does anyone's dc do the junior sessions for music at birmingham conservatioure (or similar) and are they really capable of learning voilin when they're three?

[beautifuldays]

have been looking into music lessons for my ds who is 3 and a half as he really enjoys it and i think music is really important for kids learning, and would love him to learn a musical instrument. one of my friends mentioned this and i was just wondering ifd anyone else had done it and if their children really were capable of learning an instrument at age 3 or 4 (ds will prob be 4 by the time a place comes up). any info grately recieved!

not done it myself. It's certainly possible for some children to learn that young. Whether or not it will put them off for life is the big question - it probably depends on the child's personality and maybe culture as well as the teacher and the way you enforce/encourage practise sessions. You will probably find a higher proportion of asian children who do this because it seems to be 'the done thing' for them to learn an instrument very young.

One thing I would say is that children seem to learn faster when they are a bit older.

Some children do, but it's more usual to do something less formal then start them on an instrument more like age 7 or so.

On the other hand, that link seems to be doing only a small amount of the instrument and a lot of singing and movement, so it may not be too intense.

You could ask them how much practice they are expecting out of the children at this stage - if they are pushing too hard, it's likely to feel like a chore (for both of you!) rather than fun.

some instruments depending on their physical co-ordination. Kids develop at different rates.
But banging away at a trianlge is fun. Having mummy standing over you shrieking 'I paid 30 quid for that lesson so practoce' to a quivering 3 yo is not fun.
Life should be fun and about what the child wants not the parent thinking 'I've read it boosts their brain power'....

I did a saudzi (can't spell the word) violin class when I was five. I can't play the violin now.

I enjoyed the classes, but I hated the practice. Most the families who did were families who were desperate for their kids to get scohlarships to private school.

from what i understand of it, they use the suzuki method where they don't need to teach them to read music, they also start them off on a cardboard violin so they get used to handling it. so don't think it's too formal

it's the kodaly and eurythmy stuff that i thought would be really great, but they have to learn an instrument too. i will have to find out a bit more, i wouldn't want a 4yr old being forced to practice, you're right, it's supposed to be fun at that age.

and if the others in the group are being made to practise (even if it isn't required) and your child isn't, that can all too easily lead to your child feeling they are 'useless' at violin/music if they don't make the same level of progress.

Ds started the cello just before his fourth birthday. That was a year ago. Before that he had done two years of general musicianship classes (which have some Kodaly and the other stuff mentioned on the site you link to) which helped with the cello enormously.

A year on and he can play twinkle twinkle little star as well as lots of other pieces from Jackaroo by Pam Wedgwood and Witches Brew by Lumsden. He can read music (in his case the bass clef) and he can find the tuning notes on the piano. He can play harmonics and play in tune.

He has a brilliant teacher who is experienced in teaching small children, and I am a music teacher - though I don't play the cello. I do make him practise for 10 minutes each day, but I let him pick which pieces he plays from the ones he knows (he can learn his new piece from his teacher in about 5 minutes).

He has amazed me with his progress, but having taught lots of very young children myself I have realistic (to low) expectations of what they can do so young.

In summary they can do it - but the parental involvement is much higher, there is no point at all if you don't supervise practice, and yes they could make the same progress in around 2 months when they are 8, but as long as you realise this it's fine.

which musicianship classes was he doing twentypence?

am maybe looking for something else for Isolda to do in addition to your wonderful classes and was wondering about the ones at CSM....

oh FFS why don't I just blurt out DD's name

oh well never mind it's on my profile anyway

I see that the classes are very Kodaly and Dalcroze based. If so then go for it. Dalcroze and Kodaly are excellent ways of getting very young children involved in music and encouraging musicianship. Our new singing teacher is Dalcroze trained and her classes are great

He did CSM - it's with Louise and as you know she is awesome. We are only stopping because frankly we want our weekends back. He's having a 30 minute cello lesson instead with his teacher doing 10 minutes of muscianship/theory each week with him.

Theoretically his school should do music with him when he starts next month(and if they don't I shall go in and do it for the whole class instead of listening to reading).