When Should My Child Start Piano Lessons?
by Adrian Martinez
You know how beneficial it is for your child to learn an instrument—it teaches them to hear music differently, improve their motor skills, expand their minds, and compose their own songs. The question is, at what age are they ready to sign up for piano lessons?
Before we answer this question, a quick disclaimer: every child is different, and will learn at a different pace. As a parent, you know your child best. Some parents begin lessons when the child is as young as four years old, while others hold off until they’re eight. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the benefit of online lessons has become clearer than ever: it’s safe. Online lessons are a no-contact way of learning an instrument in the comfort of your own home. You can go at your own pace and adapt the lessons to your child’s schedule.
Playing the piano involves a few key skills. For your child to succeed, they need a basic grasp of these abilities before they start learning to play the keys. Once these skills start developing, your child may be ready for their first piano lesson:
Motor Skills
One of the skills spent the most time developing when learning the piano is finger dexterity. It involves a degree of ambidextrousness that many children find challenging. To begin playing, your child needs basic control of their hand movements. Can they fit five of their fingers on five keys? Are they able to distinguish left from right? If not, they may need more time to grow and develop before they’re ready to play the piano.
It’s challenging for new piano players to follow along with fast songs. Piano Marvel has a feature called Prepare Mode, which lets students play at their own pace. It waits for the child to play the next note before the lesson progresses. This lets young students develop their skills and rhythm at a pace that’s comfortable for them.
Reading Ability
It’s one thing for a child to learn how to read English; it’s another to teach them how to read sheet music. To understand lessons and learn new songs, your child must be capable of comprehending symbols on a page. Learning music involves memorizing chords and their corresponding keys. They’ll also need to recognize patterns to identify recurring elements of various songs. Before your child begins piano lessons, they’ll need to develop basic reading comprehension.
A Passion for Music
The biggest motivation when it comes to learning music is passion. Is your child old enough to be interested in the instrument? This will help their lessons go more smoothly. Once they start enjoying music and finding their favorite songs, they’ll be more passionate about learning to play them on the piano. It will motivate them to practice frequently and hone their skills. Passion is an important part of overcoming adversity; when your child is trying to learn a difficult song, it will motivate them to persevere. You don’t want to force them to play, or else they may end up disliking the instrument. Let their passion develop naturally and begin the lessons once they’re ready for it.
The Ability to Focus
When learning any skill, there’s a process of trial and error. It takes patience, dedication, and hard work. Children who are too young to focus for at least 30 minutes will struggle when they take a beginner’s lesson. If your child throws in the towel whenever they encounter challenges, the learning journey will be a difficult one. It may be worth waiting until their attention span is more developed before starting lessons. Otherwise, both you and your child may end up frustrated. This talent is developed over time rather than at one specific age. You can get your child signed up for a trial lesson to see how they do and make your decision from there.
When are you too old to start lessons?
Never! There’s no point in your life when it’s too late to learn an instrument. Learning piano is an engaging and healthy experience at all stages of life. Put aside those fears of feeling past your prime and put your learning hat on instead. While there are studies that support the idea that it’s easier for a child to learn a new language than an adult, it doesn’t mean learning is impossible for an older individual. It may just take a bit more time and patience. This is one of the reasons why parents choose to enroll their children in piano lessons at a young age.
Many believe that the earlier your child is exposed to music, the easier it will be for them to master an instrument. While that may be true, everyone learns at a different pace. A great tool for beginners to use is Piano Marvel. Children can choose familiar songs from a diverse library of music. Tools like progress tracking and practice modes make it accessible for beginner pianists. It works on both acoustic pianos and digital keyboards! With levels that range from 1-18, the program grows along with your child’s playing ability, from a beginner to a professional.
Your child may not be ready for formal lessons; in that case, this application is the perfect place for them to begin. When they’re ready to train with a teacher, they can use Piano Marvel alongside teachings to practice their skills and master their lessons. This application can act as a supplementary tool for those enrolled in lessons to facilitate the learning ability of the pianist. For young students, Piano Marvel is the perfect program.
