Piano Lessons - Independence,OH

My daughters started piano lessons around first grade.
The piano will help them understand music theory for other instruments. Knowledge of the piano is helpful for a BA degree in Music.

My oldest daughter graduated out of CSU with a BA in Music Education and is now a music teacher. She played a beautiful sounding clarinet. The youngest daughter is at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and is a flute specialist. While they were in college they WERE asked about their knowledge of the piano.

Make it fun.

Dear N.,
It depends on the child. I started my daughter at 6 but her teacher taught kids as young as 4. L. J

Our local music school starts accepting piano students at six.

Hi N.,
I'm the Mom of four children. I come from a very musical family where everyone plays several instruments and I started lessons at age 3. When our children were young we started them at age 3 as well. It is not traditional lessons but Suzuki piano. They use what is called a Mother-tongue approach where the children learn to play by watching and listening and then repeating. This approach really got me interested in piano and did that for 3 of our 4 children as well. They would constantly say, show me something and then repeat it. Our youngest child is a boy and just wasn't ready at age 3. We waited and then tried it again at 4 and it was great. He turned 6 now and is playing many classical pieces well. It is excited to me to have them just go to the piano and wanting to touch it and play. Each child will approach it differently. I would try it for at least 4 weeks before giving up since it is something new. If it doesn't work now you can always try again later.

All depends on the child. I would think 5 would be a good age, but only if they really want to do it. If they want to learn piano and have fun with it, then I say go for it!

I started when I was about 5.

I started lessons, when I was just five. I waited with my daughter until she was a pretty good reader. A lot of the lesson books and theory books require some reading. If your child is ready at five and can sit and practice every day for 15-20 minutes, then go for it. But if not, and you aren't able to sit and help, then I'd say wait.

N.,

5 is a great age. Look around and find an instructor who is fun and it will make it a lot easier for your son to want to go.

Patty Orahoske at the Howard Creative Arts Center is a riot and fabulous with children of all ages. She's also a very skilled pianist and amazing teacher. I've known her for 20 years. If you're anywhere near Howard, check her out. I think she even teaches a few 4 year olds and adjusts her teaching to age appropriateness. ###-###-#### is the number.

And no, I'm not profiting from this at all. I'm the Saturday art teacher and I've seen her at work. She's wonderful.

J.

My daughter started at 7 1/2, which was recommended by her teacher. She is almost 10 and is still with it. I do think 5 is a bit young. Wait at least a year?

I actually teach piano lessons and I think that 5 or 6 is a good age to start. Young children absorb so much information so easily. My requirement is just that they are able to read their letters and be able to focus for about 20-30 minutes at a time. Check out some different piano teachers in your area and do phone interviews with some of your questions and hopefully you'll find a good match. Great job encouraging your little boy's musicality!

It really depends on the individual child and the teacher. What is his maturity level? Can he sit still for 10 minutes or so and practice or even concentrate through the lesson? Does the teacher try to vary the lesson or just sit there and expect the child to pay attention for 30 minutes straight? Is the teacher willing to give a shortened lesson for a younger child? Is the teacher willing to employ different learning techniques that work better for younger children?

There are a few students who I have started at 5; some have been more successful than others. My personal preference is 6 or 7, but it can work in a few instances. I actually started lessons at 4. Like I said, it really depends on the child AND on the teacher.

My daughter is 5 and she is taking lessons. We love our piano teacher. She is great with preschool age kids. My friend took her 5 year old to a different teacher for lessons and was told that her daughter was too young. She likes them to be able to read first.

i am a piano teacher. i believe that the "right" age is individual, and should be based on the child's desire, motivation, and ability to practice. it also depends on your particular piano teacher-- some are trained to work with young kids, others bore them to death, which makes them hate piano lessons...

if your child is really interested and you have a great musikgarten, suzuki, or yamaha method teacher, go for it. if you have a teacher who says you should wait, either they are not the teacher for you, or you should wait...

personality matters. when choosing a teacher find someone who is positive and nurturing and loves music. a negative teacher can scar a child for life... so choose wisely.

no matter when they start i think they all even out around age 7 or 8 no matter when they started. (unless they are serious prodigies...) older children (6 or 7 year olds) learn a song in one week that would take a 4 or 5 year old 4 months to master.

Both my husband and I started our music lessons at age 3 1/2 with the Suzuki method. This philosophy takes the idea that just as very young children and babies are able to learn their native language through positive reinforcement, repetition and listening without ever reading, they can learn any other language (i.e. music). This is not to say they don't learn to read music, it's just delayed until the child is ready. If you go to the Suzuki Association of the Americas website (suzukiassociation.org), you can look up local area teachers.