Is Your Little One too Young to Start Piano Lessons?

Quite often, parents ask me this same question, “is my child too young to start taking piano lessons?” I’m here to share with you what three simple signs you can look for in your child, to indicate they may or may not be ready for you to get them started in music lessons!

Music lessons are considerate a luxury in most households, and in today’s economy, almost every household. When I was a child, my mother invested in piano teachers and music camps with the best teachers and schools in and around our community. I am a product of not only the God-given gift and talent of music, but I was blessed to be well trained by some of the best teachers and professors all the way through college.

What I do today embodies the passion I have to see children of all economic backgrounds, cultures and ethnicities experience what I did in my youth. What most children cannot afford, or may not see in their schools, I desire to bring it right where they are, in every part of the world! If you’d like to know more about the music school I started, and how you can help me give that gift and share the ministry of music with families everywhere, please take a moment to visit youngmusicianacademy.net.

Now, back to this blog post! No matter where you are in your decision to invest in music lessons for your young child, there’s a very good chance you could be hesitant because you don’t know the signs that confirm a your child is ready for private or group piano instruction.

I’m going to list the three key indicators in your child’s development that they are indeed ready for a music lessons:

First, make sure your child knows their right hand, from their left hand. This step is most important when introducing a young child to the piano, because learning to play with both hands together can become confusing by itself! When a child can confidently identify their right and left hand from each other, they are one step closer to being able to comfortably learn basic piano technique!

The second thing you want to be sure your child knows, is his or her alphabet. The good old ABC’s! Whether they can recite them or sing them, as long as they know them well, this is going to help them as they learn the Musical Alphabet, and begin to navigate each note name on the piano. If you are looking for a simple video lesson on the Musical Alphabet, check out my very 1st episode about the Music ABCs on my channel, here!

Lastly, if your child is counting from 1-10 with ease, then they are clear to begin piano lessons! These three milestones come at different times for every child, so don’t pressure them, let them show you they are ready 🙂 My younger children are currently two, two (twins 😉 3 and 5. While I’ve chosen to offer my 5-year old a full lesson, I am simply welcoming the other three littles to the idea of playing by allowing them to explore the piano freely. My husband and I are both musicians, but we agreed to allow all of our children to come into playing music when they are ready, and based on their interest. I feel this method and approach is best with all children. No pressure, enjoy the journey from the start!

One of the first lessons I teach my youngest students on the piano is correct hand and finger position. We then learn our finger numbers, and begin playing exercises that strengthen the fingers. Little fingers are too weak to play one note at a time starting out!

If you are reading this, and you have a little one you are interested in “trying” out piano lessons with, consider enrolling them in my “Preschool Private Piano Lesson.” My classes are offered virtually, and I currently teach students all over the world! My methods are tried and true, and I make learning fun for every age! When booking a first lesson with me, enter this code: FreePreschoolFun at check out to receive your first lesson completely free!

If you’re a music teacher, feel free to share your methods for making sure little hands and fingers are ready to learn the piano below!