Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Extra-curricular activities

Find advice on the best extra curricular activities in secondary schools and primary schools here.

Original poster

Piano lessons at 5

35 replies

Oakvales · 31/01/2026 23:12

I've booked for my 5 yo to start piano lessons (30 mins) with a teacher that comes to the house, I have bought him a decent digital piano /keyboard to learn on/play with.

The teacher is used to teaching young children and children with parents , but afrer reading a few old threads on here, I'm wondering if he's a bit young ?

I'm not bothered about exams etc , I just want him to enjoy it and learn some basics , the teacher can do other instruments as well. His Dad and I are not musicial in the slightest, so I want go give him the opportunity to be, but mainly i want him to enjoy it , the teacher knows this and maybe he'll take to it straight away or maybe they will start taking it more serious in a year or so both fine.

His school do music lessons after school but the groups are huge. Me and his Dad both work in quite high pressured jobs and have a one year old , so someone coming to us works well. In this case do you think its still to young? As I say I have no expectations other than him being with someone who can give him more than we can with instruments.

OP posts:
northerngoldilocks · 01/02/2026 17:48

Not too young if the teacher is used to teaching that age. Keeping it fun and practice session short but regular will help. Eg 10 mins a day at first is probably plenty. My daughter started at 4 with 15 mins lessons (the teacher was coming round to teach my elder child) and then did 30 mins from year 1.

main thing is that they find it fun and want to do it, if not just leave it, can always try again later.

OhCrumbsWhereNow · 01/02/2026 16:28

Try it and see - you can always stop and come back to it.

My DD did a year of guitar, bit of uke and a year of piano at Primary. Feedback was that she was potentially very talented at all of them, but nothing was clicking and she wasn't keen to continue.

At 7 we swapped to singing lessons, and dropped everything else and that was a huge success.

Have since added composition and added back in piano, guitar and uke. Once she was in the right place she made incredibly rapid progress on all of them. Piano and guitar teachers both wish she'd make them first study... DD has zero interest in that, but practices both and loves both.

She's now at a specialist music college and heading for an adult career in music.

Did 2 piano grades - distinction in both, and refused to ever do another music exam as the rep was boring and limiting. The most important thing has been finding the right teachers who will work with her the way she wants things, but also cover the essentials that she needs to know.

So play it by ear, be flexible, make sure it's fun and you can always stop and come back, or switch instruments.

Ubertomusic · 01/02/2026 09:29

It's never too early if a child enjoys learning an instrument and music in general, and many children do. My DD has been at a kindergarten programme and then a junior department of a conservatoire from an early age, they did lots of singing, dancing and trying out different instruments before the conservatoire let the children decide which instrument they want to take up. Any musical activity is beneficial for brain development so it will stay with your DS for life even if he doesn't proceed learning music to a higher level.

Your DS reach on the keyboard will depend on how big his hand is but beginners tunes do not need a wide stretch of the fingers. The most important thing at this stage regarding the hand is setting it up correctly from the start, in a relaxed "arched" manner - ask your DS to hold a tennis ball then keep the shape of curved fingers and you'll get the idea of the shape.

murasaki · 31/01/2026 23:50

I started piano at 5 and violin at 7, it was fine. Exams were scary but then they're always scary. And I always got a cream cake from the fancy Austrian patisserie afterwards with my mum, so worth it!

VegBox · 31/01/2026 23:46

My daughter started lessons in year 1 when she was 5 and they went really well. People on Mumsnet love to talk about how important it is not to push kids while furiously pushing their own and suggesting that they spontaneously developed county-level sporting skills/ grade 8 viola/etc. I'd ignore it, frankly.

It's not necessarily the case that progress is really slow when they start young - DD is currently 8 and prepping for her grade 4, so she has made pretty good progress to my mind.

Original poster
Oakvales · 31/01/2026 23:34

Thanks both he's 6 in 2 months , the teacher has reviews from parents saying he's adaptable etc , and he has worked with younger children before.

I think as i have no pressure I will see how it goes , and if needed change teacher or just have him playing on it himself for a year or so if it doesn't work out (i have read you can get apps etc) and start again in a year . The last thing I want to do is the opposite of what I'm trying to achieve !

It genuinely wouldn't bother me if he never took an exam in it. I find it hard as noone in my family is musical in the slightest, so I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing ! But I would love my children to have the opportunity to enjoy playing

OP posts:
TappyGilmore · 31/01/2026 23:29

My DD started piano at 6 and was too young for it, but the teacher was not great with very small children and it might have worked out better with a different teacher. She ended up quitting after a year. Who knows, maybe starting older might have seen her stick at it.

SkaneTos · 31/01/2026 23:27

Some people say that the hands are too small to play the piano when the child is 7 years old or younger.
But if you have a piano teacher that is used to teaching young children, I am sure it will be fine.
Good luck, and I hope your child will enjoy playing the piano!

I started with piano lessons when I was 8 years old, and continued until I was 17. Very happy now as an adult to be able to play the piano. Such a great instrument, and a lot of fun!

Original poster
Oakvales · 31/01/2026 23:23

Periperi2025 · 31/01/2026 23:16

I started recorder lessons at 4, piano at 5. I loved playing the piano, however music exams and estidffods from 6 ish, has fucked me up for life. I fall apart in interviews even now in my 40s and have flash backs to being alone in old Georgian school rooms in Bath, and in churches being examined by a complete stranger.

Make sure you are firm with the no exam stance, some music teachers will push and push for them, don't back down.

Edited

Thank you, this is good to know. And I'm so sorry it affected you this way. That's another thing that put me off about the school they push for exams and have to do a show twice a year for the school and parents which I know at least right now he would hate., and would ruin it for him.

I spoke to the teacher and said I wouldn't want to put him to exam until 8, I purely want him to.enjoy an instrument. I will make sure I'm clear when I see him.

OP posts:
Periperi2025 · 31/01/2026 23:16

I started recorder lessons at 4, piano at 5. I loved playing the piano, however music exams and estidffods from 6 ish, has fucked me up for life. I fall apart in interviews even now in my 40s and have flash backs to being alone in old Georgian school rooms in Bath, and in churches being examined by a complete stranger.

Make sure you are firm with the no exam stance, some music teachers will push and push for them, don't back down.