I would like to address a slightly controversial topic, and please, feel free to share your opinion. Do you have a minimum age requirement that potential students must meet before you accept them? Considering I specialise in teaching adults, this topic has come as a surprise to me, as I have just taken on a 3 1/2 year old for piano lessons.
Here in Australia, most piano teachers have a starting age of 7 years old, as they feel before this, children’s fingers are not adequately developed for learning the correct technique, and also, their attention spans are not sufficient for learning music. These may be fair comments, but I feel that technique is something developed over time anyway, and in the meantime, there is plenty to learn. If the child shows enthusiasm, who are we to squash that? I have had the pleasure of teaching a 5 year old that was playing pieces my 13 year old couldn’t – why should she have been made to wait 2 more years? Also, we can’t forget that Mozart was only 5 when he composed ‘Twinkle Twinkle’…
Of course, some kids are more mature than others, but I currently have two 5 year olds fully reading muisc, and a 4 year old just starting to. Due to the shorter attention span, yes, you have to be able to mix the lessons up and keep the young ones interested. Here’s a few activities I use to break up the lessons:
- Clapping games
- Singing
- Sound recognition – higher/lover, how many notes are played at once, guess this tune
- percussive instruments
- flash cards
With young students especially, I make sure the parents are aware that I’m aiming to foster aural development and full music appreciation, as well as just learning the piano. It is important that they don’t feel their money is being wasted on ‘musical games’ because they don’t understand the benefits of a wide range of activities, and developing a love of music in general.
There are Kindermusik classes out there for the younger age groups – I used to be an instructor myself. These classes are great for a child’s development in more ways than just musical, but I feel this shouldn’t be the only option out there.
When it comes to the 3 year old I have just taken, she can count to 100, knows her alphabet and her right and left. By the end of the free lesson, she knew her finger numbers, and was playing songs on the black notes by reading the finger numbers. She also recognised high and low sounds, and could clap back four beat rhythms. She may be small, but by the time we’re talking technique, her fingers will be strong, and she’ll be competent at reading music. On top of this, she will have developed good aural skills and musical awareness. Surely this head start is worth it?
Thanks for the article. Personally, I’ve never taught a child younger than 5. I started at 5 myself, so somehow it has been the magic number for me until now, although I start children later if they don’t appear to have the coordination or concentration yet (usually boys). But your article has made me think again…
This is a nice sharing. I used to get frustrated teaching small children who can’t even do simple maths. I think age shouldn’t be the limit. It is the kid’s talent and ability that determine whether he/she can start learning to play the piano.
Good question, Leah. My district starts students in instrumental music classes (band/strings) in 4th grade. A study has shown that students are more likely to be successful in the long run if they start in 5th grade rather than 4th, and I would tend to agree. Of course, with a private teacher, anyone is more likely to be successful than in group classes.
I don’t generally take kids under 7 but have had a few exceptions that have worked out and given me some confidence with younger kids. I have come to believe that it’s just a matter of experience as to whether a teacher can do well with younger kids – and with their parents. Some parents expect too much out of the money they put in, so the teacher has to help pave the way there. I have three kids of my own, so I can say that although it helps to have had your own kids (especially in the productive patience department), it’s not a substitute for teaching methods such as games, storylines, and appropriate expectations. I also want to say that any fancy-sounding rationales such as the notion that kids’ fingers aren’t sufficiently ready to play piano before age 7 are just attempts at dignified alibis for teachers who don’t know how or don’t want to teach younger students. And there’s no reason for the excuse either–no teacher should feel the need to teach kids if they’re uncomfortable or uninterested in doing it.
My youngest regular student was 4 1/2 when she started three years ago. She was very focused and motivated and within a year of starting, she was coming to lessons with a list she had printed of things she wanted to do at that included music, technique and musicianship! I wish I could inspire my older students to do that too LOL! Another young student who started a year ago has just turned 6, but she is very distractable and a challenge to teach. I need to keep changing our tasks to keep the lesson moving. Her younger sister (3 1/2) is very interested in starting lessons, so after her sister’s lesson, I usually spend 5 minutes with her singing simple kids songs and doing basic technical exercises. She’s also much more focused than her older sister!
The girls’ Mom wants them to be singing current pop songs and music theatre songs, most of which are neither age appropriate nor technically suitable for such young voices, so, that’s an added challenge!
Cheers,
Craig
I have taught children as young as 2 using methods designed for very early beginners. I think if there is a desire for music I don’t want to shut it down no matter the age. I have had 3-year-olds that do better then older students. The main difference is parental involvement. When music is loved and fun any age can benefit from it!
Hi Leah I am just wondering what method you use for a 3 year old. I also taught Kindermusik for 20 years and piano for the last 30 years. I find it hard to teach a child that is 7 and younger. I have two granddaughters that are 31/2 and 4. Please let me know the method that you are using , I may try it out on them. Good Luck To You, Libby Goins
Hi everyone, thank you for your comments! Ed, I really like your comment that excuses are unnecessary, and that people should be honest about their own capabilities. As you pointed out Craig, every child is so diverse, and so using the free lesson to sus out the kid’s stage of learning and development is the best thing to do before committing fully to the new student.
Libby, I find it interesting that you are obviously experienced with younger children in group situations, but find it a challenge individually and at the piano. Don’t be afraid to move away from the piano and engage them in movement activities or creative activities similar to Kindermusik. I use Hal Leonard Method books. I find that they are great for younger kids as they start by just reading finger numbers and rhythms. They also start on the black notes, which is a lot easier reference than the row of white keys! I do find that you need to be prepared to do a page of the method book, then an activity (as I outlined in my blog) and then back to the book and so forth.
If I have inspired you to try young children again, then I am so pleased! They are a challenge, but they look up to you and give you plenty of reward!
When I was a new piano teacher, I had mentors who told me never to start a child under 7 for girls and 8 for boys because it didn’t work. I tried a few 5 year olds with traditional methods and will admit it was very frustrating and didn’t last long. However, 6 years ago I was asked by a homeschool coop to teach a group of young children. I decided to try again, but this time used a different approach. It worked wonderfully and 6 years later, it’s become a very successful program. My classes are typically made of 6 children ages 5 and 6. I use a combination of a program called “Music Mind Games” by Michiko Yurko and “Piano Adventures for the Young Beginner”. Our classes are 50 minutes long, we are constantly moving around, the kids love the music theory games and by the end of May, most are playing piano and reading the staff fairly well. Their counting in wonderful. The kids LOVE the class, being in a group is much more fun and they can’t wait to start one on one sessions with me the next year. Parental help at home also makes a huge difference. If you haven’t seen the Music Mind Games web page, I encourage you to look. I took Michiko’s workshop last summer and it was wonderful and have made my music lessons a lot more fun and the kids are learning more than ever before! Another advantage to doing these small group classes is it helps me see who is ready and who should wait a little longer before starting private lessons. You would be surprised, however, how many young children are very capable.
Leah,
You mentioned sound recognition games. I wonder if you could go into detail of exactly what you do for those. I have been teaching for 2 years. I am a young teacher, but I love doing it. this year I have my first extremely young child. my rule has always been that the child’s hands be big enough to reach one finger on each key. I have always used Alfred’s Piano Basics, a curriculum which I love and is full of color and activities to keep children interested. I have had as young as a 6 yr. old. this year I am starting with a 4 year old boy. His hands are small, but his mom had seen an article about starting sound recognition early and just familiarize them with music. he shows an interest in the piano so I want to encourage that. I am excited at this new challenge, but would be appreciative of any help I can get. specifically learning new techniques.