Early music education yields tremendous benefits for children.
Many parents recognize the strong correlation between studying music and academic success. Others want their children to develop discipline. Perhaps they remember fondly their own experience in a choir or instrumental ensemble and long for the same emotional and social benefits for their own children.
Some parents don’t consider themselves “musical”. Despite that, they readily acknowledge how enriching music education can be in all facets of one’s life. Trouble is, the question of “when should my child begin piano lessons” evades these same parents.
Parents often don’t get around to enrolling their children in lessons until they have almost surpassed what most experts consider to be the ideal window for learning music.
And who can blame them? Music lessons aren’t cheap, and there’s no guarantee that a child will even stick with it. I mean, how many adults do YOU know who took piano lessons at a young age and can pluck out nary a tune? Perhaps they are waiting for their child to demonstrate an interest in music first. Then they can justify an investment in lessons.
Besides, most traditional teachers of piano (and other instruments) typically do not accept students under the age of seven. The top three reasons are: underdeveloped literacy skills, finger dexterity (or rather, lack thereof), and short attention span. Some kids under seven can manage formal piano instruction. In most cases, a typical half-hour lesson seated on a piano bench is better suited to older children.
Surely blasting classical music and singing a bunch of nursery rhymes in early childhood would be sufficient, right?
Well, it certainly won’t hurt. Music exposure can and should begin early on (in the womb, ideally). In addition, a well-developed body of research indicates that the optimal age for music education is birth to age nine. It makes sense then, that a curriculum designed for younger children is the best option to capitalize on this window of opportunity.
Enter Let’s Play Music.
Developed by Shelle Soelberg in the 1990s and based on the research of Zoltán Kodály, Carl Orff, and Émile Jaques-Dalcroze, the Let’s Play Music curriculum teaches advanced musical concepts to children ages 4-7 in the way they learn best, through play!
We mistakenly think that a one-on-one session with a music teacher will get us the best bang for our buck. But, for kids younger than age seven (and some even older), we couldn’t be more wrong. In fact, group learning in early childhood yields tremendous benefits as children observe their peers participating in an activity. This gives them the confidence to try it themselves. The small group setting found in Let’s Play Music is perfect for this type of interaction. Research demonstrates that kids learn better in groups, and this certainly applies to music education.
Think of the games and activity possibilities that open up when working with a small group versus an individual. Incorporating fun activities with movement makes repetition easier and stimulates the brain to make connections more easily.
Repetition through fun group activities does wonders for the attention span as well. Kids learn best by doing. Sitting on a piano bench for half an hour once a week is a recipe for tuning out. Conversely, a small class of peers learning music through play facilitates learning as there is no room for boredom! In the Let’s Play Music class, talking is kept to a minimum and kids absorb musical concepts readily.
They don’t even realize they’re learning because they’re having so much fun!
As a certified Let’s Play Music teacher, I can attest that children come alive as they participate in this research-based program. It features the use of solfege, games, folk songs, classical music, and so much more to help children progress from basic ear-training and staff reading to playing the piano at a Level 2 and writing their own compositions in the third year! They will learn to play piano, but, more importantly, they will have developed total musicianship, preparing them for success at any instrument!
So, when should my child begin piano lessons? The short answer is: as soon as possible.
The longer answer is that methodology is key to success at learning an instrument. I am thrilled that when the parents of my piano students ask if I can teach their younger-than-seven child I can answer with a resounding “yes”! Let’s Play Music is the best answer to early music education. Find a teacher in your area and enroll in a sample class today!