When should my child start piano lessons?
This is one of the questions that I often field from parents who want to give their child the best start to music, but want to do it at a time when it will be most advantageous for the child. The answer can vary, so let’s have a look at what we tend to see in piano lessons for kids of different ages.
Now before going straight into exploring the topic, I need to clarify two vital things. Firstly, I’m not a psychologist, neuroscientist or pediatric specialist, so this information is drawn from a combination of experience and research. Secondly, all children are unique, with their own learning styles and capabilities as they grow up. What applies to 90% of 5 year olds may not apply to your 5 year old, so please remember to consider your own situation.
With those two things in mind, let’s dive in!
BABY AND TODDLER CLASSES
Baby and toddler music classes are usually group classes for both the child and their caretaker. These classes focus on general music-related play, which may or may not involve using the piano or other instruments. At this age, kids are still learning control of their limbs and have a great ability to soak in new information but a very short attention span. Taking these factors into consideration, these music classes tend to be about setting up a good foundation of listening skills and understanding of general music concepts.
Private piano lessons with a toddler could have the potential to give them a head start in music - if done cautiously and with a teaching style specialised to their age and ability - however in my experience, the majority of piano teachers won’t take on a student until they are around 4 or older. Why? Unless there is consistent time investment at home as well as in lessons, this age group generally doesn’t have the attention or retention to make lessons worthwhile.
EARLY PRIMARY SCHOOL (4-7 years)
This is the age when a lot of parents get in touch about starting music or instrumental lessons, and it’s the age range I normally recommend when asked. There is a huge difference between a child of 4 years old and 7 years old, however, generally speaking this is the age group where a child is just beginning to
When I teach a 4 year old, I generally either insist on 15 minute lessons, or 30 minutes broken up with multiple games and other activities. In this situation, (speaking for my teaching only), a 30 minute piano lesson would involve (for example) 10 minutes of settling into the lesson and recapping what we did the week before, 10 minutes of piano, and 10 minutes of other games or the like away from the piano. Depending on the day, these three blocks could well be interspersed within each other and broken down more to keep the child engaged.
8-12 YEARS OLD
In the 8-12 age bracket, kids are beginning to walk the line between childhood and teenagedom, and their personalities are flourishing. These children often begin lessons for one of several main reasons: they have a friend that does it, they saw someone do it and it looked cool, or it’s an idea directly from their parents.
When beginning lessons at this age, they have a few benefits. Firstly, these kids are a little older, giving them more advanced fine motor control and understanding of their bodies. They have already spent several years at school, so they are typically more able to withstand longer lessons and are more practiced at the teacher/student dynamic. Additionally, still being primary or middle schoolers means that they are likely to have more time on their hands for practising and developing a good foundation that will support them through the more intense high school years.
HIGH SCHOOLERS (13 AND OLDER)
High schoolers who begin piano lessons are often drawn to it from very different motivations than the younger ones. While the younger kids are more likely to be encouraged or led into piano lessons by their friends or family, teenagers will many times come to lessons with their own ideas about how and what to learn. This could be the latest pop song, a song that’s popular with their friends (or tiktok), things they were drawn to from soundtracks/series, or a wish to emulate a certain YouTube star or famous artist.
Starting piano as a teenager does offer two benefits over starting younger, however it does also have its drawbacks. As children grow, they develop much better fine motor control, which is essential for piano playing. On top of that, they also tend to be better at concentration and retention
Teenagers will have an intelligence that also aids them in understanding different concepts and use of language
Cons: they could get frustrated at being behind other students of their same age, as many children start younger. They don’t pick things up quite as quickly as younger kids. They have a lot more going on - a lot of other challenges at the same time as school is getting harder, so taking on something difficult like learning a brand new skill can just add to that.
Additionally, they’re unlikely to read a high level exam before finishing school. High level exams can add to final score, which could contribute positively to them getting into a certain university/course (only applies if they intend on doing high level exams)
lessons can be a lot more than just a lesson for teenagers - it can be an escape from a stressful life for some (learning something new, learning songs they like), if they forge a great relationship with their teacher it can sometimes even be a support (having an extra adult in their life) … do I want to say that last one?
SO HOW DO I CHOOSE?
All of that taken into consideration, how do I know when to start my child in lessons? Well, think about your goals for your child. Why do you want them to start lessons, and what do you want them to achieve? If you want them to have the best start as a high-achiever within the world of music, it would be best to start them early. If you want them to have the opportunity to develop a higher level of concentration before
