Young children of three, four, and five years old are marvelous wonders.
They're not afraid of anything.
They want to try everything.
They're curious about the world. So curious, we have to work to keep them out of danger most of the time.
Does that mean that just anyone can teach a four-year-old?
Absolutely not.
While we teach the youngest children through singing, play, and keyboard activities, everything is with purpose.
We meet the students where they are developmentally.
Done well, a great teacher not only builds young children's innate musicality...
...but also creates a love of playing music that lasts through the years.
There is a sad misperception society holds for younger students. A misperception that it doesn't really matter who the teacher is when our kids are so young.
Because they're just kids, right? They're just playing. Why would we go with anything but the cheapest teacher?
Here's why.
An inexperienced teacher will take a four- or five-year-old and try to make him read the staff within the first few lessons.
This would be the equivalent of taking a two-year-old, sticking a book in front of him, and trying to get him to read.
The lesson ceases to be a music lesson at that point. For the child, it may as well be attempting to solve a Rubik's Cube.
Not only are precious months or even years lost, but the student becomes frustrated.
Even if mom and dad think to make the transition to a skilled teacher, undoing previous damage both musically and emotionally proves to be a challenge.
This is why, in reality, the younger the student, the more skilled the teacher needs to be.
Not just anyone.
But a teacher who loves younger students. A teacher who has an unrelenting curiosity about how they tick. A teacher who can tap into young children's natural musicality to help them grow.
Like a plant being nourished from a seed, the most amazing things can happen for years to come.
So, as it turns out...
the youngest years are the most important of all.