When to start music lessons.

When should Sally start music lessons? I have been asked that thousands of times and the answer depends on a number of issues listed below, but not in order of priority.

1. The age of the student in question.

The age of the student depends of what type of lessons are being considered. If you have a 3- 6 year old there are many early childhood music programs available for students that do a great job in preparation for formal private lessons.

For private lessons we recommend the student to have completed grade one. Before that time most kids do not have a sense of abstract concepts. That is having an understanding that the letter"B" is not an insect and that letter and symbols are a representation of something else. As well because kids learn to write in grade one they have developed the small motor skills or finger dexterity needed to get started with musical instruments. Because students can read you can also print assignments and have some hopes that the student can understand them.

Another concern about the starting age. Sometimes parents make the mistake of finding a teacher that is willing to start the student at an age that is too early. This can be a disaster. A student that is not ready to learn music can end up failing. This failure leads him to believe that he is not smart enough and becomes gun shy to music lessons in the future when he is ready. So if in doubt wait till after the student has finished grade one.

A last concern is not so much age but maturity of the student. I have seen sixteen year olds that are not mature enough while some five year olds are ready.

2. The amount of time the parent has or is willing to commit to the child's music lessons.

For parents that have the time and are willing to take the lessons and practice daily with the student the Suzuki programs are an excellent choice for ages 2 and up. But the down side is that the parent must make a commitment to take the lessons and practice with the student. Mainly since the student cannot read at these early ages parents need to be there to monitor and guide the practice sessions. If you have the time great, if you don't its better to wait.

3. The instrument of choice

The instrument the student wishes to learn can also be a factor when deciding when to start lessons. It's best to wait until your local school music program offers band or orchestra classes before starting lessons on wind and string instruments. Since these instruments are solo instruments they really sound better when in a group. Students in these programs also develop a strong bond between themselves and generally progress at a faster rate in these groups. Other instrument groups such as voice, piano, organ and guitar can be started at any time after grade one.

4. Reality Check, or does the parent want the lessons or does the child?

One issue that is critical when starting your child in music lessons is to ask yourself; does my child want the lessons or do I. Parents always want the best for their child and kids most always want to please their parents. This sometimes leads the parent to set the child up with lessons when the child has no interest what so ever, but because the parent wants to have the best for his child the child is forced to take music lessons when its the parent who should really sign up.
Having said that, many great artists as adults say they never regret that their parents forced them to take lessons. So this issue has two sides to it but it is one each parent will have to sort out for themselves.

In closing parents should note that not everyones circumstance is the same and each parent will, ultimately have to decide when to start their child in lessons for themselves. Please use this post as a starting point to help you ask the right questions when you are confronted with putting your child into lessons or not.