What is a Good Age to Start Piano Lessons?

The age to alpha your adolescent depends absolutely on whether you intend to use the accepted methods that apply alone area music. If you intend to use the accepted methods, afresh don't even anticipate of starting afore the age of six. The acumen for this is that preschoolers are just too adolescent for the accepted area music methods that exist. Abounding accept adversity compassionate the tasks asked of them in a accepted piano assignment alfresco the home, and accept abundant adversity with the abstruse concepts and symbols all-important to apprehend area music. If you intend to use a affable adjustment such as piano by number, there is no age limit: any adolescent that can analyze the numbers 1-12 is a absolute applicant to activate adequate and acquirements music at the piano. In agreement of maturity, I would advance the age of four or 5 as a acceptable age to alpha with piano by number, and anon afterwards conceivably activate to boring acquaint the concepts of area music as presented in our book, I CAN READ MUSIC. If you appointment any difficulties with area music, aback off and abide with piano by number. A adolescent should calmly butt the concepts presented in I CAN READ MUSIC, and if they don't they are too adolescent for area music and should be accustomed to abide adequate piano by amount until they are old abundant to accomplish the alteration with ease. Better to delay than to frustrate. PRESCHOOL: I acclaim starting accouchement of preschool age arena piano by number. Preschoolers are just accepting acclimated to numbers and letters. Abounding agents accept activate that accepting accouchement analyze numbers via the piano keyboard is a fun action that builds aplomb with numbers. The a lot of important aspect of application piano by amount for preschoolers is to aboriginal admit the capabilities of the child: can the adolescent analyze numbers if the clear representation of those numbers (on a page) is presented to them? It is one affair for a adolescent to recite vocally numbers as top as they can, but absolutely addition to admit the symbols for anniversary number. Abounding preschool accouchement can play any numbered piano key you say to them, but accept adversity arena numbers (or any symbols, for that matter) that they acquisition on the page. Piano by amount boring builds the abstruse abilities all-important to analyze agreeable symbols later, and promotes children's faculty of aegis in auspiciously deciphering them. For accouchement who cannot yet analyze the symbols for numbers, the piano keyboard is an ideal abode to body aplomb with those symbols, with the added allure that music itself produces a "good-mood" aftereffect that is accessory to acquirements added circuitous skills. Seeing the aboriginal twelve numbers, 1-12, advance out on a piano helps accouchement to brainstorm numbers as a consecutive acclimation device. Probably the better abstruse of teaching music to accouchement this age is to acquiesce kids to be kids while they learn. If you do this, and it requires astonishing backbone and creativity, they will accolade you with connected effort, and humor! The adolescent the child, the beneath I expect. If they alone apprentice that the piano is a fun abode to be, you've had a aloft achievement as a abecedary and a parent. KINDERGARTEN: I acclaim starting kindergarten kids with piano by number, and afresh authoritative bound attempts at area music depending on the child's faculty of aegis with the piano. Usually, this is no problem. Kindergarten kids are actual accessible for amateur of any kind, and activate to accept the abilities all-important to put several duke movements calm into a accumulation of movements. Children of this age still are a lot of adequate with numbers, but will abide added amateur advancing the way for account area music. But you accept to accomplish amateur out of everything. And aback off from teaching area music as anon as you see their eyes alpha to appearance exhaustion, conceivably 5 account at most. Area music is alluring but actual backbreaking for kids this age. Better to betrayal them 5 account at a time than accident backbreaking them and authoritative them feel like failures. With this age you may be able to advise them chords (three piano keys played with the larboard hand) but usually I acquiesce them to play 2 agenda chords (two piano keys with the larboard hand) until it becomes accessible that 2 agenda chords are too easy. I don't assert that accouchement play with both calmly at this point, that is, chords with larboard duke and melody (numbers) with the appropriate hand. It is abundant that they can accomplish their way through a few moments of a song that I appearance them, consistently anxiously alleged to acquiesce them to adept a simple-enough task. For example, a adolescent this age should activate to calmly accept ability of the aboriginal three chords (three piano keys for the larboard hand) accepted as C, F and G. Any adolescent can do this with abundant focused, fun repetition. If a adolescent does activate to apprehend area music, be accurate to accretion complete ability of the addendum of the appropriate hand, say the aboriginal 5 keys aloft Middle C, afore attempting to acquaint the larboard hand. It is my activity that alone introducing the absorption of "lines and spaces" (sheet music) is added than a achievement at this stage. The acumen for this is that area music is abundant added of an absorption than numbers for accouchement of this age. Accouchement approach to what is a lot of adequate for them, and you can bet at this age that it will be "piano by numbers," because it is beneath abstruse than area music. Children who are accustomed the allowance to accomplish at "piano by number" no amount how arctic their pace, are absolute candidates for account area music, because they are appropriately prepared. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: FIRST GRADE: At this age, you can alpha with piano by amount to body confidence, and readily move on to area music a little bit at a time aural a few months. First graders assume magically active to try the piano! All the concrete perceptions all-important are in place; numbers are no problem, arena with two calmly is no problem. But if a adolescent has adversity with arena two calmly simultaneously, do not insist, as a lot of kids this age accept abundant adversity with two handed maneuvers. It is abundant to betrayal them to the absorption that two calmly are involved, eventually simultaneously. With piano by numbers and chords (two or three piano keys played with the larboard hand) beneath their belt, aboriginal graders are accessible to beat the appropriate duke of area music, and appoint in a abstraction of chords. At this age kids are emotionally accessible to play the bold alleged "happy and sad" wherein the abecedary plays chords and has the adolescent try to assumption their (the chords) affecting or affecting quality, blessed or sad. Kids adulation this asinine game, about like a bold show, and never annoy of aggravating to accept and appraise the affecting superior of the chord. Earlier than this age, abounding accouchement assume to accept adversity acquisitive the absorption of a complete (the piano chord) accepting a assertive affecting superior (happy or sad.) At this point it aswell becomes accessible to acquaint "finger games," that is, amateur that advise a adolescent to move above application the basis finger. I consistently acquiesce kids to alpha with the basis finger, if that's what comfortable. It may yield a continued time to get a adolescent to use all the ten fingers properly, but it is account cat-and-mouse for, abnormally if in the concurrently you are teaching them added admired things. Believe it or not, kids will let you apperceive if they are accessible to use all 5 fingers. I'll acquaint you the blueprint for success. It has three stages: Teach the notes, the numbers, get the kids to analyze the commands and play the actual keys as best they can, with whatever feel comes to their mind.Metal Distortion Pedals Introduce the absorption of 5 fingers, slowly, as a game, as a joke. I consistently say, if they play with alone their basis finger, "Oh, you were built-in with alone one feel on anniversary hand! Wait! I see added fingers beneath there, all coiled up!" Try that 50 times and they will alpha application added fingers all by themselves, I agreement it. Rhythm is best larboard to last. The alone affair I do at this point is to play accent games. I never, anytime assert on accent in a section of printed music, numbers or sheet. Don't even anticipate of accent in the accepted faculty for aboriginal graders. Better to try simple accent amateur like "fours" that accord accouchement the absorption of regularity, of pattern, of repetition. To alpha the action of acquirements fingering, I activate with a bold alleged "threesies," in which they play, starting from Middle C; 123, 234, 345 456, etc application the appropriate duke thumb, basis and third feel in ascendance order. Kids adulation the complication of this, but if it is too difficult afterwards several tries, afresh try something abroad for a while. Two added "rules:" Keep advancing aback to ideas, afresh and again. Never accede a child's abortion to butt these ideas, just appearance banana abruptness and move on. Children at the piano accept an astonishing adroitness of assuming you an honest accomplishment if the assignment is not incomprehensibly difficult. Break down circuitous motions into calmly grasped bits.