A good age to start piano lessons?

[WiganKebab]

We have a piano and I'd love the kids to be able to play. They like to play around on it, but I haven't organized lessons yet as they're only young (eldest is 5). What age is a good age to start (without being a pushy mum...)

[lambakins]

DD is 6 and started piano lessons a few weeks ago. She is into it and will go off and practice by herself but I prefer to kinda hover when she is practising as don't want her picking up bad habits!
She is a very good reader as is her little sister who is 5. Lil sis is wanting to learn too but her fingers are so small so I am justing having fun showing her the very basics and she is learning 'Mary had a little lamb'.
Their main bad habit is not keeping their hands up but my piano teacher said to practice balancing a penny when they are playing and not let it fall off!
Piano lessons stop over the summer so will resume in Sept. Its all fun for now as don't want to turn them off.

[SaveMeNow]

To be honest I get a bit cross with the whole - let them wait until they are 10, they'll soon catch up those who have been learning for years - kind of argument!! So what if they do - how about the 5 years of enjoyment the child who started at 5 has already had???? My dd is 6 and her piano lesson is one of the highlights of my week- the pure enjoyment on her face is fantastic!!

[boogiewoogie]

No need to get cross as it's not a competition Savemenow. No one is depriving a child of 5 years of enjoyment just because they start at 10, once they start they have the rest of their lives to learn it to a level that they want to and that they are happy with. What if your a child started at 5 and hated it for 5 years by the time they were 10 but parents still insist that they learn it because it's a "good thing to learn an instrument"?

It doesn't really matter whether they start at 3 or 13 (unless of course you are trying to get your dc into music college and need to get grade 8 by the time they're 16 or whatever) as long as it is the child who is enjoying it. I believe that it hampers the child's enjoyment and progress if they are forced into it from an early age. DCs started at 4 as DH teaches them. It has had its advantages but DS used to throw tantrums at DH for finding it too hard or just not being able to get things right first time. We got proper lessons for him at 7 and he has been better since. He's very diligent with practise and now reluctantly admits that he actually likes the piano. Piano tutor reckons once, they show a keen interest in it then they are ready to learn.

FWIW I'm glad to hear that piano lesson is the highlight of your week. DS has his every fortnight and though dreads his tutor initially, he's always relieved to hear that he's done well. Then it's my turn and that is one of the highlights of my fortnight!