Since there are people on here with a musical background, I thought it might be an appropriate place to ask this question.

 At what age should you start children in music classes?

 My 3 year old daughter shows great interest in the guitar (believe it or not, from watching the boys on DVD, lol)  We did buy her a child size guitar (a real one), to try to encourage her.  But I was wondering when I should take it further?

 I am not sure if she quite has the attention span yet to sit through lessons, so I do not think that she is ready yet.  Or would she be ready?  I don’t know.

 And is it better to start with the guitar or piano, which she also likes.  We did buy her a keyboard, which she likes playing (but with no rhythm as of yet).

 I just want to make sure that I encourage her, but do not want to push her.  Does that make sense?

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".......... in our own true way"

I don't know that formal lessons are appropriate for that age, but Suzuki starts 'em early with the violin. Not reading music, but playing by ear. We use a similar method teaching school-age kids guitar by the Little Kids Rock Method. CHeck it out at either the Little Kids Rock website or on iTunes.

Anne

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My violin teacher plays several insturments...and would not teach his own kids ANY before the third grade. Partly due to attention span issues and partly due to physical abilities - he HATES Suzuki.

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I would guess it has a lot to do with whether you can find a teacher who's experienced with children that young.  It's not so much a matter of being able to sit through lessons, but being willing to practice every day - that's not common in real little kids, unless Mom or Dad wants to take time out and make it "us time."

Love, Columbine 

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I don't know if you guys have something similiar across the pond but here we have music programmes designed specifically for kids aged 2-5. It's a very playful approach to music and children experience both instruments and singing. It usually helps them to find an instrument that they're interested in and then the teacher devoted time to show stuff on the instrument to the kid. Those classes last about 30 minutes here but have a short break in between as not to stress the kids and of course if the kids absolutely can't pay attention anymore they stop and do something else with them.

 

I'd suggest trying to find a teacher who's experienced or even specialized in teaching music to very young kids !

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"I can wiggle my bum and I can slide on my tummy..." - Bob, Horatio the Penguin

We have a program here in St. Catharines like that. It focuses on the fun aspect of music first.

I suppose not only does it depend on the experience of the teacher, it also depends on the child. My daughter would strum her father's guitar while he played the chords when she was very young, but she didn't have the patience or discipline to actually learn. She's now 12 and wants to learn guitar. Luckily, her dad can teach her, but I wouldn't have had her learning at 3. But then again, you always hear about these wonder kids who started an instrument at 2 or something, so you never know. You know your child better than anyone. Don't forget about the pain aspect of guitar tho...gotta build up callouses!

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My little brother was playing melodies by ear on the piano when he was two and he started lessons when he was five. (He's a professional organist and accompanist now and plays several other instruments too).  My mother taught me to read music at about the same time I was learning to read in school, lessons happened a year or two after that. 

My own kids (3&5) love to play with my instruments and have toy versions of a few too, but they haven't shown much interest in actually producing 'music' or any particular songs.  I'm dying to get them making music but I want to follow their lead.  I didn't want to learn piano and I hated every lesson.  It took a long time for me to enjoy playing even after I stopped lessons.

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My only experience with those early music programmes is one of the kids I used to babysit. She started going to classes like that when she was 3. Nowadays she's 11 and she loves to sing and play the flute & other instruments. For her it really was good to start that early!

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"I can wiggle my bum and I can slide on my tummy..." - Bob, Horatio the Penguin

okay.  I am ready to drop kick my computer into a lake!  If this is a redundant post.  Please excuse me!  My post disappeared twice as I was writing it! 

 

ANYWAY...I think you are doing the right thing taking your daughters lead!  You want her to enjoy music and not see it as a chore.  Teaching young children music is like teaching young children academics, one COULD but isn't the goal of reading and playing music the joy when gets from the activity?  You could enroll her in a program like Kindermusik or Music Together that has a music component but doesn't push.  Let her "tinker" with the instruments.  You or someone else can show her the proper holds if she is interested but don't push if not.  I teach and direct a preschool program and I often bring my fiddle, whistles and bodhran to school.  After a short demonstration and a reminder about how special the instruments are, the children love experimenting with the different sounds.  Some have even "written" songs .  A few have even gone on to take "real lessons" (as they tell me) when they have gotten older.  To me that is the real goal to see the joy of the music. 

 I think when she is ready, I would start with piano because its easier and is a basis.  Good luck and have fun !!!!!

Thanks everyone.  I think I will look up the music schools in the area and see if they offer toddler programs and what they consist of.

Even if they are not stuctured classes perhaps they will give her a little more direction that I can.  Does anyone know of any in London, Ontario, by any chance that they have dealt with in the past?

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".......... in our own true way"

I started the violin in grade 3 and it worked well, but it would have been good to start earliuer. I would say grade 1 would be good, or as soon as they can read comfortably. Then, learning sheet music and letters at the same time would not be an issue.

I was put in piano lessons when I was 5 & I started flute on my own in grade 6. :)

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I started choir in the 1st grade and clarinet in the 4th.  I would have loved private lessons when I started out, but my family had no money so I had to deal with what they taught at public school.  Did me well though... I played at the Obama Inaugural Parade and just played Carnegie Hall in February.

I think starting kids on music lessons before first grade is just too much for the wee one.  A music appreciation/dance class, sure. A place they can go bang a drum and sing a song, sure.  But let the kid be a kid while he/she still can!

Amy

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"Half an hour of sunshine is worth a bit of rain..."

My neice is a misic teacher and she said that it's difficult for kids to play certain instruments before third grade because developmentally they lack the dexterity. Usually around third grade schools start the kids with recorders because they're fairly easy to finger. Also, they have short attention spans and could become bored and then discouraged. However if you child is willing and able by all means go for it and clap along !

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Well, my mother was a piano teacher so my sister and I learned to read music before we could read English (You start the alphabet with A? Why? it has 3 sharps!) So music isn't something I learned, it's what I am.

 If you want your kid to be like that, start him/her early. But as others said, I think it would be an uphill grind for you unless the parent is doing the teaching.

 

druid

 

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"Tis better to be on the dock, wishing you were at sea, than at sea, wishing you were on the dock"