How young is too young? Is piano a fit for my child's personality? When is the easiest time to start?
I have 3 questions to help you decide. These come from 15 years of teaching beginners how to play piano. Beginners of every age. 4 years old, 50 years old and many in between. Piano is often touted as the perfect instrument for beginners. Ideally yes. It lays a beautiful musical foundation. It is a visual instrument where are the keys are laid out in a logical order. It's possible to find and play notes from your first lesson. This isn't true for many instruments such as the violin (where do I press my fingers down?) or the trumpet (honk!).
And yet.
And yet there a few key reasons why many students quit piano eventually or even quickly. This is my guess why and how to help you choose the best starting age. What I'm suggesting is there are 3 factors that make piano an easy fit.
How long does your child enjoy sitting still?
You might laugh at this question because your child is playful and busy. And if that's true, I have more questions for you. A very busy, athletic child can still enjoy sitting still for practice sessions if they are captivated by the possibilities of music so let's not write it off but let's say we're going to need other draws to make piano a win. If your child is often at the table doing crafts, physically we have a match. Piano is a sitting instrument. Yes, some keyboardists stand in certain genres like pop and rock. And the keytar really frees you up to dance around! If your child thinks best while moving, you'll need a creative teacher that gives lots of movement opportunities. This is definitely possible with skill targeting tasks like a rhythm reading station with shakers and a tambourine or a tape staff on the floor for jumping from note to note, for example. But not every teacher wants to teach like this so it's best to ask how the teacher incorporates movement if this is a must for your child.
Does your child enjoy being alone for 15 mins or more?
Practicing is a solitary endeavour. I gravitated to the piano every single day for that blissful alone time. If we're looking for a fit, let's remember that more than 90% of a beginner pianist's playing time is spent practicing and often this is alone. The daily practice required of a beginner can be short. Depending on your teacher it may be 5-15 mins initially. But if your child would enjoy things way more with some company you could have a parent helping or listening during practice and you could even enrol in a group piano lesson. I know many teachers want parents to sit in on the lesson and to sit for most practices as well. I personally teach beginners to practice independently because of the ownership and self-motivation it sparks. You'll know best what style suits you and your child. I'll add that a few masterful piano teachers I know intentionally enrolled their kids in strings programs (violin, viola, cello) because of the rewarding social aspect. Often playing in duets, trios, quartets and group practices or becoming part of an orchestra can be a child's favourite part of the musical experience. And some children feel most at home by themselves at the piano. You'll know best.
Does you child take an interest yet in recognizing letters?
If your child is three or four or five and does not notice letters in signs or in books that is all good. A kindergarten teacher will tell you that each child learns in their own time. If we're signing up for piano lessons, let's ask - Is reading music going to be of interest? Is the student going to have enough stamina to persist in reading music yet? Some teachers will write letters below the notes or on a labelled staff to help students learn the notes. If your child is not ready to read letters, I'd suggest trying an ear-based approach like Suzuki piano or finding an expert piano teacher for very young beginners who has many different strategies and tools for teaching reading. Tiny students are in fact a huge challenge to teach well! I prefer to start lessons at five or older but I will always do a free trial lesson to see whether my style is a fit for the child. To keep it simple, if your child is already reading letters. It's an easier match!
If your child is a social animal who basically bounces around doing flips and can't read, let's say piano lessons are going to be.... interesting. I hope you've noticed I've added ideas throughout to meet your child where they are at and a masterful teacher may be able to harness the potential in any child, at any age, so this is not meant to dissuade you. And a year or two of not-quite-right piano lessons can still be a good start that leads to the next instrument or hobby! There can be benefits to offering kids experiences that they're not inclined to, of course. But if you're wondering when is the easiest time to start piano, here it is. When you can happily sit still for a while, enjoy being alone for more than 15 mins most days and can read letters.
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