Kids learn piano early

Source: Singapore Piano Shop & Music Book Online Shop   Published: 7/4/2019 8:04:37 PM   Clicked: 1508

Is there a minimum age to learn the piano? There’s no official answer to this question. Some kids begin to play the piano from the ages of 3 or 4. And we know that most of the great music composers began to play the piano very young.

Piano classes given to very young children are different to those delivered to adolescents or adults. With the goal to make your child discover the world of music, this class teaches music introduction, to initiate him or her into rhythms and melodies. The main message these classes send is that piano instruction is fun. Before all else, learning how to play the piano for the very young should be seen as a “beginner” and fun activity.

It is true that you can find videos on YouTube of three-year-olds playing Mozart, but that doesn’t mean a three-year-old who likes plunking on the piano keys should be signed up for lessons. Children under the age of five who show an interest in the piano should be allowed to explore and learn on their own time table. They probably won’t respond well to an adult-imposed learning structure. Always active and curious, a toddler might pay attention to an adult who is trying to teach them something for about three minutes, but then they notice something else they want to check out.

Your child won’t take to the keyboard it if you push him or her to learn this or that piece, music theory, or if you’re too ambitious. They’ll soon switch off and refuse to continue the piano lessons. Forcing a child to play piano when he or she refuses is definitely not the best way to encourage progress!

If children aren’t having fun playing the piano and consider it an annoying task, they won’t have the motivation or urge to work at it. A child, like all individuals, “works” through motivation. Without motivation, progress is impossible. And for a child, this means fun.

But, contrary to what we think about learning, fun can be a useful tool! The child will acquire a musical ear and sensibility, and forge a relationship with the piano. Strict pianistic progress will be slow at the beginning. (i.e. Don’t expect a tiny Mozart at first!)
But that’s beside the point.

One piece of advice for motivating your child at a young age to play the piano: present piano training as a reward. (i.e. “If you are good, you can play the piano!”) The child must value the piano, with the help of parents. He or she should feel lucky to be able to learn to play the piano.

Here are some other handy pieces of advice to help motivate your child to become a piano player:
Encourage and congratulate them regularly on their progress, even if it doesn’t seem very big!
Choose a private piano teacher who is patient, who has a sense of humour and who can adapt his teaching to the age of your child. The more fun the piano lesson, the more the child will ignore the more laborious aspects of piano training.
Choose a method adapted to very young children, that is, one that’s easy, fun, colourful, with drawings, stories, and musical games, etc. You can even choose the method with your children, by taking them to a music store.

Parents who give their children the gift of a musical education start them out on a path that will enrich their lives in so many ways. Studying music develops discipline, hand-eye coordination, intelligence, and creates a skill that can bring happiness to both the performer and to all who listen.

Another reason it is easier for younger children to start piano lessons is the amount of available time they have to practice. Older kids and teenagers usually fill up their lives with other interests. A child who starts in first grade and gets in six years of piano by middle school is more likely to be advanced enough to want to stick with it even as life gets busier.

You can find examples of children who started piano lessons at three years old. Other kids who start as late as ten or eleven can also become excellent professional pianists. Those who start later in their teens might not be ready to enter college as a piano major, but they can still get a lot of benefit. Anyone of any age who wants to learn, and puts in the hours of practice, can still reach a high level of skill and enjoyment.

For some children, starting after age eight will actually be better, depending on their interest and their maturity level. An older child who really wants to learn piano and puts in the time to practice can learn as quickly or even quicker than a younger child, especially a younger child who isn’t as dedicated.

As children get older, it is true that their hands and their brains gradually become less flexible, but their endurance, their will power, and their ability to focus will increase. I’ve had older children begin piano lessons and really surprise me by what they can accomplish in a short time.