What is the right age to being piano lessons? Is there a right age? My brother is a musician and owns his own music store. He is an experienced music teacher for adults and children. He said that by far a child was much easier to teach than an adult. Children are open and have little expectations whereas adults walk in with a set idea on what they want to accomplish. More often than not, my brother has stated, adults have an unrealistic set of accomplishments and get discouraged early on and quite. Children are open to learning and will take instruction without questioning or trying to analyze every move. They have more of a tendency to trust their teacher and take his lead rather than being frustrated with what appears to be little progress. So when do you start? There are ways to determine if your child is ready to take piano lessons and how to get the best experience possible.
Is Your Child Ready?
Can your child sit for 10 to 15 minutes focused on the piano? Lessons do not need to be more than 15 minutes long for young children. A child cannot focus beyond that point and there is no reason to push it. According to my brother a child who is focused for 10-15 minutes will see greater progress than most adults taking forty minute lessons.
Can your child recognize numbers (1-5) and letters (A-G)?
A parent should be able to tell if a child has the ability to sit, listen and learn for a short amount of time.
Making the Experience Positive
Go into this experience knowing that young children thrive on repetition. You may have to repeat the same instructions or which note is which many times. Repetition does not mean your child is not ready this is normal.
Keep an open line of communication with the teacher.
Encourage your child to practice 5 times a week for only 10-15 minutes at a time.