Ask:
How old were your kids when they first started taking music lessons?
My three and a half year old loves music. Loves to dance, sing, and even play his toy musical instruments. I used to play the piano as did my SIL so I would love to see him learn to do that.
I realize he's too young now....but when is a good age to start them on lesson? And do you know where someone can buy or find affordable used instruments?
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bump
Answer:
They say when they are about 4 and can recognize all their letters and numbers is a good age. I have a 4 year old and she doesn't have the patience yet!
You might want to try a kid's music program, like Kindermusic. We did it with our older daughter and she loved it! DD#2 wasn't into it! They sing and dance and use basic instruments, like shaker eggs and rhythm sticks but also allow them to use bigger more interesting instuments every now again, like drums, xylophones and triangles.
But there are curriculums out there for small kids to teach yourself. I have a series called Music for Little Mozarts that I got to teach my older daugther the piano. She's more into the guitar though...can't remember the name of that book.
Hope this helps!
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My dd started piano lessons at 5. They were group lessons where they learned to read music but also played rhythm instruments and "clapped" beats, etc. so it was more fun than the traditional sitting next to an old woman on a piano bench for 1/2 hour. Parents had to attend with the kids and we really had to practice with them too, esp in the beginning. I'm not sure I'd really recommend that young though, as I think the learning curve is really slow at that age. As an example, one of my friends dd started the same time as my dd (they were in class together). Well several years later, she started her older dd, and she quickly passed the younger dd. So sometimes I think unless the child is incredibly talented or very, very interested, it's a better use of money to wait a bit. But I DO believe strongly in the value of musical education, so if I had a child really wanting to take lessons, I'd at least let them try for a while.
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My oldest has a lot of natural musical ability. He has perfect pitch and can play piano and guitar by ear and is pretty good on the drums too. His dad is a musician and can play most things as well. I thought because he was so talented that I would enroll him in piano lessons at about 4 years old. He could already play "Crocodile Rock" with both hands by ear. He hated the lessons and quite playing anything for about 2 years. It broke my heart, I thought I ruined him. He's 7 now and he has started playing again, happy me. I'm not going to enroll him in lessons unless he askes me too. His father is working with him right here at home and he keeps things a little looser and more fun that the regular structured lessons.
I don't know if any of that was helpful, but that was our experience with lessons.
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Kelly that was very helpful. I want to hear all experiences...not just the good ones!
So far ds has told me he wants to play:
the oboe
the cello
the violin
the guitar
and the piano!!!!!!!!
So I am in no hurry to dish out $$ for all of the above. I will wait to see how his tastes change as he gets older.
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My son started playing the violin at 3 years old. Suzuki instruction can begin at as young as 2 1/2, but 3 is more common and depends on the child. Because children that young can't read, they don't learn to read music yet. They play games to learn proper foot and hand position, ryhthms, and other stuff like that. My son is 5 now and can play 4 short little songs, including Twinkle Twinkle. You are required to take 1 private lesson and 1 group lesson a week. Summers we do not do the group lessons. It can get pricey. One of the parents is the home teacher, so you need to learn the instrument too and teach it to your child at home. Between my rental, my son's rental, group and private lessons it costs us about $1200 a year. But we want him to learn discipline, focus and that hard work reaps rewards a little at a time.
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We have a new program in our area called the Little Music School (formerly the Little Piano School). It is the first chapter in the USA (the original school is in Vienna)
I enrolled my daughter when she turned 2 years old. They start them at 18months of age. I was skeptical at first but my pediatrician suggested a music class for my daughter because she was so shy.
They teach the kids that colors correspond to notes... so blue is doe, yellow is mi... etc etc.
They use blocks and cars and fun toys to do this. Then they paint their nails different colors to correspond to the correct keys on the piano and place colored stickers on the piano. The book has colored notes and they read along and play. Well, these kids are playing the piano and my daughter loves it!
Who would have ever thought that this was possible at such a young age? It really is amazing.
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Very cool ladies. Thanks for the info. I will look into that!