When Should My Child Start Music Lessons?

As a music school, this is a question we’re frequently asked. Teachers have different teaching styles and philosophies when it comes to how young children should be when starting their musical journeys. And, as it turns out, teachers also have different opinions on how old students should be when they start on their first instrument.

When asked, several of the teachers at our Lake Travis location shared their thoughts on questions pertaining to best age and instrument to start. Here is what they said:

What instrument is best to start with, and why?

A.J. Vincent:

I think piano is great to start with because it’s visually easy to see the layout of the notes right in front of you. When explaining concepts, it’s easy to point towards the notes and show the student a scale when it’s right there in order. 

Kimberly Pickard:

Everyone should be singing (and dancing) as much as they are able from birth until death!

Hannah Boissonneault:

I think it’s totally okay to start with any instrument that gets your kiddo excited. That said, piano or drums might initially be the most musically rewarding, because it’s easy to instantly make cool sounds! The piano can also be helpful to start with because it provides a great visual foundation for learning the musical alphabet.

Blake Jurasin:

I’ve noticed younger students progressing fastest on the piano. To me, it’s the easiest instrument to visualize both for individual notes and chords. If a student really wants to learn how to play guitar, I will ALWAYS recommend electric over acoustic first. The tension on the strings of an electric is significantly lighter than on an acoustic (plus, it’s always fun to throw some effects on a kid’s guitar and watch their faces light up!)

What is the minimum age a student should start on guitar? Voice? Piano? Or any other instrument?

A.J. Vincent:

Minimum age for piano I think should be around five. Three and four-year-olds have a hard time with left and right hands, and there are concepts that just fly right over their heads. Five-year-olds tend to retain more week to week in my experience, even though they’re still just starting to grasp the concepts.

Kimberly Pickard:

Young children should be immersed into an Early Childhood Music and Movement class as soon as the caregiver and child are able. My recommendation is MusikGarten or Music Together program through the age of 5. MusikGarten pedagogy is one I latched on to about 20 years ago. The piano curricula dovetails off of their childhood music and movement class, ensuring that melodies are familiar before applying to the piano. Essentially we are singing, developing ear-training, before learning to play, read and write at the piano. 

Reference: https://www.musikgarten.org/music-makers-at-the-keyboard-from-age-6-

Formal Voice instruction can be started as early as 7 years. You can start earlier but the concepts of breathing, phonation, placement  and language are often too abstract for a young child. Parent expectations for a younger child should be different than an older child. A younger child can improve pitch matching, rhythm comprehension and different voicings. All of these goals can be accomplished with peers in a classroom setting which is better for a young child’s social- emotional development.  

This is why I started Glee Club because kids need to sing together in groups to develop their ear. All musical training should begin with listening.

Hannah Boissonneault:

The only one that I believe has a true “minimum” age is voice, which is around 7 years old. And even after that, our voices continue to develop and change as we age!

Blake Jurasin:

Piano – Age five. It’s a great instrument to start a musical journey because of how simply it’s laid out.

Guitar – Age six or seven. This one is subjective since I’ve seen students as young five or six start strong on the guitar, but generally, students under six aren’t quite comfortable with developing the calluses on their fingers. That said, young students could always start with Ukulele then move to guitar when they’re a bit older!

Voice – Age six.

What do you think parents should expect when starting their children at a young but appropriate age?

A.J. Vincent:

Parents should expect the process to move slower than expected, because learning an instrument takes longer than most people think. Also, parents should expect to guide their student’s practice for a while to build a good practice habit until the student takes over. All good students still need a little guidance sometimes, especially with keeping up with practice every week.

Kimberly Pickard:

Parents should expect kids to be curious about modalities (diff instruments) and its ok to explore but they should not expect a child under 6 to play with any finesse. They should expect them to learn through play and having fun!

Negative experiences come from expectations being set too high. Children are pleasers and want to make all the adults in their life happy. including teachers.

Hannah Boissonneault:

It’s hard to say. I feel like it depends on the student, but I think parents should expect to be involved in their practicing progress and help them work on their instrument, much like they help with homework at school! And parents should probably expect assignments that will excite and engage their students along with some fundamental technique practice that might not be as seem more tedious but can help them grow and play their favorite songs faster!

Blake Jurasin:

Parents should understand that each child progresses differently in music lessons. Unlike other topics, music is not linear, and though some of the basic principles are the same, one student may gravitate more towards singing/songwriting while the other wants to learn to shred on the guitar. The best thing to do would be help their child establish a practice routine and encourage the child to listen to different styles of music!

For more tips, stay posted to the Musician’s Woodshed blog, where we will post on the first Saturday of every month!