Musical instrument for five year old

ReallyTired

I presume 6 yos don't count? :)

This is true JulieMichelleRobinson. There are some child prodigies on youtube who seem to last only few years.

The point is, though... If you start at two you can probably play by the time you're five, if your parents make you practise. But you get to ten with technical ability but no emotional maturity for the pieces you play.

My gosh. I started violin at the normal age of seven (traditional not Suzuki). I took grade 4 aged nine and scored really well. I wouldn't have got there sooner if I'd been two when I started - the reason I am good but not excellent as a classical player (grade 8 at 14) is to do with the teacher ihad from 11 to 14 and nothing to do with lack of musical talent. Quoth my audition panel for RNCM. Otoh if I could be bothered and didn't live where I live I reckon I could make it as a fiddler - gonna prove it at the next London Fiddle Convention ;-)

ReallyTired, just type in youtube "5yo violin", there are plenty!

My daughter has only had a term of lessons. Her teacher is pleased with her progress. I feel its too soon to say whether dd is musical or not. She progressed through the twinkle variations very quickly, but progress through the rest of book has been slower as she is consoldiating her knowledge. (and practicing less..)

Saying that my daughter is not musical is as stupid as saying that a five year old on stage 2 ORT is not academic. Talent needs a little bit of time to develop. I feel that five years old is too young to assess whether a child has musical potential or otherwise. Sometimes children don't click with their teacher. (My daughter loves her teacher.) Children vary so much with their development and can make leaps. (look at how fluid academic groups are at school in the early years.) Sometimes children do not get on with one instrument and then really take off with another.

Worriedandlost I think that the clip I posted is impressive. The number of five year olds who can do better is a rare as hen's teeth.

Really.... sometimes it is worth reading carefully before calling someone prat and being so rude....

Really, I did not :). Quotation again "However, I do agree that this video may look very impressive for someone who does not have a musical child".
And just before you posted the video you wrote "My daughter is learning violin by the suzuki method and is loving it". Why would I possibly mean you if you dd is already learning music???? Is not it clear that I meant OP???

Worried, my daughter is five and the same age as the op child. I think her experience is relevant to the op. You said that I don't know what it is like have a musical child because I was impressed with the little girl on YouTube.

I feel the benefits of music is that it trains the mind and heart. Suzuki never intended to produce an army of professional musicans, he wanted to produce better citizens. He wanted a generation who appreciated beauty, have empathy and understand the discipline of hard work.

woolleybear I think your approach is good too, I don't like the idea that nowadays children are pushed too early too far, in spite of what I said above....

Another good read which gives an idea what instruments can be started later rather than earlier, professional musicians stories, how they developed their love for music and how they got there.
www.amazon.co.uk/Meet-Musicians-Prodigies-not-Pros-ebook/dp/B005BOYXOE/ref=la_B000APJTG6_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427725185&sr=1-2

Lancelottie - your daughter sounds like mine... (DD14)

My DDs 12 and 14 both started piano at about 6. DD12 still plays and has lessons, but does not do exams - she does not want to. She just wants to play some tunes - If I hear The Snowman theme EVER again it will be too soon...

DD14 is at Grade5 now, but is an angst ridden slogger - not a great talent, but able enough, she will go far when she chooses what she wants to do with life. She has just chosen Music as one of her GCSE options...

OP - I would say find something they love the sound of, try a little violin/ukelele//recorder/piano/keyboard - or encourage singing - the voice as an instrument and see if they want to carry on.

My dd who is 8 was certainly still playing with toy instruments at that age, certainly better than none. She also at about the same age went to a concert where she could try lots of instruments. She picked the clarinet out that day and from that point really wanted to play it despite knowing she would have to wait til a later age than her friends who were starting on violin and piano and I didn't think it was right to push her to something she wasn't keen on so she had some group keyboard lessons as a stop gap. Six months into playing the clarinet she is doing amazingly, playing solo in a concert and preparing for her first exam. I totally think I made the right choice in letting her choose, as does her clarinet teacher!

And again, quoting myself "can they do career out of it if child turns out to be really good".
I did not say "child should not start music lessons unless they are sure at 5yo that they want career in music", did I :))))?

This was a good conversation to illustrate my point. Pity, the girl did not start earlier...
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/extra_curricular_activities/a1433827-Music-career

ReallyTired not quite sure why all of a sudden we started to talk about your children? Also not quite sure why "I think it's ridiculous to think about a child having a career in music at the age of five."? Why exactly? You do not know OP's family personally, do you? There are instruments which you can start late, but there are some you have to start early, such as violin. I do not think you can become a decent violinist if you start in your teens? Who are those children who got their places at Junior Conservatories at the age of 8? Probably those who started early and turned out to be somewhat promising musicians? You never know....

Regarding the girl on the video - did I say she is average? Did I say she is not working hard? Did I say her parents has nothing to be proud about? Let me quote.... "she is certainly musically able...one of many musically able kids.... ". And yes, I think the video will look impressive for someone whose child is not into music yet, presumably OP. But once you are there... It is ok video, nice one to compare with your own child's progress especially if there are no other children to compare with :). My 7yo is only playing Suzuki book 2. Along with another 4 to 5 books. But she is not Suzuki student, only uses Suzuki books as a supplement material for building repertoire. So, she is well behind the girl on a video I suppose, something to think about :)

The novety of practice wears off quickly. For the first couple of weeks dd was wanting to do 2 hours of violin practice a day. The suzuki CDs were a god send as they drowned out the racket of a beginner violinist. She learnt the twinkle twinkle variations really quickly. I am not sure that practicing two hours a day really helped her as I did not have time to closely supervise her. Quality practice is more effective than quantity.

Now dd has calmed down a bit and is doing about ten minutes a day practice. She is at a steady pace through the book, but her progress has slowed down considerably. I feel a child has to be at least ameanable to the idea of learning an instrument otherwise you will get nowhere.

I wanted to learn cello or flute. The cello teacher didn't come to my school, so I learnt violin. My violin teacher, when I was ten, persuaded me to get piano lessons on the off chance I'd want to study music further. My career is now mainly teaching piano. I still prefer the fiddle; taught myself the flute at 16 (to around grade 6 in a year; I then stopped playing it for a while but can bash through grade 8 pieces unless they're fast) and have since acquired a cello which I can play to around grade 5 standard with a grand total of around 5 hours' practise ever. I compromised and play viola a lot.

Of my university classmates, only around a third are making a career in any way related to music, and I know plenty of conservatoire graduates who are doing non-musical jobs. The few who are full-time performing musicians make less money than I do - they do it because they love music.

But seriously? At five I wanted to be a nurse. Or an Egyptologist. I have a friend who, at that age, wanted to be a duck when he grew up.

Tee hee at 'can they make a career out of it?'

DD is sloooowly learning piano. She's 12. Every so often I ask whether she wants to carry on, given the angst and slow progress, and she is adamant that she does.

'Why, DD?'
'So I can play along to myself when I'm singing, and I get to do music GCSE, and play Fur Elise, and Christmas carols, and just stuff like that.'

Sounds like a fair reason, really.

Worried pleased don't take this personally, but I think you are being a bit of a prat. You have never met my children and have no idea whether they are musical or not. I think it's ridicolous to think about a child having a career in music at the age of five. There are musicians who started music in their teens and made a career out of music. (Ds' first guitar teacher was one of the backing guitarists for the Dr who theme tune and he started guitar at the age of 12)

The child in the video had completed suzuki book 4 by the age of 5. We have no idea what age she was when she started. Dd violin teacher tells me that it usually takes a year to complete book 1. I agree that the girl is not a child prodigy but she is doing a lot better than average. It is clear she has worked hard and her parents deserve to be proud. I posted the link to show that children of that age can learn an instrument even if they aren't a genius.

Learning an instrument is a huge commitment in time and parental money. It is not like doing football once a week as you need to practice every day. I feel it's unfair to inflict an instrument on a child who does not want it.

I won't teach unless the child is interested. But that doesn't mean hooked, just intrigued and up for trying. Otoh, parental choice is why I have 55 piano students to 6 violin students, even though I'm a fiddler. Just as well I forced myself through piano for eight years, since it pays for my daily bread! I enjoy teaching it and accompanying but not really playing piano. Organ or harpsichord, otoh...

I do not agree that children should decide what they want to play, they don't have experience and when it comes to the reality cheack you may find out that some instruments suit better to this particular child than the others. Sometimes they like something just because it looks nice or their friend's sibling is playing on it, or, my dd's friend started violin lesson because she liked all the attention my dd got for her playing violin - really ridiculous reason to choose an instrument, but here we go....

I decided for my dd on both instruments and though she prefers piano, it is dead clear that she is better at violin and comparing her with the able kids of the same age I would say she will never make a proper pianist. To be honest I would be very pragmatical about the choice of the first instrument - how quickly they can learn, can they do career out of it if child turns out to be really good, what if child doesn't like his/her musical lessons and I already spent a lot of money on instrument, etc. When they are a bit older and you can see their first results you can always change I suppose....

Recorder for the win, then. I still play yamahas, a £12 descant and a £24 treble. Not concert instruments but good enough for fun and playing proper music. When I was small I had a cheap yellow one and used to play it with the mouthpiece backwards....

ReallyTired the girl on youtube is good but not necessarily an outstanding talent, she is certainly musically able but only one of many musically able kids. However, I do agree that this video may look very impressive for someone who does not have a musical child :)

Don't want to offend, but by the time a child is three or four I think they should have access to PROPER instruments, piano, keyboard, drums, xylophone etc. Auto harp is great, but unfortunately expensive.

Even 'domestic percussion' with wooden spoons can be used to accompany ZingZillas.

DS similarly went past a brass band at the age of 3 and his eyes went out on stalks. He begged for a trumpet or something equally noisy for years.

I think its vital that a child wants to learn an instrument rather than the parent wanting the child to learn an instrument. Dd heard Tamsin Little play the flight of the bumble bee at 18 months old. She pestered us for three years to learn the violin.