PIANO
MUSIC & MOVEMENT
EARLY CHILDHOOD
VOICE
FAQ’s
At what age should my child begin piano lessons?
The majority of students start piano study between age 6 and 9, which coincides with their physical development and classroom experiences (reading language before trying to read musical notation). However, I have experienced good results with students as young as 4 1/2. I do recommend that the really small people be given the opportunity to enjoy a music-and-movement class instead. Delaying piano lessons until age 10 or later can pose some challenges. I find that it is often more difficult to have the older child tolerate the repetitious nature of early instruction (younger children, by way of contrast, seem infinitely interested in the simplest things and will repeat them over and over to the point of driving everyone else to distraction!). The older child leaps ahead conceptually while the necessary patterning of fine motor skills (a.k.a.”practicing”) can seem terribly ungratifying. A more sophisticated taste in music (“Can we do Star Wars yet?”) and self-comparison to the skill level of peers who may have begun study years earlier can combine to create a difficult situation. However, if the student really wants to learn and is willing to be patient, at least for the first few months, there is no reason why he or she should not be successful.My child would rather play the tuba, but I heard that piano is the best instrument to begin with. What do you think?
Piano is the beginning instrument of choice for several reasons:
· It is immediately gratifying (you can play a simple melody without first having to learn how to produce sound)
· It is the ideal instrument for learning to read music. There is a direct visual-spatial correlation between the topography of the keyboard and music reading concepts (steps and leaps, high and low, etc).
· Because you can play both melody and harmony, you can perform satisfying arrangements that sound complete in themselves (as opposed to needing an accompanist or an orchestra to complete the experience).
· It is a very social instrument (ability to play for church or school groups, family singalongs, etc).
The conventional wisdom is that children should take at least two years of piano before beginning another instrument. That being said, I personally would recommend that, if the child detests piano and is passionate about the tuba (for example), let the child study tuba! If we have a serious musician in the making, he or she will need and more importantly want to pick up piano skills further along the musical road. An avocational musician doesn’t need the additional skills anyway. Forcing a child to study piano is an excruciating situation for all involved, and not recommended!
I hated piano lessons and never practiced. My parents let me quit and now I really wish they had made me stick at it…I didn’t retain much and I would love to be able to play now. My child wants to quit piano too, should I make her persist?
If the child is not genuinely interested and enthusiastic, I do not advocate enforcing music study “just in case”. Children have an uncanny ability to disassociate from situations they are merely enduring, which isn’t terribly helpful for retaining information (this is probably one of the main reasons you don’t remember much of your own torturous early musical experiences!). If your child grows up and is suddenly taken with a desire to learn piano, or go skydiving, or marry someone of whom you disapprove, I am willing to bet they will find a way to do it regardless. And by the way, if you really want to learn piano…I do teach adults! A voluntary adult learns much better than an involuntary child!
I am careful to review expectations at the beginning of each academic year, to make sure my students know they are committed, financially and otherwise, for the duration of the term. If a student wants to terminate (for whatever reason), I recommend creating a graceful exit strategy (a performance goal, finishing a method book, etc) so he or she can finish with a sense of accomplishment and follow-through, as well as relief!
