Hellobee Boards Topic: When did you begin private music lessons?

Hellobee Boards Topic: When did you begin private music lessons? https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 13 May 2026 18:08:54 +0000 misolee on "When did you begin private music lessons?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-begin-private-music-lessons#post-2836405 Fri, 27 Jul 2018 08:55:00 +0000 misolee 2836405@https://boards.hellobee.com/ My daughter started her piano lesson a little bit over 5. The only requirement our teacher had was she be able to read. I think piano is a good instrument for fundamentals and basics. I started piano when I was young and picked up flute in 5th grade when at school, they started band classes. I was able to excel faster than my peers bc I had already known how to read music versus learning how to play a new instrument and learning to read music. greencraftycello on "When did you begin private music lessons?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-begin-private-music-lessons#post-2836289 Thu, 26 Jul 2018 17:08:28 +0000 greencraftycello 2836289@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I am a cellist, and have had young students before. I think it depends on your child's temperament, and the music teacher you have her study with (are they used to working with young children? Can they make lessons fun?) I would also consider looking into a Suzuki violin teacher. Grace on "When did you begin private music lessons?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-begin-private-music-lessons#post-2835802 Tue, 24 Jul 2018 15:44:14 +0000 Grace 2835802@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Kemma: When I taught piano, that was my preference too. Earlier than that, kids are memorizing, rather than understanding. OP, it’s not a terrible thing to get kids to wait. Younger siblings of my piano students were generally dying to take lessons, but the parents and I made them wait. Oh, but when they FINALLY were able to take lessons they were excited and involved and 100% willing to practise. It was awesome. PurplePeony on "When did you begin private music lessons?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-begin-private-music-lessons#post-2835797 Tue, 24 Jul 2018 15:29:51 +0000 PurplePeony 2835797@https://boards.hellobee.com/ My DH is a professional musician and started at 5, which is likely when DD will start (though I’m deferring all things music to him). He already works with her on basic solfège so she can recognize notes by ear—when she feels like it—and she fools around with the piano, a tiny violin our friend’s child outgrew, and guitar. Not sure what instrument she’ll want to start lessons on, but she’s only 4.5 so there’s still a year or so to make the decision. She’s more into dance but there’s no question that she will play an instrument, too. PinkElephant on "When did you begin private music lessons?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-begin-private-music-lessons#post-2835773 Tue, 24 Jul 2018 14:14:04 +0000 PinkElephant 2835773@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Would you be comfortable just kind of letting her play around with you and your harp and see how she does? If she really takes to it, sign her up for some more general music lessons, where she can (as others said) learn some basic note reading, musicality, etc., and get the chance to put her hands (and mouth, haha) on all sorts of instruments, and see what she takes to. Would her friend's parent be willing to just let her experiment with the fiddle on a playdate? That might be enough to fulfill her sense of interest for the time being. I know I'd be happy to show a friend of my kids' something I knew how to do that they were interested in, just on a casual, while-you're-here-playing, sort of basis, since I'm usually supervising playdates anyway. I'd asked my daughter's baby music class teacher out of curiosity when she generally started formal lessons for string instruments, and she said generally not before six, and even then only if the child was very interested/musically inclined. brownepiano on "When did you begin private music lessons?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-begin-private-music-lessons#post-2835756 Tue, 24 Jul 2018 12:56:35 +0000 brownepiano 2835756@https://boards.hellobee.com/ To answer your actual question, I'd start harp with her in really short lessons and skip the voilin unless she persists asking for a long time. Like piano it's a good foundation for reading notation across the whole staff. But don't push the notation part too fast. If you can find a teacher who is used to teaching really little kids they'll be able to do a lot of rote teaching and games. brownepiano on "When did you begin private music lessons?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-begin-private-music-lessons#post-2835754 Tue, 24 Jul 2018 12:50:11 +0000 brownepiano 2835754@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Before they can read any lessons will be rote teaching (think Suzuki) or music readiness (singing, rhythm stuff). After your kid can read it really depends on their attention span and interest. If they really want to learn something, go for it! A serious interest will help a lot with practicing battles. You'llto be pretty hands on with practicing for a while though, just like you would with any other homework. If your student isn't interested, give it time. Older students progress through the beginning stuff faster than younger students, so it's not terrible to wait till 8 - 10 to start an instrument. Since I'm a piano teacher, my kids are going to learn piano first (plus it's a really good foundation for all other instruments). However I haven't started with my 4 year old yet because he's not interested, so I'm fine waiting. MrsDynamiteGal on "When did you begin private music lessons?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-begin-private-music-lessons#post-2835674 Tue, 24 Jul 2018 08:15:09 +0000 MrsDynamiteGal 2835674@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I'm curious to know myself. We started our oldest on piano lessons around 6 years old, but for a couple of reasons had to pull back. I'll be looking for a new teacher soon or see if their school offers any lessons. Kemma on "When did you begin private music lessons?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-begin-private-music-lessons#post-2835639 Tue, 24 Jul 2018 03:53:34 +0000 Kemma 2835639@https://boards.hellobee.com/ My Mother is a registered music teacher (piano) and she generally doesn’t take on pupils until they’re at least six but preferably seven. In her experience the slightly older kids have more inclination to practice and better “learning” ability. lamariniere on "When did you begin private music lessons?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-begin-private-music-lessons#post-2835638 Tue, 24 Jul 2018 01:59:08 +0000 lamariniere 2835638@https://boards.hellobee.com/ My DS started guitar at 5.5. We did private lessons once a week at home and it was one of his daycare teachers who taught him. It went really well, and he was able to learn and play the songs the teacher taught him, and he could even play without looking at his music. However, we stopped for the summer and then moved away. He hasn't touched the guitar since. His current school offers lessons, but I've heard they aren't that great and that it's better to stay in one-on-one, but we've got a lot going on, so I don't know if we'll start lessons again sometime soon or not. Hypatia on "When did you begin private music lessons?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-did-you-begin-private-music-lessons#post-2835635 Mon, 23 Jul 2018 23:38:07 +0000 Hypatia 2835635@https://boards.hellobee.com/ My DD will be turning five in about six months. Her best friend is six, and she plays the fiddle, so of course DD is asking if she can learn to play the fiddle, too. Her friend comes from a musical family, and her dad began teaching her fiddle at age four, so they've encouraged us to start with DD. Three things make me hesitate: 1. The fiddle is a difficult instrument to play. It's not like a piano where you push a key and it plays the note. It requires a lot of dexterity and music theory to understand how notes are made. It will take a lot of practice just to get past the nails on a chalkboard stage. 2. I had planned on our kids learning the harp, because that's what I know how to play. It's not that I want her to be a mini me, but I love the harp, I own a harp she can play already, and I could help her at home since I play it. Plus, the harp is like a vertical piano in that the strings are already tuned to specific notes and all you have to do is pluck them. I know nothing about the fiddle, by comparison. 3. She's probably just expressing interest in the fiddle because her friend plays it. At age four, she doesn't have a lot of discernment, so I don't know if I'm willing to jump into all the expenses of fiddle lessons just because her friend plays. How did you decide what instrument to teach your kids? What age were they when they began lessons? I can't decide whether to ignore her pleas to learn fiddle and then start the harp at age 6 or 7, or start harp right away so she has a creative outlet, or give in and do fiddle instead.