Parents who provide the gift of music education to their children start them on a path that will prove to be enriching for their lifetime. The study of music develops intelligence, discipline, and hand-eye coordination. It also creates a skill that can provide happiness to a performer and also to those who listen. For example, six-year-old children who have received keyboard instructions have more brain development and better motor skills compared to their peers. As a parent, you want these benefits to be available to your child, but at the same time, you may also be wondering, What is the best age to start piano lessons?
It should be noted that there is no particular age that is perfect for all children to start piano lessons. There are examples of children who started taking piano lessons when there were only three years old. However, these examples are very rare. On the other hand, there are other children who have started as late as ten or eleven years of age, and they became great professional pianists. Children who start later in their teens may not be able to enter college as a piano major, but they can still enjoy a lot of benefit. Any person of any age who wants to learn and is ready to put in hours of practice can achieve a high level of skill and enjoyment.
Is It Too Early
Yes, there are videos of three year olds playing Mozart. However, this does not mean that any three year old who likes plunking on the keys of a piano should start taking piano lessons. Children less than five years old who show a keen interest in piano should be allowed to explore and learn according to their own timetable. They will probably not respond well to any learning structure imposed by adults. A toddler is always active and curious and might pay attention to an adult who is trying to teach him something for only three minutes before he or she will notice something else that they want to check out. As such, if you start giving your child piano lessons at this age, most of the teacher’s time will be spent redirecting your child’s attention to the piano. The effort will not be a very efficient use of your time and money.
Instead, the parents of children less than five years of age should involve them in activities that cultivate a general interest in music. Some of the things that can be done at home with the children of any age include dancing, singing, and listening to recorded music. You should also consider enrolling your child in a good preschool music program. Such programs create awareness in regarding musical concerts like rhythm and pitch. At the same time, these programs also lay a foundation for learning a musical instrument, like a piano, later on.
Requirements For Readiness
The best age to start taking piano lessons is going to be different for each child. However, most children will be ready when they are between the ages of five and a half to eight years. There are some five year olds who may be ready to start, but this is not always the case. So, how you will know if your child is ready? The following checklist can help.
Size Of The Hand
You need to see if your child can easily place five fingers on the five adjacent white keys. For five-year-old children, that is pretty a big stretch. Before starting piano lessons, you should make sure that your child’s hand has grown enough to be comfortable using a keyboard.
Finger Independence
If you ask your child to hold his hand and wiggle only the ring finger of their right hand, can the child do it? Before starting piano lessons, your child should be able to move their fingers individually. Any casual player who can use three different fingers on the three black keys in order to play “Hot Cross Buns” can be considered as ready for piano lessons. On the other hand, if your child can only play by picking out the tune with one finger, perhaps they are not ready.
Your child can practice finger independence so that they may become ready for piano lessons. You can hold up your own hands and make your child copy you as you wiggle out each finger at a time.
Interest In Music And The Desire To Learn
Perhaps the most significant thing in this checklist is the desire of the child to learn the piano. If the child has the motivation to learn the piano, it will help him or her overcome all kinds of difficulties that they may face. On the other hand, if such motivation is only provided by you, then sooner or later, there will be a power struggle. In case the child resists, it is a good idea to give him a break for a few months. Afterward, the child can reestablish interest in learning the piano and the lessons will become much better.
Ages 6 To 8 Is A Great Time
The favorite age for a student starting the piano is six years old. This is the age when children have already had a year of kindergarten and they have become used to adult-directed learning. At this age, a child’s brain also picks up languages and it creates connections at a great speed. Similarly, a child’s hands are very flexible at this stage, but they’re also agile enough to start playing the piano.
Seven and eight year olds continue to have the prime mental capacity that allows them to learn the complex language of music easily. Some researchers have said that after the age of eight, the window of opportunity for learning music closes. Musically speaking, in this case, things may not click as readily for a nine or ten year old as they may for a child who is introduced to playing the piano a few years earlier.
Conclusion
Another reason it is easier for younger children to start piano lessons is that they have sufficient time available for practice. On the other hand, generally, older kids and teenagers have several other interests in their lives. For example, a child who started taking piano lessons in first grade will have had six years of piano practice by middle school. As such, they are much more likely to be advanced enough and wanting to stick with piano playing even if life becomes busier.
