Without a doubt, this is the most common question I get asked, along with “How do I know when my child is ready to start music lessons?”. While there isn’t one perfect answer suitable for every child, there are three simple readiness indicators we check when we get a new student enquiry. Please note, I’m not referring to our Preschool Piano Lessons in this article.
By already considering giving your child the gift of musical education, you understand music can enrich their lives. Research has shown children who study music have better language and maths skills, improved motor skills and co-ordination, enhanced memory and concentration skills, and also enhanced brain functions! Of course you want these benefits for your child, but when is the right time to start?
Can your child focus on one activity for approximately 10 minutes?
Our beginner lessons are 30 minutes long, but that doesn’t mean our students have to concentrate completely on one activity for the entire lesson (even quite a lot of adults would find that difficult!). Every lesson is broken up into smaller chunks to help learners keep focused, with breaks for musical games and other fun learning activities often done ‘off the bench’ (not sitting at the piano). A child needs to have a good enough attention span to engage with a task for about 5-10 minutes. However, there’s nothing wrong if she needs a bit of encouragement from the teacher to keep up her focus as this skill will keep getting better and better over time.
Does your child know her ABCs?
Well actually she just needs to know the first 7 letters of the alphabet (A-G) in order to start learning music. Your child needs to feel confident with the order of these letters and be able to recognise them written down. Being able to count to 4 is also desirable in the beginning as it will help your child understand the concept of musical time.
Has your child shown an interest in learning the piano?
This is by far the most important readiness sign. If you child is interested in playing music, she already has the motivation to learn. While fun and creative lessons will engage her, without internal motivation lessons and practice will become a chore and all the benefits of learning music will be lost. Instead if she’s already starting exploring and playing around on a piano or keyboard on her own, this is a sure sign she’s ready for lessons.
Not ready yet?
If you answered no to any of the readiness signs, don’t worry, it just means now isn’t the right time for your child to start lessons. Wait for your child to mature a little more and start exploring music with them while you wait. Music can be learned at any age.
If you’re a bit unsure about your child’s readiness, we’re here to help. Contact us for a chat and more advice.
We’re ready!
If you answered ‘yes’ to all three questions, your child is ready to start lessons. We’d suggest booking a trial lesson (completely free of charge and obligation) to see if we’d be a good fit.
Now you just have to ask yourself if you’re ready for your child to start learning music!