What is the best age to start Piano Lessons for your child?

Parents who enroll their children in music lessons early on inevitable provide a powerful boost for their youngsters’ overall development. A number of studies suggest that formal music lessons increase children’s brain growth and neurological processes. Early music education helps develop hand-eye coordination, improves language skills, teaches to use both left and right side of the brain simultaneously, develops discipline, patience and music appreciation, and instills confidence. Additionally, studies show that adults who played music instruments in their childhood processes the sound better, which in turn helps them to keep their hearing sharp in old age.

Piano is the best and easy first instrument to learn

1.     The child just needs to press the key to produce a sound

2.     The concept of positioning both hands on the keys is easily understood

3.     Kids who start taking piano lessons at age 4-5 naturally curve their fingers

4.     A comprehensive knowledge acquired in piano lessons can later be applied to any other instrument.

 So, what is the best age to begin taking piano lessons?

 My personal experience teaching private piano lessons since 1991, backed by the results of research both here and abroad, shows that children greatly benefit from starting formal piano training as early as age 4, when brain circuits for learning music mature. However, since every child is individual in his abilities and development, it is important to evaluate their emotional, mental and physical readiness before engaging them in piano lessons. Your parental readiness and support are also essential.

 Emotional Readiness

I long have noticed that it is easier to teach a 4-year old student to play the piano when he shows an interest in learning an instrument from the start. Those students concentrate on learning the material and look forward to studying a new song. Focus is an important part of learning process, as well as the ability to listen to the teacher and follow directions. The student who does not want to learn the piano, but gets enrolled into the lessons by his convinced parents will perform poorly, despite the entertaining and engaging music material and fun music games offered by the skilled piano teacher during lessons.

 Mental Readiness

To begin formal piano lessons, a student needs to have a basic understanding of the counting. Young children learn to number their fingers, 1 through 5 and position the correct finger number on the keys. Additionally, the kids learn to count music beats and rhythm.

Music is made up of notes and each note has a letter name. The young music students need to understand the alphabet concepts and know at least the letters of the music alphabet, A through G.

 Physical Readiness

Students should have a basic motor and hand-eye skills to coordinate the note reading with the key pressing.

Additionally, students will need to be able to move each finger independently in order to translate the note reading to the finger movements.

Parental Readiness

Parental support and willingness to help children develop a daily practice routine will help them to progress faster, take lessons more seriously, and stay motivated.

Music education at an early age is very important in children’s overall development. All of our music instructors are experienced working with very young children and keeping the lessons fun and engaging.

Olesya MacNeil has been a private piano teacher since 1991 and is the founder of Music Teacher LA, a provider of in-home and in-studio Music Lessons on all instruments for ages 4-adult and Piano Tuning services in L.A. and the South Bay. Learn more about their piano programs at http://MusicTeacherLA.com/Los-Angeles-Piano-Lessons/ or call (310) 220-0405.