Excited parents have asked me many times during my years of piano teaching what the ‘right’ age for starting piano lessons is. The answer is simple: There is no right answer. The ‘right’ age for one child very well could be the ‘wrong’ age for another. So how do you know when your child should begin private lessons? Here are a few considerations.
Public schools usually begin their instrumental programs around 3rd or 4th grade, when most children have reached a good place to learn music in their emotional, physical, and educational development. This is a reasonably safe time to start piano lessons for just about any child.
However, many children want to take lessons even earlier because of a favorite artist, an older sibling, or just a passion for music that they have. Many children are perfectly capable of starting private piano lessons even earlier than 3rd grade.
Your child might be ready for piano lessons if they know their alphabet well and are starting to be able to read and also write their name. In order to learn to read music, a child needs to understand that symbols, such as letters, represent language components because music is much the same; symbols, such as notes, represent musical components that make up songs. As long as a child is beginning to understand this concept, they will be able to begin learning to read music. Of course, some piano teachers will teach the Suzuki method, which means your child will learn by rote (imitation) before they learn to read music so this will not be a factor if you choose a piano teacher who uses the Suzuki method.
Attention span is another factor in taking music lessons. The average piano lesson runs about thirty minutes in length. If your child has the ability to sit still and pay attention for this amount of time, he or she might be ready for lessons. Forcing a child who does not have a thirty minute long attention span to sit still for this amount of time will be detrimental; instead of enjoying lessons and wanting to continue, they will probably want to quit taking lessons. However, if your child does not have the necessary attention span but desperately wants to take lessons, you might find a teacher who understands the needs of young children. The teacher might be willing to try a shortened lesson or play musical games for part of the time during the lesson. Another option would be to enroll your child in a program such as Kindermusik, which would give them a fun, musical experience that would lead to private lessons down the road.
The last component in determining if your child is ready for lessons is to look at their size and strength. Is your child tall enough to sit at the piano? Can he or she press the keys down with just one finger? Is he or she physically able to sit for a thirty minute period of time? A child that is too small will have trouble being comfortable at the piano. On the other hand, keyboards are very common options for the small child.
Many children do not start private lessons until middle school. Some parents are afraid that a talented child will be hurt by not starting lessons soon enough. In my experience, middle school students who have natural music talent are able to quickly and easily catch up to the peers that have started at a younger age.
There is a lot of variation in the ‘appropriate’ age to start private piano lessons. It all depends on your child’s determination and drive, their size, attention span, and ability to read and comprehend as well as the individual piano teacher’s methods and willingness to work with your child. Taking your time to determine when your child is ready will make all the difference in the world.
