When Should I Start My Child In Music Lessons?

You may have been pondering just when would be the right age to start your little one in music lessons. There is no set age for when would be an acceptable time to enroll them in music lessons but you really don't have to wait as long as one might think. There are a few signs that you may want to wait for before signing them up for lessons however. Yes, some children do begin their musical journey as young as 3 years old, while others wait until their children are 6 or 10 years old.

So when is the right time to start?

There is no special time or age to begin music lessons. Although starting your kids young does have it's advantages. There are some sighs though that let you know your child is ready to music lessons. First you want to make sure that your child will be able to sit for 30min without being upset about it. Sometimes a 3 year old is able and ready for this and sometimes not until they are 4 or 5. Every child is different, but you want to make sure that learning is fun and not push them before they are capable of that level of concentration. You also want to make sure that they are able to communicate and at least recognize their alphabet. Since music is comprised of letters A-G and numbers.

Just like all other milestones in your child's life, your child will be ready to start music lessons when they are physically and emotionally ready.

Does it make a difference if I wait until they are older?

There are some nice aspects of waiting until your child is older to start music lessons. They will comprehend more at one time during lessons. There is a little less responsibility for the parent during practice times. Although, you will still probably have to remind them to practice - they will thank you for it later.

However, when you start your children younger, once they exhibit the abilities to start taking music lessons, it will be amazing how music is just like language to them. They also have an advantage of being at a much higher level then those who wait until later. Learning music at an early age also helps children in other aspects of their life, such as their fine motor skills and their concentration level.

How to pick which instrument.

Another thought you may have had is, which instrument should I start my child on? That all depends on a couple of things; How old is your child? Which instrument is your child interested in?

Of course you wish to pursue whichever instrument that your child is interested is learning. Making our children happy is always one of our top priorities. But here's a few things to consider as well. If you are beginning your child young 3-5 piano is usually the best instrument to begin with. One of the reasons is because it has keys which is easier to grasp at a younger age. Also physically, for little bodies and little hands the piano is the better choice. It's hard for tiny hands to wrap around string instruments or hold those instruments for long periods. Another perk for choosing the piano as at least the starting instrument is the fact that the piano is the instrument that most music theory uses, also if your tiny musician decides to pursue this later in college, no matter what instrument is your choice, you will have to have some piano requirements as well.

Now if your child is older and wants to learn the guitar or any other instrument it isn't going to be a hardship for them physically. Although if they have already had a music background when they were younger (piano lessons), picking up a new instrument is going to be a whole lot easier since they already have music experience with reading music, theory, rhythm and terminology.

Helping your little musician succeed.

Getting your child enrolled in music lessons is only the first step a parent takes in helping their child's music education. Most children will not have the self-discipline to make sure that they set aside time to practice, which is normal and doesn't mean that they aren't interested, they are just being kids. So you want to make sure that they practice in an encouraging way. If your children are younger 3-4 when they begin lessons you will probably have to set with them for their practice. Just to help them stay focused and  help them remember what they are doing, don't worry at that age practice time is usually 15-20min. Depending on how much fun you're having together! Bonus! You'll be surprised that you are also learning and picking up on the instrument.