What age to start piano lessons?

Playing piano is more than a useful skill – it contributes to overall kid’s development and opens new opportunities. Yet, this ability doesn’t appear in an instant, it should be developed through months and years of studying. As a caring parent, you should strive to make education efficient and devoid of stress and anxiety.

It summons the question: at what age should a child start piano lessons? Teachers and researchers have been arguing a lot, but no answer is 100% right. Some parents and teachers claim that early education lays the foundation of productive lessons in the future since kids learn information quickly. But not all agree with that. Who is right?

Never too early?

In fact, lessons may be organized anytime, but by starting education in childhood you can achieve excellent results. The best age to start piano lessons is around six-eight years. But this does not mean at all that you cannot start earlier or later. Some children start classes at 3 and 4 years old, though it’s a rare occasion.

When can child start piano lessons? This is a strictly individual issue. You can start learning if the child has a great desire, shows interest in the instrument and tries to master it as soon as possible. It is also about the desire of the parents, since they should not only to provide the child with the instrument and the teacher, but should also organize the schedule and conditions for daily education.

Teachers do not have a clear opinion on this issue. Toddlers under 4 years lack concentration to focus on classes. However, it is possible to develop the musical abilities of a preschooler even from the age 2-3 years. There is no need to master musical notation - it is enough to listen to good music as often as possible, learn children songs, dance or move in tune with the music and develop general hearing sense. Your efforts won’t go in vain – the kid will start associating music with joy and grasp the related knowledge more readily.

Checking kid’s readiness

Many parents worry that the child has insufficient musical abilities and cannot play piano properly at a certain age. But these fears are completely unfounded. Small musical data at the beginning, with the efforts of the student, regular classes can develop greatly.

You can check whether it’s a good age to start piano lessons   by the following ways:

• The size of kid’s hands. The fingers of your little one should lay freely on the keyboard. A traditional acoustic piano might be too big, consider buying a smaller electric piano. It’s easier to play and carry. Your kid should feel comfortable and convenient during lessons!
• Finger control. Your child should be able to control finger movements and use each of them independently. The right age to start piano lessons is only when physical abilities are well-developed enough. If your child uses one finger on the keyboard, probably, he is not ready yet.
• Motivation and interest. This is the primary aspect to consider. Your little one should be enthusiastic about piano lessons, otherwise, it will be hard to overcome a steep learning curve.
• Enough focus. The kid should be able to concentrate for at least 30 minutes. It’s important for a teacher to keep his little student encouraged and motivated by making classes gripping and dynamic. A good teacher can make a child focus on learning piano by adding some fun activities or playing musical games.

Finally, ensure your little one can do homework alone or with parents and memorize the learnt material. Regular practice is crucial! After all, if you do not repeat what you’ve learnt during lessons with the teacher, the knowledge will be lost, and in the next lesson, you will have to start all over again instead of getting new material or improving skills.

Pro tips

Now when your little one is ready to grasp the new musical knowledge, you should ease and optimize the process. How?

Keep piano in child’s sight. It should catch attention to motivate to play. Concentrate on accuracy, not speed. Proper technique is the king. Regulate the height and position of piano stool. Tune piano or buy a digital keyboard. The choice depends on your preferences and some other factors. Help kid with time management and daily practicing schedule.

Bottom Line

So, at what age can child start piano lessons? At 6-7 years old, the child is most often ready both physically and psychologically for classes. At this age, you can set any goals from “learning to play the piano for a hobby” to “becoming a professional musician”. Toddlers have very flexible hands and can easily master notes and accords with the correct position of their hands, coordination of movements. With age, these factors are lost. According to some studies, the ability to grasp and understand music decreases in kids reaching the age of eight. Thus, knowledge might not be grasped as easily after nine or ten years as if it used to be at the earlier age.

Should you give up if your kid is grown up? Of course not! Learning is possible and necessary for adolescents, adults and the elderly. Here motivation, self-control and patience become the main factors. Regardless of when you start out, you can enjoy playing a musical and reap benefits for your soul and mind. You can start playing the piano at sixty or even after that – brain is still able to memorizing notes and songs. The skill comes with practice.

Even if your child does not become a famous musician, playing the piano stimulates the child's intellectual development. Playing music increases IQ and literacy, improves memory and attention, and activates creative thinking and imagination. Students in music classes are more successful in learning a foreign language than their peers, are less anxious and are able to manage their emotions.

For your child to reach the best results, he/she needs regular exercise, attention, patience and, of course, a good teacher. On thebestpianoteachers.com website, you can choose a teacher based on your level, goals, budget, and place of residence.