What age should children start music lessons?

[FrannyandZooey]

We have been told again that ds should be having music lessons. He is 3. Most of the time I think it's nonsense but part of me is worrying that I am failing him by not sending him to a conservatoire or whatever.

What (if any) would be the benefit to him of having lessons now? What age do you think children should start?

I have mailed a colleague to find out more.
I think your ds is currently too young anyway but I will CAT you with the info when I get it.

I never want to be in the position where I am nagging him to practise. We are planning to home Ed, and I roughly believe children's learning should be self-initiated - but needs facilitators of course. So far he has very much led us and we have just provided the materials and atmosphere where he can pursue this. I am just wondering if we can continue like this or if we should get some skilled input (neither dp or I are what you would call musical although we dabble )

Hi FrannyandZooey, your DS sounds a bit like mine at that age. I spoke to several people in the know and decided not to pursue formal instrument tuition for him. I absolutely hated the idea of Suzuki training, for example. What he liked at 3 was to watch musicians and have a go on the instruments afterwards. So I took him to see lots of live bands and buskers (great funhe even joined in with one busker and earned £1!) and bought him some second-hand instruments to play at homea ukelele, a violin and a weeny guitar. He was taught how to look after them, but not how to play them and he really enjoyed putting his violin in its little case and putting the resin on the bow. I also found a fantastic one-off of a music teacher who runs groups in N London. After class he was allowed to stay as long as he liked and play on any instrument he fancied. He absolutely loved it! She told us about Junior Guildhall and he is now at kindergarten level there. They don't recommend lessons until the kids are much older. The classes are all about fostering an interest in music rather than acquiring skills. I don't think they start learning or even choosing an instrument until they are 7.
TBH I think he's a lot less interested in music than he used to be--he was completely obsessive between the ages of 2 and 3 and a half. Now music is just one of the things he likes. Have a look at the Wigmore Hall's activities, they do some morning sessions for under 5s he might like. There are also kids'concerts at the Barbican and South Bank aimed at younger kids but we found them a bit snooty!

I have taught the piano in the past, and in my experience, they need to be old enough to sit through a lesson! I taught a five year old, and the biggest problem wasn't practising, as his mum and he did it as a bit of fun for five minutes a day, but getting him to sit on the piano stool for more than five minutes at a time. In retrospect, good practice for crawling children!

BTW if you like the sound of the Guildhall, get him on the waiting list now, as there is a lot of demand for places. Kindergarten level isn't selective, it's first come first served. You'll need to get there for 9.10am Sat mornings which is a bit of a bummer, but the classes really are good even if the venue is a former underground car-park and feels like being stuck in a sardine tin.

Is that where they've put you arabica tut tut! So glad he has loved the classes, and your description sums up the approach perfectly for FandZ I think

Children (especially in Japan) learning violin by the Suzuki method start when they are about 3. I didn't start that young, or in Japan, but it is a fantastic way to learn. Not just violin by the way. Goodness, this is a badly written post!

Do you think so? I observed a class, hated the look of it, and the sound of all those kids scraping away...eeeeeeeek!

Yes, Marina, it's in the annexe not the nice building next to the Barbican. Nice cafe near there though. (Kipferl)

I shied away from Suzuki too (large classes, forced structure, copying the teacher, lack of printed music), but maybe that's due to my early non-Suzuki indoctrination.

Oh I am very happy to read your post Arabica. That is exactly what we have done and ds seems to thrive on it. I am sad we can't get to the group you mention, as it sounds marvellous, but I think he will be just fine, and probably grow out of it to some extent as you say your ds has.

We have become friends with all the local buskers and often go to nice concerts for children, or local events where they can try instruments. It makes me feel proud when people say how musical he is but it also worries me. I feel really reassured and encouraged by all the response on here, thanks so much.

[puts former piano teacher hat on] IMHO you're doing exactly the right thing. Learning an instrument is meant to be FUN and at that age it's great if they learn about banging, basic rhythm, cause and effect (bash that bit, make that kind of noise) etc etc. A piano is ideal as it doesn't need help making the sounds (as opposed to say a violin which requires some coordination in order to make a decent sound from 2 inert pieces!) or something that is similarly self-tuning, and when they start to show a real interest that you feel needs some more direction then you could think about trying some lessons. More to the point when he gets to a point where you think he's frustrated with only being able to do what he can work out for himself, then some gentle expert help might be a good idea.

But it's really important to keep it fun, it's meant to be enjoyed and too many little kids are put through the slog of practise and a formal lesson style which kills the whole thing for them.

I am obviously biased towards the piano but it makes a great starter as they are very robust and kids can let rip without damaging anything (within reason of course!).

DS says he doesn't need piano lessons as he can 'play it already' but I am secretly hoping that when he decides he would like to learn an instrument that's the one he chooses. In the meantime when I have time and energy to spare I am going to learn myself--have always wanted to!

The majority of Suzuki lessons are one-to-one, the "big lessons" are play-togethers, which are nice social occasions for the children. And it's not so much a lack of printed music as developing the art of playing by ear. They learn to read music too but are not dependant on that alone.

We have taken ds to a music club since he was about a year old. It has been mostly singing, with a bit of percussion etc, but quite informal, and lots of fun. He has really enjoyed it, and can sing well, and is good at rhythms now too (he is now 5). We are thinking now of possible instrument tuition, as he obviously has some aptitude and likes music, but I think we will only do it if he really wants to. I think about 5 or 6 is a good age to start with a lot of instruments.

I would say at 3, do a lot of fun things with music, including maybe a club, but keep it fairly informal, and then maybe start more formal tuition at about 5 or 6, but only if your child actually wants to do it.

I would add that learning an instrument is a great skill to have. I learnt the clarinet, still play it, and its a great hobby, and has given me an interesting social life too.

haven't had a chance to read it all, so sorry if i'm repeating what was said earlier...
it can be great fun for them to experiment at this age and earlier, having access to music/instruments/clubs etc at this age (and earlier and older!) i run a music group for pre-schoolers and all enjoy it from 0 - 5 - they love the freedom and fun.
in my experience starting formal lessons early doesn't always make any difference..for example the susuki violin method starts them at 3 (ish) but i have found that those who start later (7 or 8) usuaully a)have chosen to do it, so practice and are motivated b) make quicker progress and so again enjoy it more.
the only benefit to learning early is that they learn for longer!
it is a personal choice but don't be pushed into it, cause you might find that my 7 or 8 they don't want to do it anymore.
let them have fun with music!
sorry iof this is long and ramberly..

I'd wait, DS1 has been begging to do violin but we've had to wait for funding, now he has access to DLA (potentially) we will be looking into it. My cousin similarly waited until an older age- 8 I think- and has applied to study music at Cambridge this year, being proficient on eight instruments. I think he rather disproves the old chestnuts about starting early!

i used to teach the violin and my pupils ranged from 3 to 60! i taught the 3 yo against my better judgement and i don't think the lessons were particularly productive. it was more about playing musical games and messing around getting used to the instrument. not really a problem, but i wanted kids to learn the violin! i think the ideal age to start learning is 7, or as early as 5 if it's a particularly enthusiastic student. the most important thing ime is that the child wants to learn, not the parent wants their child to learn. to get anywhere children really need to practice every day even if it's only for 10 mins. quite hard to do if a child isn't really that keen.

warthog sorry, bit of a hijack- Sam wants to learn and seems to be musical (he got music as his best subject for his school report and has apparently perfect pitch- although all I ever hear is him singing songs about poo so i'm relying on his class teacher for that LOL), but he can't read so wouldn't possible be able to read music, at least for the time being. he is six. Do you think he's worth it? He has high functioning autism, btw.

This is all v interesting. DS is 5 (in 2 weeks) and has been begging to learn to play guitar for a year, now.We have now found someone local prepared to teach a 5 year-old - at which Ds cheered. But I am a bit worried that he imagines that he will be belting out numbers from School of rock somewhere before the juice break in his first lesson. I have tried to explain...we'll see. He asked about the notation used as a graphic to show a blackbird was singing in a Charlie and Lola book. I explained how it denoted timing, and what I know of it (v little - the difference between a quaver, crotchet, etc) and he has been practising reading music for timing whenever he has the chance. Neither dp nor I are at all musical. If he gets fed up, I will be entirely happy to leave it until he asks again.

wellknownmemorablepeachclair, if he expresses an interest in it, i'd definitely go for it! i don't think the 'not being able to read' will come into it really. there are plenty of ways to approach learning an instrument. how exciting!

i think if a child expresses interest, then go for it! i had a very talented 5yo who was a faster learner than some of my 8yo's. each child is totally different, and imo an interest / talent should be nutured and enjoyed.

Music lessons at that age are really important but they have to be appropriate to their age. They should be working with rhythms rhymes and basic singing to learn big concepts (fast and slow, loud and soft, high and low) not actual notes or playing an instrument. This gives them the right foundations and makes instrumental learning that much easier later on. You can find online music lessons for toddlers here www.mindsetonmusic.com

Interesting, I teach two boys piano, they are just over a year apart in age 8 and 9 and they are like chalk and cheese, one really serious and intense the younger doesn't focus at all. Their Mum was almost apologetic for her younger son, I said don't be, it's up to me as an educator to make sure I teach him in a way he will respond to. He doesn't have to be the same as his brother. Do any other mums have any tips on how to handle siblings like this when they're very close in age so we can avoid comparing them so much?