I have a very musically inclined 3.5yr old boy. He loves music - listens, dances alot, pretends to play guitar, plays his toy guitar, his keyboard, sings all the time, memorizes songs on the radio and of course knows every song from preschool.
Should I get him into lessons of some kind? How early is too early?
Thanks for the advice....
kindermusik has classes for newborns and up.. I highly recommend kindermusik.. they listen to music.. dance shake maraccas.. I have seen violin lessons as young as 3 but I think kindermusik would be a better choice as it is hard for a 3 year old to sit still.
Talk to local teachers. Some have a policy of not teaching children under the age of 5. Others want the children to be able to read. And others simply will take anyone willing to pay. So the answer will largely depend on what's available and within your budget.
For me, I would have liked to have had my son in piano lessons by the time he was 3. But it was difficult to find teachers willing to teach someone that young, and the cost is prohibitive. We'll be starting shortly before his 5th birthday.
I did my doctoral research on the cognitive neuroscience of music, and producing music, as opposed to listening to music, makes dendrites that last a lifetime that promote learning in all areas. Playing music as a kid takes advantage of a critical window of opportunity and makes for smarter kids and adults. Three and a half is not too young. I've seen tiny violins for three year olds!
The sooner the better!
Call around some teacher have age resrictions but most are based on their maturity level
Just want to throw this in. As time goes on, and you believe your son might also be confident on stage as far as acting, pursue that as well. There are amazing opportunities for boys in theater/film, because of the small number that are interested. And if he can sing... and if he can dance...the number of boys that can do all three is, well, a very small number.
See if there is a Music Together program available in your area. Age aproppriate music with a diversity so children hear and get more than what we hear on the radio or what a lot of children's music offers (duple beat, major key) Fun folk songs from all cultures. It is interactive and play based and there is even age apropriate music theory (rythm and singing chords based on the key of the songs) As far as learning an instrument, he needs to be able to focus for a certain length of time before lessons are successful. (I've forgotten what the advice is but I imagine you can google it)
www.musictogether.com
If you think he has an interest, try having him do lessons for a month and see how he does. That's the best way to try. Make sure the person is good with small children. The teacher will also be able to give you feedback on what she thinks. He needs to have good attention span and be able to sit still. If he can't do that he is too young and continue to encourage him at home until he is ready to sit still.
I want to second what Stitch said -- get him into the Music Together program if there's one near you. It's nationwide and franchised all over the place. They don't have their own offices; they teach in places like community centers, rec centers, churches, and they are not expensive; you also used to get CDs of the music used, so you can play it all the time. Go online to find them. This is a terrific parent-and-child interactive music program perfect for his age and it's based on a lot of excellent research about how children learn music -- but to a kid it's just fun with other kids. They usually teach in sessions of maybe six to ten weeks. You do have to be there and participate -- parent involvement is vital.
He is young enough that trying regular instrument lessons is probably a sure recipe for frustration and could turn him off trying to play. Most music teachers around here won't take kids until the kids are capable of listening well, not getting too distracted, and following directions for long enough to get through a lesson -- usually elementary school age. I know one piano teacher who won't take any child younger than seven, maybe six if the child is very, very capable of focusing. Don't get caught up in programs that promise the world and say they'll have your child playing an instrument in no time at his young age. Instead, go for a fun and well-thought-out program like Music Together that keeps him interested and introduces new concepts and isn't just all nursery rhyme songs.Meanwhile, encourage what he's already doing at home.
I know there are other programs like Kindermusik but I know nothing about that one; maybe someone else can post about it. I know that my daughter loved Music Together and I appreciated the information we got about research on how kids learn music.
Look for a teacher or program geared to a preschooler. I have a friend who teaches piano and she started teaching her kids informally around that age. There are also lots of music appreciation programs for preschoolers. My son took piano with Happy Piano because the came to his preschool. He doesn't really play that much after 2 years but I think he will have a good foundation for more serious lessons (maybe in 1st grade, he is in K now and getting used to a new school). Both the kids, 5 and almost 3, have fun playing with the keyboard.
