Piano or violin for 4 years old

[Mum214]

DD(4) is interested in learning piano or violin. I play violin, so it’s easier for me to support her and I believe orchestral instruments may bring a lot of opportunities in the future (older DCs enjoy NCO & JD and they are fantastic!) but piano is also good for children to learn basics and she is slightly more interested in piano because it’s easier to make good sound. We don’t want her to start two instruments at the same time.
Any opinions are welcome!

Let her look and listen to all sorts and then let her try a few before deciding. My DD chose cornet which I never would have suggested!

I wouldn’t bother with piano unless you have one at home.

4 is pretty young for any instrument. Most schools don’t start teaching any instruments until at least YR1 (and then often recorder).

I’d do piano if that’s what she is most keen on. My 7 yr old chose to start the piano a couple of years ago and genuinely enjoys practising. She could always start the violin in a couple of years.

Piano, its much easier for her to play something she'll recognise, which will be a good motivator.

Thank you very much for your comments. That’s a good idea to let her listen and watch various music.

I agree, 4 is young to learn instruments. One of my kids started learning violin at 4 but it was just having fun and she started practicing properly at home when she was 5 or 6. All her siblings play instruments, so DD is keeping asking me when she can start.

I may arrange a free trial lesson of both instruments and will see if she is enough mature to start lesson.

I'd go with piano. Personal interest counts for a lot in making progress when they are young.

If you are musical, you'll be able to help with the early stages of the piano even if you don't play. In fact, you'll get the chance to learn alongside her to some extent which might be fun.

Let her choose but don't leave it too late to start violin, as it is such a hard instrument. Piano is also pretty hard but I think you can afford to start a bit later. Main thing is she enjoys it (most of the time, anyway, there will always be days when she doesn't!).

Starting at 4 helps with learning to read at school. My DD started violin at 4 and piano at 6. Same grade level at both now she is 7.

At 4 her hands might be a bit small for piano... I started at 7 and had to modify my grade 1 pieces! And couldn't reach the pedals either that said, if you start on piano then moving on to another instrument where you only have one line or music to read feels very good!

Piano gets a better sound easier but I would think she’d be too young and too small.
None of the piano teachers round us would take a child that young.

A lot will depend on the child. My DD started at 4 years old and its been great but she could already read and write and is tall with large hands. She also has quite a good attention span for things that interest her.

Before piano we'd tried the ukulele (as she was keen) but her fingers weren't strong enough to play the chords whereas for piano within a couple of weeks of practice she managed full finger independence on both hands.

It might be worth doing some finger exercises on a cheap keyboard with her beforehand to see if she'll really be able to manage physically before investing in a piano / expensive lessons.

There are some fabulous string teaching programmes for very young children - and there is much joy in playing with others, as you say. DD2 started violin at 4 but wasn't quite ready. We stopped and she started piano at 5. 6 months later added cello and she's progressed nicely on both since. I'm a violinist. But I can still support her with both cello and piano. The important thing when they are little is having someone there helping....

Oh. The other reason violin didn't work for DD2 was because DD1 and I both play (DD1 particularly well). She really didn't cope with everyone else being 'better' than her, no matter how much we tried to help her see she is 3 years younger and at a different point on the journey. In the end, different instruments were definitely better!!

Viola (rather than violin) - orchestras are desperate for viola players!

Thank you for your comments. Each one is very helpful!

@MsFogi Viola is a great idea but we can always switch from violin and she is a bit too small to hold viola. One of DCs switched from violin to viola and it was a really good decision! Yes, lots of opportunities and they make DC self confident!

As some of you pointed, it may be better for her to play different instrument from her siblings. DD knows only violin and piano, so would love to bring her to family events of orchestra. My other DCs loved LSO family events before. Hopefully they will hold one this year.

Sounds like a musical family!

DD started violin at 3 and followed up with piano at 5, DS piano at 7 and brass at 9. Both happy with their choices. Both found second instrument progressed fast as a result of what they already knew, so really in terms of ensembles if she started second instrument a year or two later it's not going to make much odds.

Piano and violin do seem popular choices for starting little. Violin makes sense as they don't require strength or puff and come in small sizes. Piano makes no sense to me but does seem to come with lots of tiny prodigies! Don't know how they do it with small hands.

I think the main thing is finding a teacher who is good with the age group in question. If you try to teach a 4 yr old the same way you'd teach a 10 yr old, it's unlikely to work. So 4 isn't too young per se, but it is too young for some teachers.

I have a two harpists and a trumpet player who also sing in the National Youth Choir. I slightly wish I'd started them all on piano, as it gives them such a visual understanding of music, higher, lower, flats and sharps are all there to be seen and understood more easily than other instruments. Plus there are pianos everywhere and (as a grown up piano player) it is nice to relax and sit at the piano at the end of a long day. Other instruments seem to require a bit more exertion! (lazy) I suspect a dodgy start with Suzuki violin for the two eldest might be swaying me too. Joy sapping.

Can I just shove in a hearty recommendation for Kodaly or Colourstrings classes before starting to play, to develop pitch, their ear, rhythm, coordination, confidence etc etc. So much music can be learnt without touching an instrument and will make learning an instrument so much easier.

There's some lovely child friendly orchestral instrument introductions around. CBSO, RPO, Royal Scottish, some of the smaller ones have all done them and it would be a good way for her to experience the different instruments in action if her awareness is only of violin and piano.... That said, at 4 there are obviously limited options. However my daughter knew at 5 that she wanted to play an instrument she couldn't learn til she was a lot bigger and got a lot of joy exploring piano first, waiting patiently until she was big enough for her instrument. She also added in another in the middle as an orchestral, had fun in nco on that before switching to her now first study. But piano has a special place in her heart as her musical first love.

I’d suggest keyboard is a great place to start - many more quickly and easily learn transferable skills there - reading music, harmony, theory, etc etc. Getting to grips with those skills whilst also dealing with additional string skills can often make it all rather slower.
Cellist here, played a lot of instruments as a child and went to one of the music colleges. I took up cello slightly after wind and keyboard and was glad - the bow skills, posture, fingering, extensions, vibrato, harmonics etc were then all things I could concentrate on with good general ‘musicianship’ under my belt.
In the end though what will work best is what she wants to play most. A bit of chopping and changing is pretty common. (I had a few ‘oboe years’ - tough - respect to reed musicians).

Thank you very much for your suggestions!

@thirdfiddle Your family sounds so musical, too! Yes, finding a good teacher for little one is a problem. It’s also one of the reasons why violin is easier for me. I know a good teacher who had taught my other kids.

@Bogoroditse wow! How musical and talented your children are! I love harp so much but it’s too tricky for me to carry! I agree that learning musical basics will help children later when they start instruments. I am now leaning towards piano a little bit.

I showed DD some orchestra performance on YouTube and now she fell in love with flute and also interested in cello Maybe she still needs some time to find a right instrument? I am thinking to let her try free trial piano lesson during summer.

I am just curious from which age children can learn flute/cello.

According to google age to start cello/flute 6-8. Developed dexterity and perseverance apparently. I personally started cello at 10/11 after theory and musicality a bit more developed through more straightforward instruments. Also think I was much more committed and considered in the choice at that age rather than younger.

Cello is similar to violin, can be started tiny with the right method/teacher.
Don't know about flute exactly, they often start with recorder and move on to flute later.

i don't think it matters at this age - what ever she plays will be a great starting point but it doesn't mean she has to stick with it forever. could be a great segue into violin or cello or anything else at age 6/7.

our experience - DD started violin age 5. slow going for 1 yr; broke shoulder which lost another year. restarted age 7, slow going again. age 8 got it together, then went from g1 to g5 in 18 months.

DS - I always knew he wanted to play cello, he used to take DD's violin and stick it between his knees. couldn't find a teacher who would take him for ages, so did a couple of terms of violin but he never took to the positioning even though it was clear he had a good ear etc. eventually found a teacher when he was age 6/nearly 7. been playing 15 months now and taking G3.