Music lessons

I ran across this article recently and thought it might prove interesting to some of you.  I have been having lots of conversations lately with different parents trying to discern the best time to start music lessons, and thought it might be useful for me to pull together some of my thoughts in one place.  I am hoping that Sandy will chime in, too, since in addition to teaching and parenting experience in the department, she also has a degree in pedagogy!

As a piano teacher, I have taught beginners from age five to fifty. For years I accepted every student who came my way in order to pay for my third of the bedroom I shared with two other musicians in the city.  (So, rule of thumb number one, never rely on a potential teacher to tell you whether or not your kid is ready to take music lessons, unless they are affluent!)  I have had great results with a five-year-old, and have also seen plenty of promising beginners struggle or quit down the road, so as with all parenting endeavors, there is no perfect formula.

Since having kids of my own, I've gained some experience on the other side of the parent-teacher relationship.  (Yes, that's also known as eating humble pie.)  As most of you know, Miss A began violin at 5, and Miss C began cello at 3.75.  Mr. L has not begun lessons yet.  In the school of hard knocks that is Suzuki parenthood, I have learned a few things over the years.

Some signs that your little Mozart is ready for you to start writing checks:
      - He can match pitch.
      -She can clap back a simple rhythm.
      -He can take instruction, and can stand or sit still at something for at least a few minutes.
      -She has good fine motor skills.  (I am not expert at assessing this, but in hindsight can see a big difference in my three oldest in this department, which probably affected their early musical careers.  Miss C was drawing people (and pigs!) before the age of three.  Miss A and Mr. L both took much longer to do so, and Miss A struggled terribly with penmanship until she was close to eight, when, almost overnight, it became a complete breeze - this was also right around the time when her violin lesson stopped being agony.)
       -He is demanding an instrument, has a fixed idea of which instrument he wants to play, etc.
       -She often experiments with sound or musical instruments.

Some reasons to wait:
       -Your child has significant issues with any of the above, especially if they are younger than five.  Honestly, you will feel like the biggest sucker ever for paying a dollar a minute to watch a music teacher trying to cheerfully wrestle your little wiggler back onto the bench after the fiftieth time he "slips" off, bringing his elbows crashing into the keys.
       -Money is really tight.  Unless your child is really precocious, the advantage of early individual instruction (as opposed to early musical exposure) is probably not huge. Other factors are MUCH more important, and I'll speak briefly about those in a minute.  So if you are really scrimping and saving, consider it $5000 in the bank to wait another couple of years.
        -I won't take a piano student younger than five.  They are just too little, and the piano is too big.  


Some advantages of starting early:
       -Those little violins are just so. stinking. cute.  Also, the video footage you will have of her picking her nose during her first play-in is classic.
       -You do get to the cool music earlier, even if your start is bumpy.  If your child excels, this means more time with real repertoire before college.   I remember the things I played in high school better than what I performed last year, so the more big repertoire you get under your belt in your teens, the better.
 
 Some advantages of waiting:
        -Your child can choose his instrument himself.
       - Your child can practice independently and learn to read music much sooner, making it less of a time (and patience) investment for you. 
       -You can develop your child's musicality in other fun ways, like Eurhythmics.

Some (tongue in cheek) reasons why you should never start music lessons at all:
       -You are unable to keep a weekly appointment.   Regular lessons are critical.  I can't tell you how many families I worked with for whom this was a major problem. 
        -You "just want it to be fun."  Seriously, if a parent says this it is pretty much a guarantee of failure. Music is a discipline.  In order for it to be fun, you have to put in some sweat equity.  As Dr. Suzuki says, you should only practice on the days that you eat.
       -You aren't willing to invest in a decent instrument.  Although I had one student excel with only a cheap keyboard at home (the family really couldn't afford more), every family who told me they were waiting to "see if she likes it" before buying a piano didn't last long.
  
Other random advice:
       - Make sure the teacher is experienced with really little students if you are starting young.  The best teacher for beginners at our Suzuki school is not the best violinist, but she is a brilliant pedagogue.  The school usually switches students who continue past book three to some of their other teachers, who are better players.
        -Look for lots of opportunities for performance.  This makes a huge difference.  Kids get a big boost out of preparing for, participating in, and celebrating after a recital. 


If you have made it this far, you will be happy to know that CCC families are the kind of families music teachers hope for, so none of you can really make a wrong decision.  And the good news is, after listening to me whine about my first year of Suzuki parenthood for years, you will probably think it's not that bad. No matter what age or instrument your little ones begin with, they already have years of excellent musical training under their belts.  Making Music Praying Twice is a great program, and Sandy is the best!