this young. Not all teachers are confident teaching very young students. Singing is a great first option, because it gives them confidence and the aural part of the AB exam involves singing no matter what instrument your child may decide to pursue later. Also, many schools offer to start children out playing recorder and then move them on to other woodwind instruments when they are a bit older. If your school doesn't offer a comprehensive selection of musical choices, check what is available in your community. A great place to start is your local music shop, they usually know what is going on in your local area and may be able to guide you in the right direction.

Violin and Piano is the best

With the Violin, 4 is possible of course but the work done at this time may be more 'grounding' of basic techniques and reading/listening skills. I have some very small students with good posture and who play well in tune and make a good sound (for such a small instrument).
The lessons have to be fun and the stimulation different to 6 or 7 y.o's.
Piano is always good and a really skilled and dedicated teacher can do wonders with Violin also. The Violin particularly requires a teacher who has the right experience with small people - Suzuki teachers are (obviously) used to young pupils and other teachers make this age range their forte.
Find out who and where and try to see the pupils in action.
In know some lovely teachers who do an OK, but not excellent job with this age range - find a good one and the pupils love it and can set the groundwork for a lifetime of enjoyment
T_D

I agree with the others. Starting at four can work, but you need to find a teacher who is experienced with this age group and progress will probably be slow. What might take a year to learn at this age can often be learnt in a couple of months at the age of 7.

I really wish I had a good Kodaly class near me. I would much rather start teaching them at 7 after they have done a couple of years of Kodaly.

As for which instrument - again I agree with the others. Piano and violin are the main options.

BTW the recorder is much too hard for a 4 year old and they would probably find it very frustrating!

Louise

Hello

4 years old is really too young. I started the piano at that age long before I was ready and school work has to come in as well, at 5.

If the child is gifted musically, singing might be an option, but I would wait until the child starts school

4 is definitely not too young - but the parents need to be dedicated as well.

Of all the 4 y.o. that I have taught, only 1 has been a disappointment - because the parents were not inclined to help with the practice each day (a terrible waste of money).

Louise mentioned Kodaly classes...What is that, if I may ask?

Hi Naja,

For all those interested in the concept and teaching of Kodály - there is an article available in the News and Articles section of the website called "The Kodály experience" - worth a read to gain an initial understanding.

For those interested in finding out more, a link to the British Kodály Academy is given at the end of this article. You can also find this link in the Teachers and Parents section of the website by clicking on the Teachers or Parents section and then selecting "Links" from the left hand menu bar.

Hope this helps

Best regards

Christine Morris
Forums Moderator

Four is a fairly young age to begin learning an instrument but good results are achievable. I think that each lesson should not last longer than 15 - 20 minutes because the concentration levels are obviously not as high as that of an older child. The important thing is that they enjoy the lesson. Piano and voice are the best options to start with. There are many very good tutor books aimed for teaching very young children. In my experience, however, it does help if the child can read.

Four is either too young or ready. I started my two daughters at 3 1/2 years on the glockenspiel for one year. The idea was to develop keyboard recognition, mastery of right hand and left hand, motor skill development on the larger muscle group, ie, arms...so that both hands were used all the time for the beaters. One year later they progressed to piano, this time they focused on finger muscles and, ofcourse, rounding them. My first daugher, now 8 1/2 years has just passed her grade 4 ABRSM piano with distinction, and my little one took grade one soon after her 6th b-day, playing the A5 B5 and C5 pieces, and passed with merit with just a few points below distinction. Sightreading wtith this age is really hard...but she was really good with compared to others. She's a big 6 year old. At the end of her exam the examiner asked her if she was 7 or 8 years old....and she said "I just turned 6 years old"...with pride!

I have lots of little ones to teach, and sometimes 30 minutes is too short. We do a lot of clapping, which they enjoy so much...lots of singing....playing the piano, ofcourse, and rounding fingers are not too hard to do provided there are lots of stickers awarded on their performance charts. After a while rounding the fingers is just so normal that we forget about stickers. I also incorporate theory and writing in their lessons.

I think that the piano is the best instrument 2 start on. It was my first instrument and once i could play it well and therefore read both clefs then i found it much easier to pick up the recorder and violin.

it depends what insntrumnet you want to play. Encourage your kid to play HOWEVER a bad experience now could put them off for life - something that definetly would be a bad thing! I think you haveto make the experience as fun as possible or at a young age they may lose interest for ever!

Is 4 Really too young to play the recorder? My daughter started violin at 31/2 and piano and recorder at 4.Out of these, she found the coordination of the piano by far the hardest. At the age of 9, she is now grade 8 standard on the violin, grade 6 on recorder, and takes viola, singing and clarinet exams 'for fun!' If she had not started until 7 - I cannot imagine she would have reached the same standard.

I started violin when I was in year 3 and I think it is best to start an instrument while you are young because you can then read music from a young age. It doesn't matter which instrument- which one does your child like best?

You know the only way to find out which insrtument your child would like is just to show him'her examples of easy to understand nursery tunes on a variety of instruments. Tunes children can recognise helps them to make a valid choice PLEASE do not choose for them they will only disappoint themselves and you so give it a try and please let us know how it went.

I know I'm not a parent but I was just reading through and I DEFINITELY think that you should start lessons at 4. I'm 14 now and I want to go into music professionally and I always wish that my parents had started me earlier (I started at 9). Make sure you get a teacher who will explain everything to them and will always repeat things to them. I have had teachers who just want to get me through exams and not bother about what is in my long term memory. I have huge gaps in my knowledge now an I have to keep going back to basics to get things in my mind. I think it's great to start your daughter at 4, like I said she will be greatful that you started her young!

xx L xx

QUOTE (leasalonga @ Feb 27 2004, 11:09 PM)

I'm 14 now and I want to go into music professionally and I always wish that my parents had started me earlier (I started at 9).

I started playing at 9 too, and ended up dropping my first instrument at 12 to take up the saxophone. Now i'm playing the Piano again, and I find everything fine. Don't start a child too early - they may not appreciate it. When children get older they'll always be unhappy with anything their parents do anyway.

But surely teaching a child music from an earlier age will get them to love it even more? I started flute at 9 and piano at 10 and I moved through grades quickly but I missed out a lot of stuff in between. Isn't it better to start a child young so they can learn slowly and won't miss out vital information? . Why would a child not appreciate it? Maybe it is just me being a teenager and not liking what my parents do but I seriously think that I would be a lot happier if my parents had started me younger. I guess it's impossible to tell whats right for your child until it's too late.

xx L xx

I know what you mean Leasalonga...I'm not a parent either, but i was just reading through and thought i'd make a comment...
I started playing the violin from when i was about 3 1/2. I think this was good because from an early age, i learnt how to read music and i did start to love music. I learnt everything from scratch and beacuse i was so young, i kept all the knowledge with me up untill now. When i was 11, i started having piano lessons. I found the teacher was rushing me too much and i didn't really like her teaching methods. Because of this i found i wasnt learning much and i stopped. I think if my parents had started me with piano lessons around the same time as my violin lessons, i wouldn't have been rushed and i'd probably stiill be having them now.

xxx

born2perform, that's ridiculous. If you want to learn the piano and didn't like the teacher, you change teacher, you don't moan that you weren't started on it early enough!

What would your parents say if they knew you were blaming them for your giving up?

Well me and my parents especially my dad talk about this quite a lot, and they know how i feel. I don't think i'm blaming them for my giving up because my dad was actually the person who said he didn't want me to continue having piano lessons with the teacher i had. They were actually the people who wished they'd started me playing the piano from a younger age.
I started having flute lessons and singing lessons instead of piano and I am enjoying them both. I don't feel that i am being rushed with either of them and my dad just thought my piano teacher wasn't that good.
My dad, who is a music teacher himself, also bought me some teach yourself piano books and i've been coping quite well with those.

xxx

Back to the original question of age. To clear up one thing. I don't think you can teach singing to a child so young, I have 6 year olds coming to me for lessons and I don't think I would start them any younger. The voice needs to mature naturally, you can not force it. There are arguments that you can train a young voice for good base technique for when they develop, but i think young children can not comprehend some techniques used to express the voice and breathing techniques etc.

I was also a late starter i started piano at 9 and singing at 11, I too wish I had lessons earlier in my life, but i also wish my parents had a little understanding of music themselves, as I was first put into a group class and this didn't work for me, once i started having individual singing lessons i switched to a different piano teacher.

I think it is very nice that parents come here to air their questions.
Just thought i would add that

To get the most out of lessons at an early age requires amazing input from the parents- every practice session nearly being the parent reteaching. If parents don't feel up to this starting at 4 will accomplish relatively little in most cases.

I sometimes wish I had the ability which comes with concentrated effort from a very early age- but really I wouldn't have enjoyed it then. I must have been about six when I firmly informed my mother that a piano would be nice to have around to play on, but I didn't want to work seriously at it. If exposed to music children can know whether they wish to play and what instrument.

I do wish my parents had been a little more musical and started me at 4!!!
My little brother is 1 1/2 at the moment and he loves pressing the keys on the piano and picking the strings on my guitar! I think he likes hearing me play the flute and clarinet as well coz he always laughs!! Ihope he isn't actually laughing at my playing!!!
So ive spoken to my mum and we are going to get him piano lessons when he is around the age of 4 and see how he goes!

Nat

When i was five i asked for a recorder cos all my friends had one and taught myself how to play from an abracadabra book! So when my parents asked me if I wanted to play the piano I jumped at the chance because id kind of introduced myself to music.

Because it had been quite normal from an early age to play, I still love to practice now (sounds cliched I know) - I am 15 and know some girls at school don't want to play but their parents keep having them go to lessons and do exams. I think a younger child may be more eager to learn if they have had a choice as to what they want to do.
Kate

Whether four is too young to start an instrument really depends on the instrument. I wanted to learn the horn since I was four but I was considered too young, and I actually think my teachers were right- it would have been far too heavy and would have damaged my teeth when they were still growing. I eventually started it when I was 11. I'm 17 now and I did my Grade VIII when I had just turned 16, after only 4 years of lessons. I think when children are older they are quicker to learn and probably have more motivation and so will progress quicker. If you start a child on an instrument too young before they're really ready for it, you run the risk of putting them off music for life. You should really talk to your child about it, and if there is any doubt at all, wait for a year or so until they're settled into school and a little more mature, as well as physically bigger.

hi i am a parent of a 6 year old who started piano lessons a year ago I think the question of your daughters readiness lies with her if she is interested and you can afford it then send her.
why not visit a music shop and check out their notice board ? in sheffield we have small groups for age 1 - 5 to get them used to different instruments.
my son started piano at 5 and loves it now.
he wanted to take lessons because his older brother was having them .
he enjoyed them at first and then got bored but I kept taking him and now Im really glad I did he really loves it now .
Ive never forced either of my kids to do anything they didnt want but if she tells you she hates it after a few weeks just stick it out for a bit longer kids are very fickle and change their minds far too quickly .
if she still hates it then let her quit. my eldest is 14 and sings , plays piano and sax all by choice.
You never know where music will take you 2 years ago he sang with stephan loges, catherine henley and paul mc creesh not bad for a hobby!!

The key is does the child want to learn. It's all very well parents being enthusatic about their little one learning to play the piano or whatever at the age of 4 but if that child doesn't want to learn any instrument than we cannot and should not force them. If at a later stage they want to start to learn then that's the time to encourage.

The only right time for a child to start learning an instrument is when they want to.

Please don't fall into the trap of putting something onto children just because 'you never had the chance', I'm not saying parents here will do that but having worked in the theatre I have come across many hundreds of parents who do and their kids arn't happy because of it.

My advice to Parents is yes Mozart was a genius - but you have to be very careful when starting Music Lessons early. My daughter who has always shown an interest in Music started singing lessons at 7 and piano and violin at 8. This was a deliberate decision on my part as I wanted her to be mature enough to take on practice responsibility. She sat her G1 piano within her 1st year with a score of 142 , and competed in her first Music Festival scoring higher than children who had been playing since they were 3/4. She practices independently ( I have never supervised it) and is now at the stage where she is performing at a significantly higher level than any of her peers. The point I'm making is that Music should be enjoyed and encouraged , but please do not put undue pressure on your kids , if they are going to achieve they will irrespective of when they start . My daughter finds it quite incredible when she hears other kids saying that their parents supervise their practise - she would hate that!

QUOTE (MUSICSTAR @ Apr 3 2004, 05:35 PM)

My advice to Parents is yes Mozart was a genius - but you have to be very careful when starting Music Lessons early. My daughter who has always shown an interest in Music started singing lessons at 7 and piano and violin at 8. This was a deliberate decision on my part as I wanted her to be mature enough to take on practice responsibility. She sat her G1 piano within her 1st year with a score of 142 , and competed in her first Music Festival scoring higher than children who had been playing since they were 3/4. She practices independently ( I have never supervised it) and is now at the stage where she is performing at a significantly higher level than any of her peers. The point I'm making is that Music should be enjoyed and encouraged , but please do not put undue pressure on your kids , if they are going to achieve they will irrespective of when they start . My daughter finds it quite incredible when she hears other kids saying that their parents supervise their practise - she would hate that!

She's a very lucky little girl - to have discovered the joys of playing a musical instrument so early in life.

Thanks Carys - we think so too . I hatED practicing and thought it was a chore - my daughter does not even need reminded - she is 13 now , her Violin and Piano Teachers are planning for her to sit ABRSM G8 in Violin and Piano next year - we'll wait and see how she gets on!

Mozart was certainly a genius, but any rational look at his life must show that he was also a profoundly disturbed individual with serious psycological problems that effectively destroyed his chance of leading a happy and fulfilled adult life.

Any pediatrician can tell you that pushing children into things before they're ready / willing can have terrible consequences that are easy to recognise but very difficult to do anything about. Whilst I do recognise that even very gifted individuals need some pushing, there's a very fine line between pushing in the sense of encoraging, and simply depriving a child of any control over their own lives and forcing them to become vehicle to fulfil their parent's, rather than their own, ambitions. I've seen it a lot in athletics / swimming over the years (I think men who want their kids to be football stars are the worst examples I've ever come across) and, as I'm getting progressively more interested in music, I'm coming across steadily more examples of exactly the same thing.

What the answer is I don't know, but it's important to remember that childhood is actually relatively long and, despite what people say, there is plenty of time for false starts and to just let things unfold at their own pace.

my parents have no musical knowledge whatsoever but are very encouraging towards what i enjoy doing which is singing. I started singing lessons when i was 12 1/2 after being in school choirs and music school choirs which i had grown out of when i was about ten!!! My mum took her time in finding me the right teacher and she was and still is brilliant . Sometimes i do wish that my parents started me earlier but i know they were making sure that i was happy and not being forced into anything. My suggestion is that some music schools have open days where you can take your children or anyone and you can have a go on the instruments to find what you like letting the children have a say could help with your childs enjoyment of music.

[COLOR=purple]four really is far too young, unlesss ur childs some kind of genius. I mean can u really expect a child of four to sit and practise for hours each day? they would miss out on their childhood.

Didn't hurt me when I was a kid. Hasn't hurt any of my family.

And thank God that your attempt at writing at purple wasn't successful

QUOTE (DavidMusic @ Apr 15 2004, 07:19 PM)

And thank God that your attempt at writing at purple wasn't successful

lol

my brother loves playing the piano(well i wouldnt call it playing!) and he is only 1 1/2.

Nat

You mean thwacking the piano?

QUOTE (DavidMusic @ Apr 15 2004, 07:48 PM)

You mean thwacking the piano?

yes!!!

I find all this very interesting. It took me over 5 years to persuade my parents that I really did want to learn the piano, so I was nearly 11 when I had my first lesson. I could already play recorder and therefore could read treble clef. My interest in music continued and so I ended up taking Grade 8 piano at the same time as my A-levels and then doing a music degree.

I have 5 children myself and was determind that they would start learning earlier - with various degrees of success!

The oldest (girl) started lessons at 5 and took Grade 7 at nearly 16. I don't know if it's because of playing from a young age but she's only average height and yet has the most amazing span, especially in the left hand. She finds playing Joplin a doddle. She's now stopped formal music lessons since she has a boyfriend (Grade 3 piano, and made to play Joplin duets!) and wants to be a doctor (lots of studying). She still plays the piano a lot.

The next (boy) also started at 5. His teacher must be a saint and put up with him for 5 years by which time he'd achieved nearly nothing! Well, I say that, but he loves music, has had a year at playing trumpet and has now settled on Bass guitar (when he was 13). He's doing GCSE music and loves playing with other people.

The next (girl) started piano as well when she was 5. She's now 12 and just done Grade 3. She does like playing, but has often felt she's in her older sister's shadow. She's just realised she can teach herself stuff (!) and is keen to carry on.

The 4th (boy) didn't start until he was nine. The teacher didn't have any spaces. He'd already been learning drums for a year by then. His rhythm is great. He only tends to practise when reminded, but then does it without moaning. I keep him at it on the basis that when he's a bit older he'll either not be so interested and then stop, or will have achieved a resonable standard and 'take off'.

Lastly, my 6 year old. She said from about the age of three that she wanted to learn the violin, but this hasn't happened for one reason and another. Last term she decided (and it was her decision) that she wanted to learn piano, so I've started teaching her myself. We are taking it very slowly. We are only moving on when she's totally secure and of course there's lots of people who can play her accompaniaments for her! She's told to practise (which she does) but is under no pressure for how long. We shall see how she progresses!

I try not to be the bossy mother and nagging teacher (!) but I do think there's a place for making them practise. You meet so many adults who regret giving up when they were younger!

I think Rachael is right!! with some children they need to be reminded to practice and when they actually practice they enjoy it. When they are older and better they will more or less reaslise the importance of practice themselves!

Im only 17 but i regret stopping and starting the piano because now I love it!!lol
i have my 1 1/2 year old brothers musical life planned out already- not that im forcing him but i can tell he likes music already!lol

Nat

QUOTE (Natalie @ Apr 16 2004, 07:26 AM)

i have my 1 1/2 year old brothers musical life planned out already- not that im forcing him but i can tell he likes music already!lol Nat

Nat-your little brother is really lucky! I wish someone had my 'musical life planned out for me'! I didn't start the piano until I was 14, and even that took some begging because my mum thought I was doing far too much music already (this is still her attitude!). I know people complain about 'pushy parents' but I really wish I'd had them!

QUOTE (hgirl @ Apr 17 2004, 12:25 PM)

Nat-your little brother is really lucky! I wish someone had my 'musical life planned out for me'!

yea i wish my life had been musically planned thats why im planning his!! my mum thinks im doing to much music sometimes but now she realises im never going to listen to her, and that music means everything to me so now she usually keeps her mouth shut!!lol

Nat

QUOTE

I know people complain about 'pushy parents' but I really wish I'd had them

who knows, if you had, you might have rebelled and given up lol!

QUOTE (lynne @ Apr 20 2004, 07:50 PM)

QUOTE I know people complain about 'pushy parents' but I really wish I'd had them who knows, if you had, you might have rebelled and given up lol!

yeah i know- thats so true. Oh well- it doesnt matter anyway because I cant go back now! At least I started music eventually! so glad i did

One reminder to practice technique my parents used with great sucess was it was one of my tasks to wash the dishes in the evening. I was generally excused if I was practicing so someone else could do it 'to music'. I very rarely decided washing the dishes was preferable to playing, but the option was there. I don't know if this counts as pushy parents or not, but I was being excused work so I didn't feel this encroached on my 'me' time. Of course if I practised too early in the day I then had to wash dishes as well- very sad!

hi erard thats a brilliant idea ill try that with my youngest tonight its cheaper than trying to bribr him

QUOTE (erard @ Apr 21 2004, 06:07 PM)

One reminder to practice technique my parents used with great sucess was it was one of my tasks to wash the dishes in the evening. I was generally excused if I was practicing so someone else could do it 'to music'. I very rarely decided washing the dishes was preferable to playing, but the option was there. I don't know if this counts as pushy parents or not, but I was being excused work so I didn't feel this encroached on my 'me' time. Of course if I practised too early in the day I then had to wash dishes as well- very sad!

That is an excellent idea. I think I will have to recommend it to some of my pupils' parents . . .

As a pianist and teacher I had many friends and relations asking me when I would start teaching my son the piano. He has always enjoyed listening to music but I did not want to push him into learning the piano although it was always available for him to play (or thump!). Now that he is 6, he has started to show a real interest in learning - and practising - so we have started proper lessons which he is very enthusiastic about. He's also at the stage that he can sit quietly and observe me teaching other pupils without disrupting their lessons Every child is different, but I feel that I've struck a good balance between music and my son's other interests (he enjoys football and swimming too) during his early years.