Can I teach my 5yo the piano?

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Hi everyone,

Looking for advise from anyone with some musical knowledge - unlike myself! Other than some passion and keyboard lessons in primary school, I don't know much about music.

I want to introduce my 5 year old to the piano. How should I go about it? Do I buy a kid's piano? Do I find a teacher or can I start the basics myself using the help of online resources?

How did you start your child's journey in piano/an instrument?

Lockdown has been difficult for my little ones and I've only now realised how nice it would be for them to have some hobbies that don't involve screens!!

Thank you xx

Hiya I teach piano. 5 is quite young to start lessons I would wait a year but in the meantime get a decent piano, normal sized ( doesn't have to be ridiculously expensive, look on Facebook for a second hand modernish one, avoid antiques, can be riddled with issues) and I highly recommend trying out the piano party series of books, they are available on amazon. I'm not advertising, I'm not affiliated with them etc I just think they are terrific and a fun thing you can do together at home with your kid to prepare her well for starting proper lessons.

Hi OP

We started DS on a decent keyboard with simply piano app which he loved and used for about 10 minutes everyday. Then we got a digital piano about 6 months later and now he goes to a lesson once a week. Taking it slow and gradually and making it fun helps. The app is great, if it wasn't for that it would have been too boring as DS prefers to see himself improve at whatever he's doing quickly to keep him engaged. Some don't like them but we got stickers for the keys and that helped too. We don't use them anymore as he has learnt the notes.

Get the Simply Piano app. It's expansive but worth it

@Bubbletrouble43 thanks for the recommendation and also the age stuff! Good to hear my DC is still on the young side for lessons then, no rush :) I will take a look at the books for sure.

@zeddybrek what a lovely idea! How old was your DS when he started, if you don’t mind me asking? And do you or your partner play the piano too or did you just want your DS to try it out?

Years ago my mum used to teach piano - she wouldn’t teach anyone under 7 - which I think was upon guidance of whoever the people are that give the teaching grade. This is a very long time ago though.

Noddy I generally wouldn't teach a child under 7 either, maybe 6 if they were extremely mature for their age.

My 5-year-old started having FaceTime lessons from a piano teacher relatives using the John Thompson books and can now play with both hands together. It’s amazing to see the progression.

@BeardieWeirdie that's lovely! Must be amazing to see the progress happening in front of your eyes.

DD started at 6, but her teacher very sensibly suggested a trial lesson or two to see whether she would cope. I probably wouldn't have suggested starting then had she not been showing a great deal of interest (we had a beginner book, and she was having a go every day). I started for the first time at 6, and gave up - combination of not being quite ready and the teacher not being best fit. I did get going again at 8.

There is an 'oft accepted agreement' that it isn't really worth teaching piano under about 7. they also need to be a fairly confident reader. Don't forget that they need to be looking at two lines of music at the same time, and doing different things with each hand.
Plus of courser they need to be able to reach... reach the floor whilst being high enough on a seat to see the music plus their hand span needs to be reasonable and strength in fingers reasonable too.

If you want to do an instrument with him / her, why not get a recorder? Easy for smallish hands, no worried about how tall they are. Only need to read one line of music at a time, so can start getting an idea about rests and length on notes, and that noted on different lines / spaces equate to different notes you play, etc etc. You can also get a reasonable enough sound and even a tune out of a recorder relatively early on in the learning process.

I started learning at about 6 on a normal, grand piano - my gran taught me (until I started sitting grade 3 and above exams, she then got me a tutor). She was a primary school teacher and a talented pianist though.
Do you have the skills to teach your dd? You say you don't know much about music so probably not?
You could always buy your dd a keyboard to tinker about on and then if you can afford it get a tutor from age 6/7?

My dc both started piano at 6 on a normal piano (tbh it is a not too brilliant secondhand piano, bit seems fine for now) with a teacher. Before that I just let they play as they wanted on it.

We started a week after DS's 6th birthday. But I think he would have been fine from about 5.5 onwards. Get a keyboard and have some fun with simple nursery rhymes just to get him interested! Good luck!

That's really great that he's showed an interest already!

As a professional musician, I would really recommend either signing him up for some music intro classes at a music hub or similar, or getting him a teacher.

He might be a little young for one-to-one tuition every week, but a fun, group activity would introduce him to the basics of music theory and that is SO important, especially for piano.

Reading music is like reading a language. You slowly learn how to pronounce every letter and at that age, they don't even realise they're doing it!

I started a weekly music intro group at 4.5yo and from my parents' memories (and VCR tapes) we were mostly blowing on random wind instruments, playing the tambourine, making lots of noise - definitely not music - and running around like 4 year olds do. Oh, and I remember learning the notes' names with colours.

I was 5y10m when I started my main instrument and already knowing the basics was really important. I also teach young children alongside my main (performing) job, and I would start a 5/6yo if they were mature and patient enough to also learn a bit of theory (in a fun way) on the side.

Reading music is essential. Be it with an app or a teacher or game-based book, it's important to learn how to read music before you approach what's on the page. I'm sure your little one is going to have so much fun learning the piano!

My DD started about 7. She'd shown interest with someone else's piano. She is a screen-addicted, no concentration, poor reader with ADHD.

It has been a total transformation. She concentrates, listens, her body calms down. Her very strict teacher has been amazing. He's old-school no arsing around.

Proper piano, good teacher is my recommendation.

You can start learning the piano if you have interest and self-motivation to practice and your hands have grown enough that your fingers can cover enough keys. I'd say 5 is a bit young for both maturity and hand size. Keyboards fine for piquing interest but to start learning properly you need a piano (can be electric)) with weighted keys to get the feel.
I image you could teach a child beginner from one of the popular series of books by following the course yourself and staying one lesson ahead of the child! I haven't put this theory to the test but have sort of done the reverse - through helping dd practice for her lessons I reckon I could now pass grade 2!

Does your kid want to learn?

Good luck OP, you could be starting the road to a lifetime of pleasure for your DD or DS.

My just turned 6yo started getting lessons over Zoom in April. He was bored, and missing his usual activities and his friends. I thought he would join a group class, and bash out a rhythm on mute, and it would add a bit structure to his weeks.

His instructor suggested a 15 minute 1-to-1 lesson instead. I thought it would be pointless but gave it a go, and was completely blown away.

He was starting to read music after the first lesson, and playing both hands together in no time at all. It made such a positive difference to his motivation for everything, including home learning at that time. I was amazed, and he really loves it.

I wouldn't have considered it, if it hadn't been for lockdown. He started on a keyboard DH has owned for 20 years.

My just 5 year old is learning and is doing really well. She has a lovely teacher though. Despite being able to play a bit, and play other instruments to a high level, she learns better from someone else who is experienced. She uses a book for pre readers. She started as she used to try and go in every week for my 6 years old's lessons and was desperate to learn. She loves it. We have a full size electric piano.

That's me that plays piano a bit and other instruments too, read it back and sounds like I'm talking about her! Meant I felt I wasn't the right teacher for her!

I started piano lessons at 4 and can't even remember learning to read music. I suppose it's like learning another language...much easier when you're small.

I had a piano teacher, but both my parents were musical and able to supervise practice or answer any questions.

My son is 5.5, I have been ‘teaching’ him some piano for about a year, very basic piano use and reading music. He has recently ‘clicked’ a bit more and now uses both hands and hes doing okay.

I play piano, I was supposed to do my DipABRSM this year, but I have delayed it. But it means he seeings piano playing happening quite a lot and we play very very simple bits together.