Is My Child Ready for Piano Lessons?
We're often asked when a child can start piano lessons.
The short answer: we love teaching preschool students how to play piano, and unlike many teachers, we accept students as young as 4 for private lessons.
The longer answer is that it depends on the individual student.
If you're looking for piano lessons for your young child, keep reading for some questions to help you assess readiness:
1. Does my child know the ABCs?
Piano keys are named for the first seven letters of the alphabet, so basic knowledge of letters ABCDEFG help speed the learning process.
2. Can my child count to five?
Music is all about counting! Counting beats, counting fingers, counting notes... if your child can comfortably count groups of objects up to 5, they've got a great head start!
3. Does my child show interest in musical sounds and playing at the piano?
If you're enrolling in private lessons, you will need an instrument at home for your child to play on during the week. Children who already react positively to music with dancing, singing, and movement, or who've shown interest in exploring sounds at the keyboard already, are great candidates for private lessons
4. Can my child focus on a single activity for three to four minutes at a time?
At Music con Brio we understand that preschool students won't have the same attention span as an 8-year-old beginner. Our preschool curriculum is specifically structured for the developmental needs of young beginners, with lots of changes in activity throughout the lesson, learning through games and movement, and plenty of review and repetition of concepts. Your child does not need to be able to sit still and listen for a full 30 minute lesson- we don't expect them to hold still that long! But they will need to keep focus for a few minutes at a time. Watch your child as they go throughout their day- can they stay engaged with one task for a few minutes, or are they constantly on-the-go, moving to the next thing every 30 seconds?
5. Can my child remember and follow multi-step instructions?
There's a lot to learn in the first two years of piano study! We've got a plan to make sure your child builds a strong foundation in pitch, rhythm, musical patterns, finger dexterity, confident technique, careful listening, and beginning music notation. Can your child successfully follow instructions with two or three steps like "find the green crayon and place it on the table" or "clap your hands three times and then jump up and down"? Ability to remember and complete a sequence of events means they'll have an easier time with lesson instructions like "find a group of three black keys with your pointer finger"
6. Is an adult available to sit in on lessons and provide support for piano playing time during the week?
Young children often need a bit of extra support during the week to help them review and remember everything we've learned. As part of preschool piano lessons, we'll send home a short list of activities to do daily at home. Your child may need a little support with some of these, so it's best if a parent can be present for reminders. No prior musical knowledge needed- we'll teach you everything you need to know!
What if my answer for some of these is no?
If you answered yes to all of these, reach out today to schedule a trial lesson!
If your answer is no, don't worry! Young brains are growing and learning every day, and music lessons can help your child develop all these skills! Your child may be a better fit for our Mini Musicians group class, designed as a pre-piano introduction to prepare students for later lessons. Children with a mix of some of these skills may also be able to develop the rest through private lessons. Contact us and we can help you decide which setting would be the best fit for your child!