Everything Piano

What Is The Best Age To Begin Teaching A Child Piano?

La Leçon De Piano (The Piano Lesson) By Marguerite Gérard (1761–1837)

Musical training during a very young age can be strikingly rewarding. In fact, most babies who are frequently exposed to perfectly tuned piano sounds and music have a tendency to automatically develop what is called “perfect pitch,” which is the ability to identify a musical note without any given reference.

This may seem unthinkable, but there is actually nothing extraordinary about this. Nobody can be born with the perfect pitch ability because it is a skill that is 100% learned.

Piano training is most effective when it is reinforced at a relatively young age. Children can begin learning when they are as young as three or four years old.

Exposing infants and toddlers (typically from birth) to classical music is very beneficial from a musical standpoint, because classical music involves the highest musical content out of all different types of music. Classical music is characterized by more complex components.

In comparison to classical music, certain types of contemporary music can hinder a child’s musical development. This is due to the fact that some forms of music over-emphasize detracting aspects like loudness or music structures that are too simplistic, which under-stimulates the brain.

An individual does not have to be especially “gifted” in order to play the piano well, which is why enrolling any child in piano lessons at an early age can be beneficial. Many people think that forcing their child into piano lessons at a younger age will result in their child being unable to sit still or concentrate on piano practice and technique.

Quite honestly, you will never know whether you child grows up to choose the piano or not, until they actually grow up. My sister (age 5) and I (age 8 ) were enrolled in piano lessons at the same time. My sister never truly developed the passion needed for piano persistence and she quit a few years later. I, on the other hand, kept on going to participate in competitions and conservatory examinations. Our difference in age had nothing to do with it (the fact that I was older). It was simply an outcome of trial and error by my parents who decided to enroll the both of us in piano lessons. I never went forward in ballet, gymnastics, curling, or soccer… but piano, I did.

Younger children can also benefit from piano lessons because there is no need to force them to practice for long hours on end. While practice makes perfect, it’s unwise to force a child to practice for long periods of time.

Many famous pianists have recommended practice sessions of less than an hour.

Not only is this beneficial for musical improvement, but it is also easier to keep a child focused on practicing over a half hour-long practice period, as opposed to a two hour-long practice period.

As a final note, advancement in piano practice is highly dependent on the ability to eventually memorize musical compositions.

In piano, it’s recommended that one should memorize as many pieces as possible before the age of 20.

Why? Pieces learned during earlier ages are almost never forgotten. Again, even if they are forgotten, they can be picked up again quickly. Pieces learned after the age of 40 actually require a lot more effort for memorization and maintenance.

Elise’s Musical Tip For The Day:

Learning the piano should never seem like a daunting or overwhelming task for a young child. The child should be given the opportunity to explore and learn at their own pace. The right piano teacher will be able to observe and guide young children throughout the learning process to help keep them interested in fun, musical exercises, while also rewarding them as they grow to achieve certain goals in music.