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JoyNChrist
03-29-2010, 12:27 PM
DS is very musically inclined - loves to sing, knows all the different instruments, always wants to listen to different kinds of music. We're interested in starting him in music classes at some point and thought we'd start with piano. What is the typical age to do that? I took piano and violin, but didn't start until I was around 10...I know lots of kids start earlier.

MelissaTC
03-29-2010, 12:34 PM
I was told it was beneficial for the child to be able to read and have the maturity to sit through a lesson and then practice. I have been told the younger age would be 5-6 and the average is around 7-8.

jenmcadams
03-29-2010, 12:44 PM
My DD started at the beginning of 1st grade (she was just shy of 6 by a week or two). Her teacher typically prefers kids to be 7 years old to start...or first grade at a minimum (most seem to start in 2nd). She does a 30 min private lesson once per week and practices 4-5 days per week.

Hawkeyewife
03-29-2010, 12:45 PM
My 4 and 7 yr olds started piano in late January. Both are doing great! The 7 yr old is farther ahead than the 4 yr old. We are a musical family though. DH plays several instruments and we have a dedicated music room which we use daily. Our two year old "plays" his guitar and drums etc while we play, but he won't get formal lessons for a couple of years, he just doesn't sit long enough for a lesson right now. Besides piano practice (I let the kids decide how much they want to practice each week but usually have to help them), we usually find songs they like (Laurie Berkner, Miley Cyrus, Selana Gomez etc) and learn them and let the kids dance around and participate. It is really fun!!!

o_mom
03-29-2010, 12:48 PM
Suzuki method teachers will usually start around 4 years old, traditional piano teachers usually want them 6-7 years old.

edurnemk
03-29-2010, 12:49 PM
DS is very musically inclined - loves to sing, knows all the different instruments, always wants to listen to different kinds of music. We're interested in starting him in music classes at some point and thought we'd start with piano. What is the typical age to do that? I took piano and violin, but didn't start until I was around 10...I know lots of kids start earlier.

I started at 5-6 with piano lessons, and I loved it. I had a really good teacher the first few years.

hellokitty
03-29-2010, 12:53 PM
I was told that they should know how to read. I started piano at 5 and did just fine. I think I am going to start my 4 yr old with suzuki violin soon. He would probably do well with piano, but doesn't know how to read yet.

niccig
03-29-2010, 12:53 PM
DS started last year at 4 years 9 months, but it's yamaha music class. It's a group mommy and me class. DS and 2 other kids have a 45 minute lesson where they will do circle time, sing a song with hand motions, then they play on the piano. Each song is short and broken down. Eg. the first week we just sing the words and the melody (DO, RE, MI, FA), the next week they start to play with right hand for a few weeks, then learn left hand, then do both hands together. He's also learning how to read music.

Practice can be hit or miss with DS. Sometimes he loves to do it, other times he doesn't. We do 10 minutes a day and then have one exercise in a workbook, this week it was tracing quarter notes.

DS wanted to learn how to play like DH. This was the only class for a child his age. He likes to play his own songs. Before each practice and often on his, he'll go and play 2 songs he has made up. I'm trying to make it fun, but some days I do have to say "you need to practice and then we can go do x." He gets to choose when he does it. He needs help when it's a new song, but as he gets to know it, I need to help less. I never took music classes, so I'm learning along with DS. He just came and asked me if he can practice now, so he doesn't have to do it this afternoon - he wants to help our neighbour fix his pick up truck this afternoon.

JBaxter
03-29-2010, 12:55 PM
6-7 is what the standard is around here. I think I was almost 7 when I started.

sunnyside
03-29-2010, 05:47 PM
I started piano at 4 or 5 and did great. I recommend always making sure the teacher teaches dynamics though because it is tougher to learn after you've been banging on the keys for a while, than if you were told about it earlier.

g-mama
03-29-2010, 06:08 PM
My 6yo has been begging to take piano lessons since he was 3. I've been told by many teachers to wait until he can read and probably 1st grade. We're starting him this summer, when he finishes kindergarten. In the meantime, he's doing Kindermusik for the Young Child and loves it. He's learning a lot.

My dh (and his entire family) are very musical. My ds takes after that side of the family. He sits at the piano all the time, and I swear, he is teaching himself to play. Dh taught him Mary Had a Little Lamb and a week later, he started doing it with two hands "because it sounds better that way." Yeah, he's like his dad and NOT me!

My MIL kept on me to find a Suzuki teacher but I couldn't and then heard quite a few not so good reviews from parents who'd gone that route, so I held off.

sariana
03-29-2010, 06:44 PM
My son took lessons for a couple of months when he was 4 (almost 5). He actually was doing well, even without being a reader yet, but he never wanted to practice (understandably). We didn't want to pay so much if he wasn't going to practice, and I didn't want to make him dislike it by forcing him to practice. So he stopped the lessons. He has mentioned a couple of times that he might want to try again. He'll be six in July. He has ADHD, so focusing long enough to get in a good practice session truly is a challenge for him.

OP, have you considered a group class or something through your rec department, just to introduce the concept? If your child likes it, then you can look into more formal lessons.

giavila
03-29-2010, 07:40 PM
dd1 started at 4 years old. Just a short 15 minute lesson/week. She has always done well with it, but now that she is almost 6 and reading well she has totally "taken off". She now is doing 30 minute lessons 1x/week and she practices 10-15 minutes a day everyday. I will probably start dd2 a little later.. closer to 5 years old.

maestramommy
03-29-2010, 09:42 PM
I'm going to wait til Dora is in K to start her. There are very gifted kids that start Suzuki at 3, but I don't think my kids have the attention span necessary. However, you can always sign Avery up for music classes, keep feeding his interest in a broad way. I think that's great for kids, and not necessarily having them narrow the focus at too young of an age.

sunshine873
03-29-2010, 09:48 PM
I teach piano lessons and have found that kids do best if they're able to read. They can just understand the concept of note names better, not to mention learning to read music. I've found that 1st grade is a pretty good place to start. They typically have more of an attention span at that age too. I had a mom that really wanted to get her daughter started early, so I taught her. But we ended up working for 10 minutes, taking a 5 minute break, working for 5 minutes, taking a 5 minute break, and then could finish off the lesson with 5 more minutes. Kind of a waste of the mom's $$. Now I only take 1st grade & up.

babybell
03-29-2010, 09:49 PM
I'm a piano teacher. I start kids at 6 if they've had some musical background (Suzuki violin, etc) but in general I start at 7. The young ones can be hit-or-miss; sometimes it's really hard to get the theory (i.e., reading music) across to them at that age.

denna
03-30-2010, 02:49 AM
DS is very musically inclined - loves to sing, knows all the different instruments, always wants to listen to different kinds of music. We're interested in starting him in music classes at some point and thought we'd start with piano. What is the typical age to do that? I took piano and violin, but didn't start until I was around 10...I know lots of kids start earlier.

I have looked into music lessons for my DS (will be 4 next week) and have been told by every single school/ teacher that I called that noone will teach a child younger than 4yo. I even spoke with the music teacher for our local montessori school and she does not begin private lessons until 4.

You have a little time yet. In the mean time get him a Melissa & Doug piano ;). Good luck!

BarbieSmith
03-30-2010, 06:52 AM
We did one year of Music for Little Mozarts (heavy on piano and theory) and in our family, it was too much for a 4 year old. We stuck with the year, but I wish I had waited another year or two before starting. The little frustrations, the attention span, and the lack of reading made it less fun than it should have been!

schrocat
03-30-2010, 08:12 AM
We're starting DS in the summer (he turns 5 in May). My friend who teaches and is the most patient person I know doesn't take students until they're in Kindergarten.