Musical instruments - how young is old enough?

[TataMamma]

Now my DD is almost 11 months, so I'm aware this is not for a while!
I never learnt an instrument as a child and I really want my kids to have this opportunity. I'd always thought of starting with piano at maybe 4 and then - if they wanted to - learning another instrument of their choosing (but not drums or harp lol) around 3 or 4 years later.
When did your lo start lessons? I was thinking individual lessons, because I don't see that you can learn much in group ones. I've read recently of some starting at 3. Obviously I'll have to play it by ear (!) a bit in terms of how my DD is at each age, but any general recommendations? I'd like to start as soon as possible, but don't want to pay/organise/have things when she is too young, not least because it will probably backfire!

A lot of the kids who are really brilliant start very young.

I think it's the other way round: the kids who start very young (and keep up with it!) do so because they are brilliant.

A really good choir is fantastic for later musical training, if you can find a good children's choir or church choir.

Couldn't agree with this more!

It's a shame people have had bad experience with recorders, I'm not a professional musician but a tolerably good amateur and love teaching recorder in school. Having a mixed ability group was never a problem as I quickly get the better ones onto treble or tenor and bass recorders. This means you can have a more balanced sound and gives them a challenge. They learn so much about being in an ensemble, listening to each other, how to follow a part, watching a conductor, performance, all with an instrument that only costs £10-12 even for a decent one. I wanted the ensemble experience to be accessible even for those whose parents were never going to support them to be good enough on violin, flute etc. Hopefully we can get going again after covid.

The kids who are good are the ones who get supported at home, who practice effectively and realise the connection between practice, getting better, enjoying music more, having more opportunities, needing to practice more, getting even better, etc etc. Hard work takes you a long way. I have a ds who is naturally more musical but chooses not to practice specifically, he just enjoys playing, so doesn't get significantly better technically , although he has better feel. I'm fine with that though, he enjoys himself. I get frustrated when people say my dd is talented ( she's not superstar material, just better than many at her school). It's not talent, its hard work and taking joy in doing it. Also having teachers with high but not unreasonable expectations. Read the Kanneh masson book house of music if you want to bring up prodigies! That's a whole other level of dedication and sacrifice.

On the whole screechy violin thing my parents banned string instruments and started me on the flute on the grounds that beginners tend to make no sound at all.when it goes wrong.

I've taken the opposite approach and started my 6yo on violin after doing Kodaly type classes from about a year.

Beginners don't practice for very long and aren't that loud. But although the flute fails quiet as a beginner the bits you practice when you get better and practice longer are the shrieky top register passages...

Also the general too many flutes problem is a pain.

OP there are a few Suzuki violin teachers on the Lewisham area . We know some of them and they are truly lovely.

@randomsabreuse
Although I love the flute, and will let my DD choose, I'm going to try and persuade her to choose something where they are more opportunities to join an orchestra - whether that's being one of a million violins or playing something weird I've not heard of!

Defo going to look into Suzuki but I'll wait a little - she's not quite 11 mo and I'm not that pushy.

I think children need to decide for themselves what they want to do and do it in their own time. I gave my daughter the opportunity to try all sorts of sports and eventually she chose the sport she wanted to focus on and now she’s 12 everything else has stopped. Her coach asked before lockdown if she could start training before school and she wasn’t ready but recently has asked to do before school training, happily jumps out of bed at 5am and goes to bed at 7-8 pm as she wants to get up.

Same for music. She asked aged 6/7 to start clarinet, so she started lessons. Shortly after she asked if she could learn piano and I happened to see an advert for a free second hand piano. I knew we were moving in a couple of years so picked up the free piano and said if she liked it and practised, we would get a new one when we moved. Otherwise we would just pass the free piano to someone else. She loved it and we now have a lovely new baby grand. Along the way, she asked if she could play saxophone so she alternates between clarinet and saxophone for lessons. Even though she started piano and saxophone ‘late’, she’s just picked it up more quickly.

The thing I’m trying to say is that starting early doesn’t mean anything. They have to WANT to do it and if they choose it themselves, they have more likelihood of practising. They also have to have some talent. My daughter is rubbish at team sports - so even though she had tennis lessons from 3, still at 12 cannot hit a ball. But she found her niche in a sport she loves. Same with music.

[quote TataMamma]@randomsabreuse
Although I love the flute, and will let my DD choose, I'm going to try and persuade her to choose something where they are more opportunities to join an orchestra - whether that's being one of a million violins or playing something weird I've not heard of!

Defo going to look into Suzuki but I'll wait a little - she's not quite 11 mo and I'm not that pushy.[/quote]
Yep. Good call. Being the only bassoon, double bass, tuba or other large instrument player to turn up definitely gives opportunities.

However, there's a reason people choose to play small or easy to transport instruments...

Luckily I have a large car.