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5 WAYS TO GET THE MOST OUT OF MUSIC LESSONS™
The following guidelines will allow you to have a successful, rewarding experience learning a musical instrument. Our school has discovered these practical tips from over a decade of teaching and from our experiences with teaching several hundreds of students each year.
1. How young is too young?
Starting at the right age…
Adults can start any instrument whenever they choose. The adult can base his or her success on how willing he or she commits to practicing. Our school teaches many beginner students in their 60s and 70s. For children, starting at the right age is a key ingredient to the success of their lessons. Some people believe "the sooner (a child begins), the better." This attitude can backfire and have a negative effect on the child. If parents put a child into lessons too soon the child may feel overwhelmed and frustrated and want to stop lessons. Parents would not want to turn a child off to music just because the child had one unpleasant experience. Parents can prevent this by starting the child at the proper age. Sometimes if the child "waits a year" to start lessons he or she will progress much faster once he or she begins. Children who are older than the "suggested earliest starting age" usually do well. The following are guidelines our school has found to be successful in discovering how young a child can start taking music lessons.
3 to 4 years old
If a preschooler has a keen wish and wants to start music, a group preschool music class will give them a good foundation in music basics which will be helpful in later private lessons. At this age, private lessons typically do not work since the child has not yet experienced the formal learning environment of kindergarten or school. These students learn more effectively through the "game oriented" preschool environment.
Piano & Keyboard
5 years old is the youngest age at which our school starts children in private piano or keyboard lessons. By this age they have begun to develop longer attention spans and can learn material with ease.
Guitar: Acoustic, Electric, & Bass
8 years old is the earliest our school recommends for guitar lessons. Guitar playing demands a fair amount of pressure on the fingertips from pressing on the strings. Children under 8 years old often have small hands and may find playing uncomfortable. Because of the larger diameter of Bass guitar strings and the left hand strength needed to press down on the strings, our school typically starts Bass guitar students at age 10.
Voice
Our school recommends 10 years old as the youngest age for private vocal lessons. Because of the physical nature of voice lessons (proper breathing techniques, development of the vocal chords, and lung capacity), the younger body is typically not yet ready for the rigors of vocal technique. For children younger than 10, our studios have a children’s choir (ages 6-9) and a preschool singing program (ages 3-5). These classes teach them how to use their voices properly in a fun, relaxed environment.
Woodwinds: Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Oboe, & Bassoon
Because of lung capacity (and with both the saxophone and the bassoon, the size of the instrument), our school recommends that most woodwind beginners are at least 10 years old.
Stringed Instruments: Violin, Viola, & Cello
Our school accepts violin and viola students from the age of 5. Some teachers will start children as young as 3, but experience has shown us when learning the violin or the viola, the most productive learning occurs when the beginner is 5 or older. Because of the size of the Cello, our school typically starts Cello students at age 10.
Brass: Trumpet, French Horn, Trombone, & Tuba
The brass instruments demand physical effort and lung power. 10 years old is a good time to start taking brass lessons.
2. Insist on individual lessons when learning a specific instrument
Group classes work well for preschool music programs and theory lessons. However, when learning how to play an instrument, individual lessons are far superior and each student can learn at his or her own pace. This means the teacher does not have to teach a class at a "middle-of-the-road" level, but has the time and focus to work on the individual student’s strengths and weaknesses. For that lesson period the student is the primary focus of the teacher. The teacher also enjoys this since they do not have to divide their attention between 5 to 10 students at a time and can help the student be the best they can be.
3. Take lessons in a professional teaching environment
Learning music is not just a matter of having a qualified teacher, but also having a productive environment in which music education can take place. In a professional school environment a student will not have the distractions of television, pets, ringing phones, siblings, or anything else. With only _ hour to 1 hour of lesson time each week, a professional music school environment can produce better results since the only focus is learning music. The music school environment also motivates students since they are able to hear peers who are at different levels. In addition, music students also benefit from this environment since music schools introduce students to various musical instruments. In a music school, the lessons are not just a hobby or interest of the teacher but a responsibility which they take seriously.
4. Make practicing easier
As with anything, improving in music takes practice. One of the main problems with music lessons is the "drudgery" of practicing and the struggle between parents and students to practice every day. Our school recommends the following ways to make practicing easier:
a) Time: Set the same time every day to practice so it becomes part of a routine or habit. This works well for children. Typically the earlier in the day the practicing can occur, the less the parent will have to remind the child to practice.
b) Repetition: Our school uses this method often when setting practice schedules for beginners. For a young child 20 or 30 minutes may seem like an eternity. Instead of setting a time frame we use repetition. For example, "practice this piece 4 times every day," and "practice this scale 5 times a day." The child then does not pay attention to the time they are practicing their instrument, but knows if they are on ""repetition number 3" for example, they are completing their music practice for that day.
c) Rewards: This works well for both children and adult students. Some adults reward themselves with a new music book or a music accessory after a successful week of practicing. Parents can encourage children to practice by granting them occasional rewards for successful practicing. Our school rewards young children for a successful week of practicing with stars and stickers on their work. Praise usually is the most coveted award: There just is no substitute for a pat on the back for a job well done. Sometimes students may have a week with little practicing, in which case "there is always next week."
5. Use nationally recognized teaching materials
There are some excellent materials developed by professional music educators for students of all musical levels. For example, in piano there are books for young beginners as well as books for adult students who have never played before. There are other books that can start students at their particular music level. Educators and Publishers have researched these materials and are continually upgrading and improving them to make learning easier. These materials ensure that educators will not unintentionally leave out the essentials of learning an instrument. If a music student ever has to move to a different part of the country, qualified teachers and institutions will recognize these materials and the student will be able smoothly to continue from where the previous teacher left off.
Have Fun!
Music should be something which you enjoy for a lifetime. So, try not to put unrealistic expectations on yourself or your children to learn too quickly. Everyone learns at a different pace and the key is to be able to enjoy the journey.
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