“When should I start my child on piano or a musical instrument?”
I have heard this question from so many parents. I always say, let them play and enjoy music first, at least until age 4 it should be all about play. If sitting at the piano or sitting down with ukelele or drums, make it a game, a singalong time, special family time, hopping around on the keys high to low, black and white, finding the “twins” and “triplets” of black keys, strumming on your belly button, playing along to a favorite Beatles song, getting up and dancing and being silly.
At age 5, if they show curiosity and readiness, let them explore a lesson for 15 minutes or so, but keep it light a playful, and let them get up and walk around too — jump for “staccato” and slide for “legato” — be silly, race to Middle C, tap the guitar for rhythm and then strum open chords (tune a ukelele to “open tuning” – key of C – more in next blog about this…) and let them experience success and joy right away.
Once they begin to be able to sit down and play songs and listen for awhile, then we can expand to 20 and 30 minute lessons and eventually to reading notes, first with notes in space for high and low, and later on a staff with letters. The “spoonful of sugar” approach is best at this phase — we want them to love and enjoy music for a lifetime, not “drill and kill” to where it squashes the love and joy of one of the purest forms of true humanity and life — MUSIC! Hope this helps answer this question.
More in upcoming blogs on developmental stages of musical and arts learning and different learning styles, and feel free to write in with you questions!
