What Is The Best Age To Start Piano Lessons?

best age to start piano lessons

Creative abilities help to develop the personality, up IQ marks, make self-confidence and live a full life. Therefore, toddlers, teenagers, and adults wish to start playing the piano and become talented amateurs or aced professionals. However, there are some questions among starting students:

  • What role does age play?
  • Aspects, which show that I/ my child are ready to begin piano lessons.
  • How do spark motivation for piano lessons?
  • The appropriate instruments for the different ages.
  • How to prepare for the first piano lesson?
  • What is the best age to start piano lessons?
  • Other FAQs.

The aforementioned aspects are making doubts among students, who dream about musical education. However, we are going to answer it and reveal the features of the best age to start piano lessons.

What Is The Best Age To Start Piano Lessons?

There is no age for new hobbies and deals. You may start learning piano lessons at 5, 15, or 50 years and possess these skills after hours of practice. Nonetheless, there is an age recommendation from specialists, they assure: “ It is best to begin to play the piano at a middle school age”.

The thing is about how our brain works. When we are young, it’s easier for our brain to form neuro. On the contrary, studying new areas is becoming harder with each year of our adolescence. Let’s reveal what characteristics affect this process and other factors right down!

What Role Does Age Play?

Children of all ages are ready to follow instructions and fundamental music education. Even a child under 5 years old will learn some keys efficiently, having an interest in music lessons. Toddlers also have some mental and physical factors which will bother from thinking of new knowledge:

  • Dexterity – is about holding each finger independently. If the child aimed finger independence in-game, he/ she is definitely ready to start piano lessons. This detail is the vitalist for the successful play of the piano and depends on fine motor skills.
  • Motivation – is the aspiration of learning to play and a key moment in studying, especially, if you wish to devote your child to the music industry. As we already know, the piano requires a lot of hours of practice and desire. The pointlessly spent hours near the keyboard wouldn’t make to play your kid as a world-famous pianist in a moment.
  • Reading capability – some families want to start lessons with their children at Mozart ages, however, you must take into account that: a child is ready for making and reading music, only if he/ she notices the symbols and understands them.
  • Child’s hand size – the five fingers have to touch five white keys comfortably, without stretching. If the child’s hand size is too small, it will be difficult to learn the material with discomfort.

Can The Child Be Too Young?

How early is too early for piano lessons?

Amadeus Mozart started visiting piano lessons at the age of three. Not every person can begin piano lessons in such years because of some limited capacities. For instance, the hand must place the keys comfortably and have developed motor functions, dexterity, etc. What’s more, also have a reading capacity.

You may interest your child in making piano music describing keys, and teaching some easy melody sounds without notes. However, the professional learning of the piano niche is better to start at the right age of 5 – 9. 

Being Ready For Piano Lessons. 7 requirements

best age to start

This block will be useful for parents who want to make their child visit the musical school at young seniority. There is no age for starting the play on the piano, however, there are some specifications, which show the readiness for making the first steps to a piano career. 

Basic Motor Skills

Making the beautiful sound of the piano is a process where our hands have the main role, precisely they are composing the music by pressing the white-black keys. It is directly connected with motor skills, that are moving forward at the age of three. Therefore, you observe that it’s the age when our fingers have basic motility for making music.

Size Of A Hand

When we see the long fingers we start thinking that the owner of such has, had, or will have the career of a pianist. Nevertheless, if we are speaking about small children with small hands, they can also play piano having a desire and motivation and if their fingers can press five keys at once. 

In such cases, they have to study how to play small chords with legato pedaling. They should focus on details, and learn simple melodies. After some practice, they will already have fine motor skills and possess finger independence.

The last one you can achieve in two ways: the hours of performance (as we already mentioned) or special exercises, which include pressing the various tones with different fingers. Chords may be learned even at a young age.

Can Count To Five

It’s important to have a counting skill of at least up to five because each key on the keyboard has a number of the finger:

  1. – thumb.
  2. – index.
  3. – middle.
  4. – ring.
  5. – pinky.

It ensures the correct position of your hands when you are playing the piano. 

Knows Left And Right

If your child can’t differentiate between left and right sides he/she’s probably too young for piano lessons. It’s impossible to learn the technique and place fingers in the proper position without this knowledge.

We are pressing on the keyboard using both hands, if the kid can’t difference left and right, he is at a too young age to start play the piano and won’t play intervals and other essential parts.

Can Follow Instructions

Every musical instrument demands extract, patience, gentleness, motivation, and astuteness from the side of the student. Studying new is also about a dozen of ups and downs, tears and joy, desperate and winnings. 

The studying process can be effective only if the student repeats the teacher’s instructions in practice.  If the child isn’t interested in instructions, therefore, wouldn’t follow them spent ours were pointless. Pointlessly spent hours are in cases when a child isn’t passionated about material.

Attention Span Of 30 Minutes

An efficient piano studying is guaranteed if your child is capable to spend some time on it regularly. The thing is, if the young pianist will spend 30 minutes near the keyboard to learn new chords and compositions, it will be effective at a hunnid percent! Even during every day half an hour of online practice students may improve their skills amazingly!

Child’s Interest In A Musical Instrument

If the student has no motivation in a subject he/ she wouldn’t get the usefulness of piano lessons. There are no talks about a music career. The solution to this problem is arranging the interest of students.

Kids are very curious, at least you may try to play them a melody from their favorite cartoon, explain new material on it, etc. About sparking the students’ motivation we are going to talk a bit later.  

Does A Child Need To Know How To Read?

It’s a popular misconception among parents and beginners at teaching. However, what was invented for the first turn: music or notes? Hunnid percent, that music appeared first! Hence, the skill of reading notes is unnecessary for young pianists.

In the first stages of learning the piano, you should teach them to play simple chords, memorize them, formulate motility, attentiveness, etc. The period of reading notes, and composing it they will dedicate later on to solfeggio lessons.

How To Spark Your Child’s Interest In Piano?

As we have already mentioned before, kids are very curious and this will play into their hands in making them interested in learning to play the piano. Kids adore entertaining, so you should use it in piano lessons. 

To implement it, try to play a famous melody, sing the song, then ask for a duet and explain how to do it. The specialists also recommend providing a fun and playful form of piano lessons, exactly it sparks interest.

Teachers may share their motivation with students by telling their own experiences: ups and downs. The stories of grand composers, pianists, or any other musicians will help. The ideas of interesting lessons you can google and find on recorded online lessons piano.

Is It Ever Too Late To Start Learning The Piano?

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It’s never late to start new hobbies, and learning the piano isn’t an exception! Independence, are you a teenager, child, or senior person, you will be succeeded in having a desire.

It’s true, that children learn faster, the conception of making studying is a bit different: neurons are linking and moving to the constant memory faster. Nonetheless, it doesn’t mean that you can’t become a piano player being an adult.

We are studying during our full life and no barriers mustn’t stop us halfway to our dream or goal. Even people with one hand had successfully mastered pianos. Why couldn’t you do that?

Every person over two years old can start learning the piano. Basics of holding fingers independently, and motor skills take less than a month; other techniques is a deal of time.

FAQs

In this block, we are going to give answers to the frequently asked questions.

What Instrument Should a Child Learn First?

It depends on the child’s desires and age, however, experience shows that block flute is the easiest at studying. However, there are no limits in selecting the first instrument.

What Instrument Can a 2 Year Old Play?

A two-year-old kid is too young for playing an instrument, however, you may try to learn a block flute.

Can a 2 Year Old Start Piano Lessons?

Speaking about piano lessons, they will be boring for most children at such an age. It varies from child to child, some may be interested in studying to compose and play the keyboard instrument.

What Instrument Can a 3 Year Old Play? 

At the age of three children can play with the block flute.

Can a 3 Year Old Start Piano Lessons?

It also makes sense to try piano, as Mozart did. Bear in mind, that at such an age studying have to be entertaining.

What Instrument Can a 4 Year Old Play? Can a 4 Year Old Start Piano Lessons?

Blokflue stills relevant. Pay attention, if your child has the reading, counting up to five capabilities, it’s time to visit a piano section at a fun music school!

What Instrument Can A 6 Year Old Play?

Violin, viola, guitar, and keyboard instruments, including pianos, are becoming interesting at studying. During this period kids catch the information easily and absorb it as a sponge.

Preparing For Your First Lesson

Preparation before the get-go lesson is a pretty stunning moment. However, here are some recommendations:

  • Contact your teacher before the first lesson, ask which books you need to bring and what to prepare. 
  • Relax, and turn your favorite music on. Try to feel the rhythms, clap your hands or tap your feet. It helps in noticing the beat.
  • Find and try the method of the middle C.
  • Strengthen your fingers and hands, and make them stronger by creating rings (putting each finger into the thumb). It helps to support coordination and dexterity.
  • Write your goals in a music career and what you want to achieve. Why is it interesting for you and so?

Such tips may help everyone, who wishes to play the piano and get new skills.

Recommendations

If you are just getting ready to start piano lessons, I advise you to read about the levels of piano proficiency and how long it takes to master them.

For beginners, I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the features of reading piano notes and the location and marking of the piano keyboard.

I invite all music lovers to get acquainted with such a wonderful musical instrument as the harpsichord, learn about its differences from the piano, and enjoy its wonderful sound.

Final Words

In this article, we have answered the most popular questions about learning piano playing. There is no age for playing the piano. You may start it as a kid, teenager, or adult. Even people with a single hand can gracefully master the piano.

I am sure that the best age to start piano lessons is the age at which you or your child have such a desire to learn piano!

Everything is about motivation. If you have enough motivation you will win this deal at any age! If you wish to make your child become a pianist from a young age, bear in mind those criteria:

  1. The child must owe basic motor skills.
  2. The kid must distinguish left and right sides.
  3. Young pianists have to count at least up to five.
  4. Each finger must place the key comfortably.

Playing the piano is about skills and spending hours near the piano. Sometimes, you can’t start playing from the first lesson. Remember: never give up, find the strength to make your dream come true! 

Best regards, your Lucy.

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