| Author |
Subject |
Markse
Registered User
(3/26/01 12:18:38 pm)
Reply |
When to
start music lessons for a child
I'm tresspassing here, but this
seems to be the best board for my question!
My wife and I
were wondering at what age can we start music lessons for our little
girl. She just turned 4 (where does the time go?). We're thinking of
starting her on the piano, seems like it would be a little easier to
than a string instrument. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
|
Bob
Blais
Registered
User
(3/26/01 7:14:20 pm)
Reply |
how
early?
You could start her now on a piano
or a stringed instrument. At her age it would probably be wise to
search out a Suzuki oriented teacher. This also depends a bit upon
her maturity and interest. Certainly, many good players got an early
start. Find a fun teacher!!
Bob
|
sarah
schenkman
Registered User
(3/27/01 2:59:27 pm)
Reply |
Re:
When to start music lessons for a child
I agree with Bob's advice - even if
there's not a Suzuki teacher it should be a teacher with interest
and experience teaching small children. Teaching small children is a
special skill.
|
Lucy
Clifford
Registered User
(3/28/01 12:35:57 am)
Reply |
Start
as soon as possible
As you probably know, the years
before age 5 are a child's top learning years. If you can start your
child on an instrument before this time you will have done them a
real service, not just musically speaking, but for life.
Bob
and Sarah are correct - either find a Suzuki teacher, or a very
child-orientated teacher, with 'proven' results. Speaking as a
Suzuki teacher I would advocate 'going for' Suzuki, namely because
of the memorisation/group playing aspects, which are valuable
assests FOR EVER!
Piano, violin, cello.....with a good
teacher it doesn't matter, as long as you are prepared to put in
some hard work!
Go for it!
|
Paul
Tseng ICS Staff 
Administrator
(3/30/01 4:56:44 pm)
Reply
 |
Re:
When to start music lessons for a child
I know this may sound funny, but I
think you can start while the baby is in the womb. Although we
aren't talking about instrumental lessons, you can play music for
the baby very early.
I would say as soon as the child is able
to physically handle the instrument (providing it is small enough).
But as for music in general, it's never too early to familiarize a
child with sounds and music.
Someone on another board
recomended the Fisher-Price Sparkling Symphony Gym for our 7 week
old baby. My wife went out and got it for Alexander and he really
seems to like it.
Paul Tseng
My Website
Alexander's website
MP3!
|
KDS
Registered User
(3/31/01 12:08:32 am)
Reply |
Re:
When to start music lessons for a child
There are also Kindermusik classes
(music and movement classes) beginning with infants. My 4-month old
starts next week!
Kristiana Silver
|
playingfavorites
Registered User
(4/4/01 10:28:01 am)
Reply |
"Never
Too Early?" a differeing view
I wholeheartedly support musical
activities from early toddler age. As with Kodaly in Hungarian
schools, kids should develop a huge repertoire of songs, mostly at
home. TimeLife for example has a website where you can find good
CD's of traditional kids' songs . . . Also healthy and essential are
dancing, rhythm play, and group music as in school or church. I've
led a "cherub choir" regularly, for toddlers as young as three! Folk
instruments can also be great aids to later training. Kindermusik
and Orff can be terrific.
BUT: This "early as possible"
advice often pressures parents into arrangements kids just aren't
ready for. We can't shortcut, even accelerate, kids' need to be
kids! Once they've had their tiny fingers molded around the bows and
guided onto little stickers and bows scraped back and forth dozens
of times a day, the activity becomes a passive, misunderstood,
ritualistic routine for them. I see no authenticity there, no
excitement of independent curiosity, no challenge to musical
awareness, self expression, exploration, or teacher-student
exchange.
I professionally teach private lessons to kids as
young as about 5 - only if certain criteria are met: foremost, that
it's piano or a quality digital keyboard first, because this is much
more of a teaching tool for general music at that age. Next among
the criteria are that the child repeatedly and continually has ASKED
to play piano or one of the other instruments we teach in our
studio. (Still, piano 1 year first). Also, they are able to sing
several songs learned at home or school and aren't too shy to sing
one along with me and parent. They need to have learned their
letters and numbers and days of the week and are able to start doing
short patterns backwards with me - days of week, G back to A, etc.
Also we start with two 30" lessons per week alternating among
rhythm, playing, singing/listening, and pattern activities which
will lead to music reading and word reading at about the same level
of readiness. My youngest ones learn dozens of tunes on piano,
transpose easy tunes into 12 major keys, and read a little in a
primer within a few months. Several have then switched to violin or
cello by age 8. The string instrument is exciting, novel, more
difficult than piano, but they have so much more equipment and
background (not to mention fine-motor coordination) to succeed after
this way of beginning.
I pity the 8 year olds whose families
interview with us after 5 years of Suzuki Book 1 or only 1 and 2. It
must be terribly frustrating for these kids and their parents.
Instead of starting so young, they could have learned hundreds of
traditional tunes, prereading patterns, short exercises, and had
months and months free to play, balance on one foot, kick balls,
draw lollipop trees and compare one bird song to another. They
aren't necessarily without talent; the teachers aren't necessarily
lacking in love or training etc., but the challenge of learning an
instrument has been compressed by means of rigid methodology into a
formulaic exercise. The complexity or musical language and
inspiration has been somehow trivialized. Please don't rush kids
into private lessons too young.
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