When's a good age to start music lessons?

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I'd really like DD to learn some sort of an instrument, probably the recorder to start with and see how she gets on. I haven't spotted any particularly musical talent, I just think she might enjoy it, and her school don't seem to do anything in that line.

I'm going to start maternity leave about the time she turns 6 so it would be a good time either to teach the basics myself (not that I have any great ability!) or to be able to take her to lessons. Is this too early? I don't want her to be put off if she's not going to have the necessary finger control or whatever.

TIA!

My dd started recorder at 7, the teacher said that it depends on the individual child and their finger span. My ds started the guitar at the beginning of year 1 so he was 5.5yrs. He has a half size classical guitar and is doing really well.

We started our youngest daughter on Suzuki violin in a class of about ten other children at age 4. She began piano after that and is now happily working towards Grade 5 on both. But, it requires time, effort and money on the part of the parent(s)/carer(s), so you need to be committed to seeing it through.

I started recorder on my 6th birthday, took up flute and clarinet later in life, but recorder has always been my passion, and I played it semi-professionally for a while. Learning at age 6 meant I learnt to read music at the same time that most children learnt to read, so I can now read music as fluently as if it were English, although I can play equally well by ear too. So I think 6 is a perfect time to start. DS2 is 5 and he is just starting to get to grips with the recorder (his choice not mine to start already), he struggles slightly to get his fingers correctly covering the holes, but he is well tuned into hearing when it is right/wrong and is trying hard. I think a small amount of growth to his fingers would be beneficial to him.

My dd started piano at six (would have left it later, but the school were offering lessons)

She loves it

I'm going to go against the grain a bit here. I think it depends hugely on the child, and earlier isn't always better, from my deeply unscientific sample of three children.

Both my sons tried piano at age 6, didn't get on too well, and gave up (one after a year, the other two years). DD tried briefly at 6 and stopped within weeks, but she has recently asked to try again at age 10, and is zooming along. She's made more progress in a few weeks than the early starters made in years.

Cool, doesn't sound like 6 is a silly age to start then (I know lots of people start younger but that seems to be when there is more of a family musical background or a noticeable talent etc).

I'm only really going to have time to get DD started over the next year when I'm home on maternity leave so I think I'll get a recorder and some basic books and give it a try with her (assuming DC2 and 3 allow...). If she loves it, we can then try to work out how to fit in real lessons. If not, it can die a quiet death.

Cheers - thanks for input!

Ds1 and ds2 both did group music lessons from 4 and ODS started piano at 6. At 9 he's still going strong. He wants to take up second instrument but we are holding off for now. Group lessons are fun and introduce basic concepts that apply to all instruments. I think they are a great way to start.

My mother made me learn recorder first. (I wanted to play violin, was only three, but my mother was a violinist.) I resented recorder, but did learn quite a lot and six months later got my violin. I remember it SO well and it was one of the best moments of my life. (I am a violinist.) I think if the child is interested, good at following instructions, and the parents are committed, it can work to start early, but otherwise 7 or 8 is better.
I think lots of children are put off by group lessons at school. It is much better to have a good private teacher outside school, if you have the time and money.

ime it is easier to teach someone to learn to read music once they can read words. That may not be true across the board, but it is what I've found - so I wouldn't start formal lessons before the reading has taken off.

Like SoundsWrite we also started our DCs on Suzuki Violin. DD started when she was 3.5. She's now 8 and working towards Grade 5. DS is 4yrs old, also learning Suzuki method and also making fast progress. They have individual and group lessons and must practise with a parent daily - it's a huge commitment, but totally worth it imo!

The whole Suzuki ethos is based on the 'mother tongue' method, which says that any child has the ability to learn to speak by listening, copying and repetition and the same applies to music.

Like any 'method' much of the success of Suzuki depends on the teacher. DS1 and DS2 did very well with it, the teacher declared that DS3 was unteachable and would never learn anything - she couldn't cope with his bouncy and argumentative nature. It was pleasing when he graduated from Oxford in Music a while ago having gained a load of Grade 8s while at school.

Sound before symbol is certainly the best way, IMHO

I'd second a good private tutor rather than group lessons at school. I started with the recorder at 4, a very good 1st instrument imo, with a private tutor and by the time I stopped playing at 15, I'd reached grade 7. Whereas on the trombone and violin which I learnt at school I didn't get nearly as far as in a group session it's harder to focus on problems you might be having.
However, I found school music great for ensemble playing both in brass band and woodwind quartets and is something I'd recommend once your child has their confidence up.
OP, do you play any instruments? You might find it easier to start your DD on something you can play as you'll have an ear for what sounds right when she's practicing
I'm on the look out for a private tutor for DS1 at the mo so he can start the recorder. Quite looking forward to sharing something I enjoyed at that age with him. I bitterly regret giving up playing music and if I had my time again, would have kept it up.

What sticky said, and others. In my experience (went to a specialist music school) the optimum time is to learn simultaneously with reading as that serves as a very good indicator of when the child is ready for the type of learning and concentration required... and means that reading music is like ready english (it is for me). It doesn't need to be heavy at that age, just fun... with DD I aim to start her around 4/5.

I was a (very pedestrian) wind instrument player at school so it seems easier to start with something I know. Hats off to all you violinists but I just don't think I have the dedication/patience etc to see that through. I also thought the recorder would be a cheaper starter instrument in case DD hates it!! If she does want to progress, I have a fantastic flute languishing in a drawer somewhere, but I guess I should let her make her own instrument choices ;-)

DD is a great reader already and generally keen to learn new stuff so hopefully reading music wouldn't be tooo difficult. I do wonder whether I'd do better finding a proper teacher from the start though. DD and I have a tendency to rub each other up the wrong way a bit at homework time... she's much better at following instructions with other people!

OP, if it makes you feel any better, my dad used to help me practice the recorder as he played himself and we used to rub eachother up the wrong way in the most explosive way possible (both hot headed and stubborn, mum used to say we were too much alike) but he was a godsend come exam and festival time and I'm so grateful he took the time to do that with me. :)
I'd do a few weeks of you and her, then evaluate whether you feel a tutor is necessary

As an 'average' I@d say 7 is probably the youngest age it makes sense for most to start instruments, but the crucail thing is that they are reading fairly confidently - so they can follow the music at the same time as blowing correctly and putting fingers on the right holes.
Recorder is such a fab instrument to start on - only one line of music to follow, and easy to get a tune very early on. Should she want your flute later, of course, the fingering transfers so well

I seem to remember starting with a recorder when I was fairly young (5.5/6?) and I got a flute for Christmas just after I was 7. I played for about 11 years, got to Grade 5 & gave up (regret that now). I think that's probably the right sort of age, but it depends on the child, and the parents I guess. Also depends what you want them to get out of it & if they show any serious talent I suppose that depends how far you/they take it! I think the child needs to be a good reader, and be responsible enough to look after their instrument & listen to instructions. FWIW I am sure that playing an instrument & reading music helped me academically, especially with maths.

My DS started the clarinet at about 8 and added the trumpet at about 9. He's now blasting ahead with the trumpet as he has more of a natural talent with this, and he's also crescendo'ing ahead of his DSis who has been making slow but steady progress with the flute for many years (since 7ish)

So, I feel not crucial by any means to start at 6 or younger though we've always enjoyed taking part in singing classes from an early age too. I guess the voice is a very natural first instrument - but I think the recorder can make a very good next step. I remember learning to play the recorder from about 6 including reading music ! ( Later I enjoyed the piano and clarinet )

Would like to play the piano again, but need to get hold of a tunable piano first ( ours is sadly painfully out of tune) Hopefully one day soon ...

Further to my post above, remember that once one instrument has been learnt from a fairly young age, there is a lot of freedom to pick up new instruments later and get to grips with them much faster - it would be a question of technique only on the new instrument, as reading music and musicality generally has already been learnt. So I started piano at 5, then flute at 7, then didn't start the saxophone until 16! I took grade 8 on all three within the same year at age 17.

Oh and... (sorry OP!), my mum started off teaching me the piano and teaching me music for the first year or so. I then moved to individual lessons through school.

DS started piano at 7 ... wish he had started earlier, tbh. However, he is enjoying it and progressing and the advantage to starting a bit later is that he learnt to read music at the same time. Btw, he is 11 now and still having lessons ...now through his secondary school.

He did do a year of recorder at Junior school - think he was about 6 or 7.

Just to add, the group lessons we use are not part of school, they are part of the orff program at a music school.

Hi

As a TA (male) I taught recorder for ten years, starting kids in Year2.

Size of fingers is important, as they need to cover holes completely, but 'span' is probably less critical. Some years I introduced reading 'dots' but other years that could put children off, and we just did it from memory. I also encouraged them to embellish and improvise, making up their own tunes (unless they were too shy to try.) I also insisted on 'tonguing' which many class teachers overlook.

As you will know, recorder can lead on to other woodwind instruments. Our DS started recorder age 5 or 6; eventually got Distinction Grade 8 on alto sax (and he was fortunate enough to have the County head of music as his teacher in the final years).

Playing in an ensemble has many benefits besides just the musical aspect, and if you can provide support and encouragement in the early stages that's brilliant.

DS started piano at 5 - lessons either went incredibly well, or ended in total anarchy with feet on keyboard, random arguments with teacher (who had patience of a saint) etc. felt was a bit too early, and as one of hammers on piano got snapped off after second term took it as a sign to leave it a while.

He did guitar lessons at school aged 7 for a term, but had to cancel when price doubled from one term to next - lessons seemed to go ok though, although fitting in guitar practice along with homework, football training, beavers etc was a bit too much most weeks.