A good test of this is to try Hoffman Academy’s Lesson Number 1, “Hot Cross Buns.” (It’s free!) A child who can use three different fingers on three black keys to play “Hot Cross Buns” is ready for lessons. If you ask your child to hold their hands up and wiggle, say, only their left-hand ring finger, can they do it? Before beginning piano lessons, children need to be able to move individual fingers. Size of Hand to Begin PianoĬan your child easily place five fingers on five adjacent white keys? For some five-year-olds, that’s a big stretch! Before beginning piano lessons, make sure your child’s hands have grown enough to be comfortable using a keyboard. How do you know if your child is ready? Here is a short checklist to consider before beginning piano lessons: 1. Some five-year-olds might be ready to start, but not always. The best time to start piano lessons will be different for every child, but most will be ready between the ages of five-and-a-half to eight years old. The Requirements for Readiness When Beginning Piano Lessons Also, consider enrolling your child in a good preschool music program, like Kindermusik, Music Together, and Musikgarten. These programs build awareness of musical concepts like rhythm and pitch and lay a good foundation for learning a musical instrument. Singing, dancing, and listening to recorded music are things you can do at home with children at any age. Instead, parents of children under age five should be doing things to cultivate a general interest in music. It just isn’t a very effective use of your time and money for beginning piano lessons. If you put a child at this age in piano lessons, most of the teacher’s time will be spent in redirecting the child’s attention to the piano. Always active and curious, a toddler might pay attention to an adult who is trying to teach them something for about three minutes, but then they notice something else they want to check out. They probably won’t respond well to an adult-imposed learning structure. Children under the age of five who show an interest in the piano should be allowed to explore and learn on their own time table. It is true that you can find videos on YouTube of three-year-olds playing Mozart, but that doesn’t mean a three-year-old who likes plunking on the piano keys should be signed up to begin piano lessons. Is It Ever Too Early to Begin Piano Lessons? Sign up for a free account now and receive over 300 video lessons (and counting!) accessible on any smart device. Anyone of any age who wants to learn, and puts in the hours of practice, can still reach a high level of skill and enjoyment. Those who start later in their teens might not be ready to enter college as a piano major, but they can still get a lot of benefit. Other kids beginning piano lessons as late as ten or eleven can also become excellent professional pianists. You can find examples of children who started piano lessons at three years old, but that is very rare. You, as a parent, want these benefits for your child, but you might be wondering what age is best for beginning piano lessons.įirst of all, let me say that there is no one age that is perfect for all children. According to a recent article in the LA Times, 6-year-olds who received keyboard instruction had more brain growth and better fine motor skills than their peers. Studying music develops discipline, hand-eye coordination, intelligence, and creates a skill that can bring happiness to both the performer and to all who listen. Parents who give their children the gift of a musical education start them out on a path that will enrich their lives in so many ways. Explore our tips for beginning piano lessons below.
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