These guidelines will help you have a successful, rewarding experience learning an instrument. These are practical tips that we have discovered from years of teaching and our experiences with teaching hundreds of students every year.

1. HOW YOUNG IS TOO YOUNG - STARTING AT THE RIGHT AGE

Adults can start any instrument at any time. Their success is based on how willing an adult is to commit to practicing. We teach many beginner students in their 60s and 70s.

For children, starting at the right age is a key element to the success of their lessons. Some people will tell you “the sooner the better”, but this attitude can actually backfire and have a negative effect. If children are put into lessons too soon, they may feel overwhelmed and frustrated and want to stop lessons. The last thing you want to do is turn a child off music just because of one unpleasant experience that could have been prevented. Sometimes if the child waits a year to start lessons, their progress can be much faster. Children who are older than the suggested earliest starting age usually do very well. The following are guidelines we have found to be useful in determining how young a child be when starting music lessons.

Infancy to 4 Years Old
Kindermusik is an excellent beginning for children too young to begin instrumental training.  Children experience music in a fun and playful environment with their peers and their caregivers.  These classes help establish a strong sense of beat and pitch inside the child, making music learning much easier as the child grows.

Piano
At our school, 4 years old is the youngest age that we start children in private piano lessons. At this age they have begun to develop longer attention spans and can retain material with ease.

Guitar
Students may begin guitar as young as age 5 on a one-quarter size instrument with a properly trained instructor.  

Flute
Because of lung capacity and finger size, we recommend that most flute beginners are 8 and older.  However, if a student is particularly interested in wind instruments at an early age, they may begin with the ocarina, move on to the wooden flute and eventually progress to the silver flute.  This is a great way to get an early start.

Violin
We accept violin students from the age of 5. Some teachers will start children as young as 3, but experience has shown us the most productive learning occurs when the beginner is 5 or older. 

2. INSIST ON PRIVATE LESSONS WHEN LEARNING A SPECIFIC INSTRUMENT

Group classes work well for preschool music programs and theory lessons. However, when it comes to actually learning how to play an instrument, private lessons are far superior.  In private lessons, it is hard to miss anything, 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 teacher’s primary focus. The teachers also enjoy this since they do not have to divide their attention between 5 - 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 of having an environment that is focused on music education. In a professional school environment, a student cannot be distracted by television, pets, ringing phones, siblings or anything else. With only 30-60 minutes of lesson time per week, a professional school environment can produce better results since the only focus at that time is learning music. Students in a school environment are also motivated by hearing peers who are at different levels and by being exposed to a variety of musical instruments. In a music school, the lessons are not just a hobby or sideline for the teacher, but a responsibility which is taken very 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 fight between parents and students to practice every day. Here are some ways to make practicing easier:

Time
Set the same time every day to practice so it becomes part of a routine or habit. This works particularly well for children. Generally, the earlier in the day the practicing can occur, the less reminding is required by parents to get the child to practice.

Repetition
We use this method quite often when setting practice schedules for beginners. For a young child, 20 or 30 minutes seems like an eternity. Instead of setting a time frame, we use repetition. For example, practice this piece 4 times every day, and this scale 5 times a day. The child then does not pay attention to the amount of time they spend practicing the instrument, but does know that, if they are on repetition number 3, they are almost finished.

Rewards
This works very well for both children and adult students. Some adults reward themselves with a cappuccino after a successful week of practicing. Parents can encourage children to practice by granting them occasional rewards for successful practicing. In our school we reward young children for a successful week of practicing with stars and stickers on their work. Praise tends to be the most coveted award - there just is no substitute for a pat on the back for a job well done. Sometimes we all have a week with little practicing.  In that case, there is always next week.

5. FIND THE BEST POSSIBLE TEACHER

Unfortunately, many excellent musicians have no idea how to teach what they do.  A great start with an excellent teacher will allow students of any age to make swift progress.  This in turn will lead to self-confidence in one’s own abilities and a desire to learn more.  Finding the right teacher can be difficult if you yourself have little or no musical training, but here are a few things you can look for:

University Degrees and Teacher Training Programs
Most degree programs now require teacher training and supervised teaching as part of the music education, especially in graduate school.  If the teacher has done additional teacher training such as workshops, Suzuki, Orff, or Kodaly training, this is also a major plus.

Clear Lesson Plans
Ask the teacher what the student will be learning and when.  While it is appropriate for the teacher to say “that depends on your commitment to practice,” they should be able to give you a general idea of how lessons should progress.  Be wary of a teacher says “I teach whatever the student want to learn,” since this often can mean the teacher has no plan.

A Clear Commitment to Teaching
Continuity is extremely important in the music learning process.  Many musicians take on students between tours or when they have time off from performing.  Others are teaching only while they finish their university degrees.  Look for a teacher that is stable in the area and committed for the long term.

Most Importantly . . .

HAVE FUN!!

Music should be something that you enjoy for a lifetime. So, avoid placing 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.