If you're a parent thinking about piano lessons for your kids, you're probably thinking about what age you should start.
Should you begin as young as possible? Wait until your kids can sit still for at least 30 minutes? Wait until they can read?
There are a lot of misconceptions out there that hold parents and students back.
In this post, you'll learn what age you should start your kids (or yourself!) in piano lessons
What age to start piano lessons? Here's a rule of thumb. (no pun intended...)
The younger you can get your kids into piano lessons, the better. You don't need to wait until they're a certain age to begin.
However, what those lessons look like will be different for younger students.
There's much research indicating that learning music and learning language are very similar.
Notice that we don't really have to teach kids how to speak their native language. They grow up with it around them and absorb it in a beautiful, organic way.
So it would stand to reason that the younger the age you can involve your kids in piano lessons, the greater chance of success they'll have. Long as you select the best options for teachers who are skilled at teaching young students.
From Birth to Age 2
You can start your kids in music lessons as early as birth, but they won't look like traditional piano lessons by a long shot.
From the time your kids are born, the most important things you can do is make sure they are:
- singing.
- moving to music.
There are many options you can choose from for your kids to help with this. Keep in mind that these will be group classes, and require parental involvement.
Music Together is a very popular choice, based on Edwin Gordon's Music Learning Theory.
But as long as your class selection includes singing and movement, you can't really go wrong.
The goal of these younger years is to help students develop their sense of pitch and ability to move to a beat. And this can only be done through singing and moving.
When they're a little older and ready for formal lessons, they'll be so far ahead of the game with these foundations.
Ages 2-6 - Suzuki or MLT
Kids can begin one-on-one piano lessons as young as age 2. But once again, the approach will not be a traditional one.
Why?
Because a traditional piano lesson approach tends to include reading right away. And kids within this age group are not ready for music reading yet.
It would be like taking a 1-year-old and trying to teach them grammar.
Rather, at this age, students should begin piano lessons with a teacher who can help them continue establishing their musical foundations (pitch/rhythm) and proper technique at the piano.
The best choices for this are Suzuki piano teachers, and piano teachers experienced in Music Learning Theory (MLT).
Both of these approaches hold off on reading until students have developed a solid foundation at the instrument. Students are able to play all over the piano from the first lesson, learn familiar tunes by ear, improvise, and perform.
This not only continues to develop the students' musical foundations, but also sets them up with a strong track record of positive experiences from an early age.
Age 7-18 - Traditional Lessons
Many sources advise parents to wait until this age range to begin lessons, because they'll be "reading ready." But as you've learned in this post, this is false.
While students in this age group can work with a traditional approach, the music foundation developed in the younger age ranges is still critical.
Because when students have developed their senses of pitch and rhythm, the abstract nature of reading music is much easier for kids to grasp.
If students have not had these experiences yet, then reading music is more of a "decoding" process. They'll be able to figure it out, but without as much musical understanding. And, the chances of hitting a wall or plateau tend to be much greater.
Within this age range, "The younger the better" is still a good rule of thumb to go by.
Partly because younger children's brains are still developing.
And partly because they haven't been overloaded with middle-school and high-school homework yet.
But keep in mind that if your kids haven't had the opportunity to sing and move to music, or learn at the piano by ear or by rote, then a piano teacher who can provide this will give them far greater chances of success.
What Age to Start Piano Lessons as an Adult?
At South Shore Piano School, we've had adult piano students as old as eighty-six! You can really begin piano lessons as an adult at any age. You don't have to wait for retirement. But it's helpful to know what to expect.
Adults of any age can learn the piano using a traditional approach. Similar to ages 7-18, developing that musical foundation (senses of pitch and rhythm) will continue to be important for success.
Similar to learning a language at an older age, this may be a slower process than with younger students. But this is no reason to be discouraged; after all, adults learn new languages all the time!
Often, adults learn at a faster pace than younger students when they first begin lessons. Mainly because they can understand reading faster.
The challenge for adults is that, as life gets busier, keeping the momentum of daily practice becomes harder. And after the "honeymoon phase" of beginning lessons is over, it can be a challenge to stay motivated.
But keep in mind that success at the piano doesn't require hours of daily practice. It just requires some simple, daily habits and practice routines. And of course, following your teacher's instructions between lessons.
In Closing
What is the best age to start piano lessons? As you've learned in this post, the younger the better.
So long as you understand what kinds of lessons you are looking for, and what goals you are shooting for. Especially within the younger age groups.
Please let us know if you have any questions in the comments below!
Or if you're ready to start your piano adventure right now and want to give South Shore Piano School a try (online or in-person), you can schedule a free trial lesson today!