Trumpet playing child? What age did s/he start lessons?

[morningxmorning]

My 6 y.o. son has been taking piano for over a year and will continue at least until the end of elementary. He is a little trumpet crazy at the moment and has already told me that when he is in middle school he is going to switch.

 

I've been thinking of renting a trumpet for Xmas and signing him up for a few months of intro lessons as a gift/trial.

 

Do any of you have a child that takes trumpet or cornet? How old was he or she when they started lessons? If you have a kid learning two instruments, how do you plan practice sessions?

 

Thanks in advance.

[TravelingChris]

My dd started at 11. That is when she asked to do it. Before she was learning how to play piano and also was in a choir.

 

She caught on to playing really quickly -less than two weeks- so it wasn't too bad for us. We lived in FL when she started and she would play in the Florida room (also called a sun room- but typically, having a greater amount of building between it and the rest of the house than some sun rooms (concrete or brick in our case in FL)). When we moved to VA and then here in AL, she moved to playing downstairs.

[Cassy]

DS11 started the cornet when he was 9 yo. I seem to remember that his music teacher recommended the cornet because he was smaller. His older brother started the trombone at 11 yo. They both have piano lessons too, but find their brass instruments the most fun :001_smile:.

[DarlaS]

Typically band instruments started at about 5th grade (10/11) and not earlier as before that that they won't be big enough to handle the instrument or have the lung capacity. That's the case with brass and woodwinds anyway.

[ccolopy]

Typically band instruments started at about 5th grade (10/11) and not earlier as before that that they won't be big enough to handle the instrument or have the lung capacity. That's the case with brass and woodwinds anyway.

This has been our experience as well. DD just started playing the flute and is the youngest student that her teacher has ever taught. DS started trumpet last year at 10.

[athena1277]

Typically band instruments started at about 5th grade (10/11) and not earlier as before that that they won't be big enough to handle the instrument or have the lung capacity. That's the case with brass and woodwinds anyway.

 

My brother started playing trumpet in 5th, but that's because that's when band started in our ps. BTW, it did wonders for his asthma.

[Arcadia]

I started at 9 for cornet, trumpet and horn because school band starts at 3rd grade.

For trumpet and cornet, one of the main skill is embouchure. The fingering part is easy.

[Greenmama2]

DD is desperate to play trumpet. I've told her I would like her to have her front two adult teeth before she starts so she is sticking with violin for now. She is extremely annoyed that at 6.5 she hasn't yet lost a single tooth. My uncle is a professional trumpet player and DH's original instrument was trumpet. Both were around 8/9 when they started.

[jhschool]

DS started formal piano lessons at age 8.

At age 13 he started cornet and switched to trumpet soon after.

He just played in his first trumpet recital.

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Practices: trumpet is 15 minutes a day, right before breakfast.

Piano is 30 minutes - 1 hour a day, and a lot more leading up to

public performances.

Feel free to ask more questions--I'll be happy to help.

Edited November 4, 2012 by jhschool

[jhschool]

DS started formal piano lessons at age 8.

At age 13 he started cornet and switched to trumpet soon after.

He just played in his first trumpet recital.

----------

Practices: trumpet is 15 minutes a day, right before breakfast.

Piano is 30 minutes - 1 hour a day whenever he

can fit it in (typically in the mornings), and a lot more leading up to

public performances.

Feel free to ask more questions--I'll be happy to help.

[boscopup]

I didn't start a brass instrument until 6th grade, when the school offered band, but I was surprised that my DH was allowed to start band in 3rd grade - playing tuba! I don't know how he held the thing, let alone got it to make a sound at that age. :lol: I will say that he has the most incredible lungs because of it! Last time he had pneumonia, the doctor was shocked that he was still walking around, as bad as it was.

 

My oldest is 8 right now. I don't know if he would be able to do a brass instrument yet. I haven't tried. I'm going to start him on piano, and probably let him try a brass instrument sometime in the next few years (DH is tuba and I'm trombone, plus I've played trumpet and melophone, so we're a brass friendly family :D). Frankly, I think my oldest would get too frustrated at not being able to make a decent sound until he's been "playing" for a while. He's a perfectionist. At least with piano, the sound will be perfect every time. It will be how he puts the sounds together that will be imperfect. ;)

[morningxmorning]

Thanks for all the responses!