How old to learn to play the piano?

[sparkleymummy]

I think DS1 at 3 might still be too little but I can't get him off the bloomin thing. I'd far rather he was learning how to play than deafening us all with constant plonking.

I have just spoken to a piano teacher about my dd (6), and she says she doesn't usually start them before that age....sorry!

How about another type of junior music group, or put a lock on the thing?

A lock might be the answer! It really is constant. He sings as well and says "listen to this one mummy" or "Guess what this one is mummy"

Although its never possible to hear what song it is I always delight him by guessing correctly that its Fireman Sam.

Bless him

Some Suzuki teachers run early years music classes. I have musician friends who send their kids and rate them highly... (though I guess that ultimately it's all down to the individual teacher)

DS (7) started keyboard at school a few months ago - I think they usually start at around 6/7.

Great that he's interested, though! When my ds was that age we used to go to a toddler music group which was hell on the ears, but your ds might enjoy something similar?

I can play the piano
I am nearly three
I can play the big white note
That Mum calls Middle C

In one of ds1's poetry collections. Love it

You can just let him enjoy 'playing' - and listening to you/whoever play - until then, maybe teach him how to 'read' very very very basic music?

My MIL is a piano teacher and she suggests 7. If you start them earlier they just take a longer time to get the the same level IYSWIM.

Sounds like he is really keen! 3 does sound a little too young for piano lessons, but you could try another music activity, or get some very basic piano books (we have the Singing Rascals books) and see what he makes of them.

DD, 4, has just started lessons and it's going well. Her teacher says he has pupils at the young end of 4 but not really much younger than that.

check out the youtube site, search for children playing piano and you get these amazing chinese kiddies who are whizzing down the keys at age 7. So they must have started earlier.

But as someone says, any earlier than this makes it hard for them to read the music and learn the theory. so Suzuki would be best as that teaches by ear (not that that is acceptable to regular teachers, so that could store up problems)..but hey you asked

DS2 is 6.5 and has been learning for a couple of months. His teacher is very relaxed and his lessons are only 15 minutes long as she thinks that's enough. He's very keen though and in the holidays was pottering about for at least an hour a day picking out tunes and transposing his favourites ("I can play Song of the Volga Boatmen on all the black keys - look!"). His hands look very small though and he is not very co-ordinated.

DS2 is 6 and has been playing for 4 months. He has taken to it like a duck to water.....unlike DS1 and the violin - that hurt

www.dogsandbirds.co.uk/
My DD aged 4 enjoys the dogs and birds approach, we do 15 mins or so a few times a week and we started some of the activities when she was 3.

My DS started learning at nearly 4 - a friend of mine who is a piano teacher wanted to use him as a guinea pig for a new programme she was developing. He is 6 now and has lessons with a new teacher (friend moved away)
DS2 has just decided that he wants lessons too (he's 4) and muscled in on DS1's so now they both have lessons!

DS2 is actually better because he tries harder. No idea how long this enthusiam will last though

sparkley - I was thinking the exact same thing tonight! Ds3 is 3.5 and is on the thing constantly banging out a 'tune'. The older two never go near it so I was wondering about harnessing this interest...