Age for piano lessons

[KateandtheGirls]

What is the best age to start lessons?

I started piano at 8 & violin at 7 or vice versa cant remember which. wish I'd started earlier and had a teacher who did more sightreading as I'm still fairly rubbish at it.

If your child is young ( actually any age) look for a teacher who is enthusiastic because you've got to keep them motivated or boredom will set in. I loved music anyway. My sister wasn't so musical but changed to clarinet and got on like a house on fire.

Main thing is if they enjoy it they'll want to practice and as long as they're not being pushed or held back no reason why that shouldn't continue.

Forgot to say I continued piano to GR8 and Violin to Gr 5 school exams and other comitments forced me to stop. and about the piano you can buy a second hand one out of the paper for not much but they go quickly.

What days of the week do your children have lessons? Is it after school or weekends?

Do piano teachers ever come to your house to teach them to play? I just can't imagine dragging DS1 (age 5) off to a piano teacher's house, what would I do with the other 2 children (age 3 & 6 months) for 1/2 an hour while DS had his lesson -- surely at that age he wouldn't have a longer lesson??).

Do any of your neighbours have a piano they might let your DDs come in to practise on, Kate? I so understand your reluctance to commit upfront. We have had a piano for close on 20 years now, various kids have had lessons at various times but mostly it just sits there - it's a big investment and takes up a lot of space (probably relatively less in your house but still).

Currently DS2 (11) is our only pianist - although DD1 (22) will play a bit when she comes home, which is nice. She went up to Grade 7; DD2 started early but got bogged down when she had to move octaves aged 6-7, and went on to play flute instead (also got to grade 7 and can now play simple stuff on piano with her flute-music-reading ability). DS1 learnt piano up to about Gr 3, got cocky, didn't practise, failed and stopped.

DS2 started at about 7 - can't remember exactly - used to be dead keen and practised loads but it is wearing off, which is a shame because his teacher reckons he is the best of the lot. Also he will not attempt anything until the teacher has showed him first, which drives me wild! So he now practises the same tunes for weeks on end which also drives me wild, but won't turn the page. Ask yourself if you can bear endless not-quite-perfect repetition!

Lavender - it doesn't HAVE to be before 10. My parents couldn't afford lessons until I was 11yrs old - I still got my grade 8 organ, grade 7 recorder and piano and grade 5 clarinet - and have been my church organist/choir mistress for 2yrs now.

They really 'do' need to be able to practice at least a couple of times a week (any chance of being able to use the school piano for a few minutes during lunchtimes??) or the lessons really will be waste of money!

sorry Gwenick...was just a generalisation...don't take it literally...as for practising yes of course they should practise...but the point I was making is that if you have to push them and they are not all that interested then they are not best suited to this hobby...practising is fine but pushing to practise is definetely not the best option...(did explain this in my original post btw).

Lavender - my comment about practising wasn't aimed at you it was aimed at Caligula

okay

Hi Kate, I teach piano and here are my opinions:

I wouldn't take a child who had nothing to practise on at all. Imagine trying to teach your child to tie their shoelaces or use a potty or a spoon but only letting them have the shoe, potty or spoon once a week for half an hour. It would take forever. Rent a piano if you don't want to commit to buying one. If you then buy, you usually get all your rental fee off the purchase. If you buy a reasonably new one, it will hold it's value quite well.

Kate, you could look into learning with your child. I will have 2 parent and daughter combos next year, which I'm really looking forward to.

I would agree with Freckle that choosing the right lesson time is vital. I give my pupils lesson times based on their age, rather than ability. A very young child will have more success right after school or on a Saturday morning.

Reading music comes easy to children, it is a cross between learning a language and a code, which children are easily able to do. Teachers use different methods to do this, mine used colours when I was little. I use music to teach the alphabet (we make little words with the notes etc. and then these become pieces)

Whilst I also agree with the points made about pushing children, a gentle reminder to practise and help building practise into routine (5 minutes before the TV can go on works well)is good. It shows you are interested, and gives the lessons a value. The students who enjoy playing the piano the most are those whose parents sit pretending to read a magazine on my sofa, but who are actually listening to every word ready to help and encourage at home.

Zebra, I know a lot of piano teachers don't travel because they usually have good instruments to teach on and all the resources at home. I would offer a Saturday morning lesson to you. I do have one pupil coming next year who is an friend's daughter and so I am teaching her after school whilst her mum looks after ds in the next room and charging a bit less because I don't have to put Bob into preschool. As mum would be there anyway it's a win win situation.

Some parents take their other children to the park, do their veggie shopping at a local market garden or play tennis on the court near my house. As the younger sibling get older they can sit in on the lessons to find out if they want to learn.

Sorry to hijack, so should I be encouraging my DS (5.5) to practice? Whenever I do, he just messes about with the keys, which I don't mind, I figure at least he's playing with the piano. But he never does the C's and D's he's learned in the lessons. (Once a week, 15 minutes - am I wasting money?)

imho although am no teacher at 5 if he doesn't practise it's not worth pushing him if he really doesn't want to (like said before my sisters were pushed at a very early age and were completely put off) ask him if he could practise if he doesn't I would leave it up to him and maybe find something he really wants to do.

Yes I'd be tempted to say your wasting your money - but then again it's your money you can do what you like with it.

BUT, as a music teacher, I would feel very uninspired to teach someone's child well if I knew that they weren't practising anything I'd taught them. I know we get paid for it, but we do like to get 'job satisfaction' from it - and a pupil (of any age) who doesn't put any effort in during the week doesn't really give you much satisfaction

Kinderbob, what would be the youngest you would be willing to teach? Would a 3 year old be able to get anything out of it at all?

Kate I teach piano and I wouldn't teach a 3yr old - think that's a little too young - unless of course you've got a piano at home and they're already churning out tunes like Mozart - in which case I'd snap them up and brag about what a child prodigy that I'd found LOL

Wouldn't teach piano per se to a 3 year old, I don't think they could sit properly at the piano for a start (having thoughts about ds on booster seat up against piano!). But I would teach music, ie rhythm, counting, singing songs with actions, making fast and slow noises etc. to one who could be persuaded to sit still for long enough. I don't think there will exactly be a queue outside my front door to pay me for that though. Could your younger girl sit in the lesson with you (could she keep quiet and still enough?)

Does depend on the child. I teach children from age 5, and tbh, the younger ones don't get on as quickly as those starting slightly older - I tend to just make it fun for them, and an introduction to playing . A few things they need to be able to do - they need to be able to count to 5, and probably associate each finger with a number. They need to physically be able to sit on a piano stool and reach the keys, and not have tiny fingers (sounds obvious, but I've got one pupil who is so tiny he can barely put his fingers one on note!). I think at that age that 15 mins is enough each week, but they do need practice facilities, or they forget everything between lessons! Hth!

ok tinsel - I agree mostly about from the small hands - I've STILL got tiny hands - an ocatave with my left hand in particular is VERY hard for me (especially with a crooked little finger). Didn't stop me going to music school and getting grade 8 organ - although it doesn't mean the 'proper' version of Widor's Toccata will always be out of reach for me LOL

Gwenick, I've got small hands too (and am professional organist(!) ) but this child has SUCH tiny hands that he can barely put thumb on a C and second finger on a D. In his case I think he ought to wait a year or two, because it is a bit soul destroying for him. Certainly not saying that if you've got small hands you can't learn!

Been thinking some more about this - it certainly isn't impossible to teach very young children music - I learnt recorder at 3, and could read music when I was 3 - but you do need to suit the instrument to the child - for example very young children usually can't play some wind instruments because of the physical exertion required.

Have you thought about simple music lessons, rather than learning an instrument for your younger daughter. Mine have all done Kindermusik from 2 1/2 (DS3 from 6 months). This teaches very basic stuff such as minims, quavers, etc., beat, simple tunes and songs, and so on, done in a very child-friendly way. In fact, the lady who has taught all 3 boys runs a charity which helps some Romanian orphanages and she visits about once a year. Many of the children have no language at all, let alone English (and Maureen doesn't speak any Romanian), but she always gives them Kindermusik lessons, which they absolutely love. Music is the universal language and is accessible from a very early age.

You could see if you have any Kindermusik lessons where you are - I'm sure they must do something similar in the States.

Santa - I hope you didn't pay your friend for playing at your wedding - any organist that plays music which 'they' want at a wedding it well out of order, friend or not

Tinsel - you'll know how I feel them - Messiaens works - though fantastic are pretty hard - can't remember the name of the work as I'm hopeless at French LOL - but it was a gr 8 piece a few years ago (well 7yrs ago actually!) 5 flats, based on a gregorian plainsong type thing . Where do you play?? I'm 'director of music' (LOL that's what they call me - I call myself the organist in charge of the choir) at a church in Wellingborough

Hello! Another music teacher (well, ex music teacher!) here...! Just want to agree with Gwenick - I wouldn't take on a pupil who hasn't got anything at all to practice on - it's just not worth it. They'd at least need a keyboard - even a small one would do at first, but then I'd probably insist on either a large keyboard or piano if they were getting on and enjoying it.

They really do need to practice - I used to say even a few minutes every day or every other day was plenty at first - just to remember what we'd done in the lesson. I used to ask my pupils to have a go at practising just before their tea, for instance, so they'd know they wouldn't have to do loads - just a few minutes as tea was being dished out!! Something like that anyway..!

If they're getting on and doing well, then I'd ask for 10 - 15 minutes a few times a week and build it up from there.

I've taught very young ones - but you can't do much until they're about 4 I'd say. I've taught tons of kids and pretty much all of them got the hang of reading music in no time at all - if they don't think it's tricky they just get on with it!