What age did your child learn to play an instrument??

[tryingtobemarypoppins2]

Is 3 too young?

Yes. The recommended age is 7. Otherwise, just take tham to a pre-school music group.

Thuik it is unlikely you'd find many music teachers prepared to take on one so young one-to-one, most prefer them at infant school age or older depending on instrument. Your council may run events where you could take your dc along and hear and try out different ones or find a preschool workshop locally.

My son started guitar (half sized) at 5.
My dd started oboe at 7.

3 seems very young.

Mine all started piano at 6. We found a lovely teacher who taught them to play and have fun, and didn't start them on exams until they were about 9ish.

I just messed around on a keyboard from age 2. My dad is often telling anyone who'll listen me that he heard me playing Ravel's Bolero as I'd heard it on the ice skating :o

I didn't have formal lessons until I was 11 but I was fairly good by then and started at grade 5. But I was lucky that my mum was quite good and was able to teach me notation etc - she had never had lessons, neither did my grandma.

It certainly did me no harm having no proper lessons at a young age - maybe it prevented the boredom/burnout that some children suffer? I guess it would've been more tricky if I didn't have a musical family though.

I ended up teaching at my music school and in 5 years we only had one 3yo pupil. I think it's too young unless they've already shown they have an amazing talent for it TBH.

Do you know anyone good at a particular instrument who can just show them how to play informally?

Where do you live? I quite fancy stringbabies - Kay Tucker (sorry I don't know how to link it but you can google it) as my two older boys play violin and my wee one is desperate to learn (he's 4.9yrs) They don't do a class in our area so he will have to wait until he goes to school. My older boys went to a pre -school music group which was a really good start.

Really musical children will usually pester you that they want to learn something and they often know which instrument they want to learn too. If your 3-year-old is going on and on about learning the whatever (and it's not a trumpet or something he physically can't play yet - if it is enquire about a suitable preparatory instrument), then he'll be OK. If it is more that you think he ought to learn something then I would wait until he was about 7. You can expose him to music in the meantime, by taking him to music groups or children's orchestral concerts.

I started at 3, but it was too early, and put back until 5.
In the meantime I learned to read musical notation, which helped when I started again.

DD started violin at 5 but wasn't over successful and we stopped, she started piano at 6 and then went onto flute at 8. I definately think around 7 unless quite musically orientated (which DD is we weren't pushing her).

I started teaching DS2 the piano at 4.2. It's surprising what he can do. Played the suzuki variations of twinkle twinkle little star with great spirit. Try it but be prepared to wait, I think.