Piano prep test - ballpark timeframe?

[kate2mum]

My little dd is starting piano lessons at home, twice a week for half an hour. She is very excited and spellbound. For now. She is 4.4years. I wanted to start early as my lovely 10-year-old ds never really liked it, and then it turned out he has dyspraxia, which probably makes sight reading very challenging. And very disorganised. So he has dropped music. We are fine with this.

Little dd is highly organised... when she thinks I am rushing around trying to do 5 things at once, she stands in front of me with her fingers out and counts off things TO DO. It would be slightly irritating if I didn't delight in her beautifully organised little mind. Sigh.

The teacher, who is newly engaged, was non commital about time frames to be ready for the prep test, er one year, maybe two. Fully understand a lot depends on dd's musical aptitude, etc, but just wondering what others have experienced.

singinggirl - with regards to your comment about 'pushing them too hard and them feeling like they are failing' that depends on the child.

We've all seen the US reality programs showing a generic pushy mum's attempts to get her not so pretty or talented daughter into the movies/Broadway/modelling etc. In those scenarios I agree that trying to push a child beyond what they can realistically achieve will damage them emotionally.

But as long as the child has the capacity then I see no harm in pushing them even at the age of four.

We started our kids on the violin at 5 and a half. By 7 DD had taken on the flute (her choice), the guitar at 8 (her choice) and the viola at 9 (at the suggestion of her violin teacher).

As I said, it depends on the child and unless you gently push the child a bit then how can you discover the child's true potential?

PushyDad - my comments about feeling like they are failing come from a teacher perspective - I was using it to explain about the majority of children, hence my Year 2 rule. On odd occasions i will take on a younger child; usually if I know them and have an idea about how they will cope. I work peripatetically as well as from home, and in school I will often ask a class teachers opinion about a childs' general capacity, and also how easily they get frustrated. Also my comments are aimed at the piano specifically, largely because of having to read two lines of music at the same time and cope with two clefs.

Stringed instruments in particular are well suited to learning younger, partly because they come in small sizes. (Both my DS's are string players as well). There are also always exceptions to every rule. But there are also lots of adults and children out there who are convinced they are unmusical based on failing to cope with an instrument because they were too young/ had the wrong teacher/ didn't enjoy the sound they made.

My children's father teaches music. He would say he never found they are much better if they start very young but if the parent really wants it may be it won't do any harm.

He (and I too) would say if you can sit with the child every day for a short practice that makes all the difference. It doesn't even have to be for very long and it should be a fun thing. I also think if you can make it exactly the same time every day then it's easier, like most things in life, even brushing our teeth and bed time. I am sure mine/I do nothing like what tiger parents might do but a few scales a day we try to do. Also with some children as they get older if they have an exam they work. if they don't they don't which is one reason we've done quite a few exams. There was one ridiculous year when two of them had lots of exams in a year between them but that was just because I decided to whizz through grades 1 2 and 3 theory and grades 3, 4,5 singing in a year term by term with two of them and they probably had some brass exams too. It does depend on the child. Some don't want or need an exam to work at. Some love to have things they tick off like brownie badges.

Mine all started at 7 or later, and (from memory) took 18months - 2 years before doing prep test. Not that hot on practice here though

I have taught children this age, including one or two who were so drawn to the instrument that they practised and practised with great glee, and surprise surprise, they did well at it.

I know of children who were not enjoying practising for whom this was a total chore, and who dropped it later on.

In the end it comes down to how much effort the child naturally feels inclined to put in.

Boffin, that's what I keep saying - follow your child's lead and enthusiasm. I don't get it when people say that the normal or usual age is 7 or 8 or that there is usually not much difference in end result whether child starts at 4/5 or 7/8. So what? If a child is keen and interested and parent willing to start I see no reason to be bound by artificial restraints.

should have said parent willing to support