At what age to start a musical instrument?

[Aiden]

Yesterday I was discussing with my 5-year-old daughter whether she'd like to take a class outside the home, and if so, what. Frankly, I was thinking swimming (we want her to learn), or dance or gymnastics (for the exercise and for the opportunity to meet other kids).

 

She announced that she wants to take a class in which she learns to play the violin. She also mentioned the trumpet, but she kept going back to the violin. This may just be a passing interest that she'll be over in a day or two, but then again, maybe not.

 

Music is by far her favorite subject in school--she seems to enjoy much of our work, but when she balks, all I have to say is, "After we finish this, you can do a music lesson," and she's suddenly very cooperative and even excited to get back to work. We're using Calvert's Discoveries in Music, which is DVD-based, so she may just like the videos. However, she has noted repeatedly when she sees a violin and has said that she likes its sound.

 

She seems too young to me for musical training. She's still learning to read words; reading music seems a bit much to ask. Fine motor control for writing is developing; fine motor control for using a violin bow seems even more difficult (but maybe that's just because I don't know how to do it myself). But I also just read on a website that someone recommends starting a child with the violin at the age of 3 ... maybe that's just because the people at that particular website sell children's violins :glare:

 

For context--if/when she starts playing an instrument, the goal will not be to become a professional. It will be enjoyment and the cognitive benefits that seem to come along with musical training. Of course if she became passionate about it, then I would make it more of a priority as well. If she didn't like it, we'd require her to keep at it for a while (she dislikes things she's not good at, so I'd expect her to be excited about it, realize it was hard, announce she couldn't do it and didn't want to anyway, and then begin enjoying it as she improved), but eventually let her stop if it became clear that she really didn't like it.

 

So ... if you play a musical instrument, at what age did you start? If your child plays, at what age did your child start? Was that a good age for it, or do you think it would have been better to start younger/older? Would your answer change if the instrument in question was expensive, not already owned, not available for rent in your area, fragile, and required replacing as the child grew (and the child grows like a weed, already the height of an average child 3 years older)?

[bettyandbob]

I think Suzuki starts that young. Really it depends on the child. I've known very young children who could do instrument lessons. Mine weren't ready. We started a few times. Oldest at ages 3 ( for 8 months piano), 7 ( one year violin), 12 ( drums and guitar 5 years). Middle did piano at 4 (because it was concurrent with brothers violin) and guitar at 8.

 

With my group, we would have been better off following the public school instrument schedule of starting at age 8 and just making it a mandatory part of school for several years.

 

But that was our experience. Your dd has a different personality.

 

Have you gone local orchestra events targeting children? Ours has time for children to try out instruments as well as special concerts.

[skimomma]

My dd started Suzuki violin at age 3.5.  I cannot say that is a good age for everyone but was great for dd.  She still plays at 12 yo.  I think there are advantages to early training and late training.  Part is personality, of course.  One huge advantage to starting young is that kids tend to not get bored with playing Twinkle for a full year.  It is a lot harder to sell Twinkle to a 9yo.  Dd also simply does not remember her life before playing violin.  So, we have never had the practice battles lots of people struggle with.  It is simply part of every day like meals, getting dressed, and brushing teeth.  If your dd has interest, I say go for it.  The worst that happens is that she wants to move on at some point.

[Aiden]

I think Suzuki starts that young. Really it depends on the child. I've known very young children who could do instrument lessons. Mine weren't ready. We started a few times. Oldest at ages 3 ( for 8 months piano), 7 ( one year violin), 12 ( drums and guitar 5 years). Middle did piano at 4 (because it was concurrent with brothers violin) and guitar at 8.

 

With my group, we would have been better off following the public school instrument schedule of starting at age 8 and just making it a mandatory part of school for several years.

 

But that was our experience. Your dd has a different personality.

 

Have you gone local orchestra events targeting children? Ours has time for children to try out instruments as well as special concerts.

 

Thanks for your experience:)  I honestly don't believe my daughter is ready yet. I like the sounds of your public school schedule--wait until they're a little older, then make it mandatory for long enough for them to really give it a good go. I think that would have been the best approach for me as a child. It may be too early to tell if that's a good one for my daughter, though.

 

We haven't gone to any orchestra events at all. I've not had much exposure to classical music, and my husband would rather do almost anything else than attend a classical concert (though I'm sure his opinion would change if our daughter were performing in it). I'm not sure if there is anything available here that targets children. We just moved here, and there's a language barrier (we're Americans who just moved to Greece), so it'll take some research and possibly some time to find out. I'll look into that, though!

[Aiden]

My dd started Suzuki violin at age 3.5.  I cannot say that is a good age for everyone but was great for dd.  She still plays at 12 yo.  I think there are advantages to early training and late training.  Part is personality, of course.  One huge advantage to starting young is that kids tend to not get bored with playing Twinkle for a full year.  It is a lot harder to sell Twinkle to a 9yo.  Dd also simply does not remember her life before playing violin.  So, we have never had the practice battles lots of people struggle with.  It is simply part of every day like meals, getting dressed, and brushing teeth.  If your dd has interest, I say go for it.  The worst that happens is that she wants to move on at some point.

 

That has a lot of merit, too! We're past the "doesn't remember life before violin" stage, but habits are better formed earlier than later. I wonder if there are any Suzuki teachers here? That's another thing I'll have to research.

[WinsomeCreek]

Suzuki method does not require sight reading. Kids start young. It's full of social opportunities as well. You're lucky she wants to play violin!

[Sarah CB]

My boys all started on violin at an early age.  The Suzuki method is really age appropriate and wonderfully encouraging and positive for young kids.  They have also really enjoyed the social benefits of a string instrument.  Suzuki has kids playing in groups from the very beginning.  Some of their very best friends have been kids that they've spent years playing music with in Suzuki groups and at summer camp.  I'm really glad that we started music as early as we did and that we've stuck to it.  I doubt any of my boys will be professional musicians, but they have the confidence that comes with working hard at something and being very good at it.  Ds (15) just started volunteering with a program that gives underprivileged kids the opportunity to play string instruments, so his passion for violin is allowing him to do some very meaningful volunteer work.  It was this kid who told me at 3 that he wanted to play violin (we had a piano and older sister played piano - I had planned for each kid to start piano at 6 or 7).  After a year of asking me where his violin teacher was, I finally called the music school and found out they actually do teach kids that young.  We haven't looked back.

[Guest]

DS started piano at 4 and violin at 8. I would start a student as soon as he/she has an interest. Reading music is not correlated to reading ability (IME); same with fine motor control.

I don't know how it with Suzuki, but DS is only now, after many months, beginning to sound decent on the violin so your daughter should be prepared to sound very bad for a while :). (Unless of course she takes to it like a duck to water...). And violin rentals from a good music shop aren't that expensive and Shar music online has a trade-in program.

[bettyandbob]

On the sound, if you start young and/or your DC is very small, the violin will be very small and won't have the same sound as a full size violin.

[catz]

My dd started Suzuki violin at 4 and my son started Suzuki piano at 5.  It has been GREAT for my kids.  Both still play at 11 - my violinist and 15 (today!) - pianist.  My oldest has finished Suzuki repertoire and is doing great with music.  He also studies voice and guitar.  And I cannot tell you what a boon to his voice study his piano background is.  My youngest just started voice trailing her brother's lesson.  The only reason the teacher would start her is her violin training.  He said she works like a high schooler. 

 

I also took 7 years of Suzuki violin growing up.  I am NOT a musician, but that is one thing in my childhood I thought was great!

 

That said, I would not start with a kid who was resistant.  Early childhood classes (like Kindermusik) were perfect lead ins to success with a Suzuki program. 

 

Possibly more importantly, I would not start a young child with a PARENT who was resistant.  If your 5 year old is begging to play and you don't want to be intimately involved with your child's musical education 5-7 days a week, I wouldn't start.  Practice the early years is very much a team affair.  If you start with a young kid, know it will be a long haul.  Know that the first year is mostly about making a habit about getting to the instrument every day, even if only a few minutes.  Know that kids aren't always self motivated, even about things they like.  It's very much a marathon, not a sprint.  If you are feeling indifferent or not excited about starting early, I would wait until 8-10.  And even at that age, many kids need help with practice to be successful.  Not every day will be fun.  It's like learning reading, math, or anything.  It's a process that takes a while.  We've ended up treating it like school here.

[Sherry in OH]

My children started piano lessons at age 6.5 (first grade).  Their current instructor teaches Suzuki method to younger children and a hybrid Suzuki-traditional method when she feels the child is ready to learn to read music.  Most of her students are ages 5 through adult, although she does teach at least one 4 year old.  She teaches younger students at a slower pace and requires more parental participation. 

 

I think age 5 is a good age for Suzuki-style violin lessons (many children start younger).  It is on the young side for traditional method.   Could you take her for a trial lesson?   The instructor should be able to help you locate a reasonably priced violin in the correct size.

[Aiden]

My children started piano lessons at age 6.5 (first grade).  Their current instructor teaches Suzuki method to younger children and a hybrid Suzuki-traditional method when she feels the child is ready to learn to read music.  Most of her students are ages 5 through adult, although she does teach at least one 4 year old.  She teaches younger students at a slower pace and requires more parental participation. 

 

I think age 5 is a good age for Suzuki-style violin lessons (many children start younger).  It is on the young side for traditional method.   Could you take her for a trial lesson?   The instructor should be able to help you locate a reasonably priced violin in the correct size.

 

A quick internet search tells me that I may not be able to find a Suzuki violin teacher here at all. I found one website of an association of Suzuki teachers in Europe, and it lists only one in Greece--for guitar (which she may also enjoy, but the violin is the one she's mentioned a few times). I assume not all Suzuki teachers are part of that association, though, so I'll have to ask around. I'm too new here to have a good network yet, but I'll start doing some research.

 

I'd love to take her for a trial lesson, or to some kids' event where she could try out a few different instruments and see if she likes any of them. I just asked her about it again, and she said that she does want to learn to play it, but she was a bit taken aback when I told her that it would take work and practice. She said "But you just hold a stick and rub it against the strings!"  :lol:   Maybe we'll have a few more conversations before I pursue anything too much ...

[Aiden]

My dd started Suzuki violin at 4 and my son started Suzuki piano at 5.  It has been GREAT for my kids.  Both still play at 11 - my violinist and 15 (today!) - pianist.  My oldest has finished Suzuki repertoire and is doing great with music.  He also studies voice and guitar.  And I cannot tell you what a boon to his voice study his piano background is.  My youngest just started voice trailing her brother's lesson.  The only reason the teacher would start her is her violin training.  He said she works like a high schooler. 

 

I also took 7 years of Suzuki violin growing up.  I am NOT a musician, but that is one thing in my childhood I thought was great!

 

That said, I would not start with a kid who was resistant.  Early childhood classes (like Kindermusik) were perfect lead ins to success with a Suzuki program. 

 

Possibly more importantly, I would not start a young child with a PARENT who was resistant.  If your 5 year old is begging to play and you don't want to be intimately involved with your child's musical education 5-7 days a week, I wouldn't start.  Practice the early years is very much a team affair.  If you start with a young kid, know it will be a long haul.  Know that the first year is mostly about making a habit about getting to the instrument every day, even if only a few minutes.  Know that kids aren't always self motivated, even about things they like.  It's very much a marathon, not a sprint.  If you are feeling indifferent or not excited about starting early, I would wait until 8-10.  And even at that age, many kids need help with practice to be successful.  Not every day will be fun.  It's like learning reading, math, or anything.  It's a process that takes a while.  We've ended up treating it like school here.

 

I am concerned about this as well. I would love for her to play an instrument and to play it well. However, I have this bad habit of loving the idea of something, starting it, and then not following through well. We're still establishing a routine here, including a school routine--she's only a Ker, after all; it's not like we have any kind of well-oiled school routine--and even the basics like shopping can be a challenge while we're adjusting. And, on top of all that, we're coordinating to arrange for a speech evaluation because we're pretty sure she'll need speech therapy. I'm not sure I realistically could add another "every day" item to our list right now.

 

[Word Nerd]

Fifth grade is the typical start for instrumental music training to begin here, and that's when I started as well. Private lessons and piano lessons usually start sooner than that, though.

[gardenmom5]

find a suzuki teacher.

 

she wants to learn violin, she's old enough.

 

I've a friend who is a suzuki teacher, and she started all six of her kids around four.  (she had someone else teach them)  they are now adults, and rather good.

 

I agree - resistant child isn't ready (I originally started dudeling on piano at four/five and have recently restarted him at a pace he wants to do), and resistant parent would undermine a child.

 

 

[Mama Geek]

My 5 year old started violin last year.  My understanding is the big advantage starting young is the ear training that it develops.  She now reads well and is learning to read music too.  Practices are often a struggle, but she likes being able to play.  Instrument rental is the way to go at this age.  I also really like that the teacher that she has doesn't have her practice until perfection unless it is a piece she is going to play in a recital.  When dd gets it down reasonably well she then starts working on a new song.  She continues to practice those songs to keep them fresh.

 

If your dd wants to do it and you can find an instructor that is good with young kids, I say go for it.

 

ETA to add she does a mix of Suzuki and traditional which I really like.

[redsquirrel]

Yes, Suzuki starts that young. I know plenty of kids who are now 15 and older who started at that age. They are great musicians. They can read music just fine.

 

My boys started piano at 4.  Then when my older boy was 9-11 he added flute, then he switched from flute to french horn for 2 years. My younger boy added trumpet from 8-10 and this year started learning drum kit.  My older boy is taking a break from piano right now and is learning acoustic guitar. My younger boy is still playing piano.

 

Some instruments are fine to start that young. Mostly, if they can see their hands, and the teacher knows what he or she is doing, then young is fine.  With others, like a flute, it can be better to start a little older, only because it can be difficult at a young age to figure out how to move their fingers without seeing them.  But there is a modified flute for very young children.

 

The age thing is more about how long they can deal with a lesson. My boys started in Suzuki piano lessons and then moved to traditional piano lessons.  Very early Suzuki is developmentally appropriate. For us, in piano, it was more like a 'mommy and me' activity class.  They learn the first book by singing songs, they learn the notes and how to move around the keyboard.  Our piano teacher moved away so we switched, but I would have stuck with the suzuki piano lessons. 

 

But, I don't think you MUST do Suzuki at a young age. Their current piano teacher isn't a Suzuki teacher, but is very comfortable teaching 3 and 4 year olds piano.

 

eta: learning music is all about the routine, for most people. There is the occasional kid who is totally self motivated who never needs to be reminded to practice. I don't have those kids, lol. We make piano and other instrument practice part of our school day.  For years it was the first thing they did every morning. They did it in pajamas, lol. But I put it on the school schedule just like everything else.  It builds like math does. Better to do 15 mins every day than 30 mins every other day.  And it is not uncommon for a music teacher to stop lessons if it is apparent that the student isn't practicing. They can tell when it isn't happening

 

I also don't think you MUST start at a very young age.  It is very popular for retired people to take Suzuki lessons. It is a very gentle introduction, very gradual and can be great if you think you are 'too old' to start or 'can't learn' to read music. But, again, any music teacher can help you with that.

[mathnerd]

My DS started piano at age 4 and now at age 8, he has added the violin. We did not want to follow the suzuki method, so went with traditional methods for both instruments. But, we found teachers who could teach to young kids (using songs, games, stuffed animals, coloring books etc in the beginning). DS plays piano at an intermediate level and does not plan to quit - there is no problem with practicing because we have practiced 5 days a week always and he only needs a reminder that it is time for practicing. For violin, I am told that most of the first year is about getting the bowing techniques right and trying to sound decent - because beginner violinists do not sound good! So, with violin, you need not worry too much about advanced notes reading in the first year as it will take a while to get the basic foundational skills in order. Your daughter is self-motivated, which is the best reason to start violin lessons. And don't worry about suzuki method if there are no teachers for suzuki in your area - a teacher who will teach to young kids and who is a stickler for good technique is enough to get you started. Also be prepared to help with practicing for a few years. Good luck.

[Guest]

I'll be the one to speak against Suzuki. That would be the first method my mom had me enrolled in for piano and if gave me issues with sight reading that plague me to this day. I spent multiple years correcting that weakness with an ear that sounded pieces out but lacked the technical ability to read them or decipher the rhythms without first hearing them. The pieces I could read vs play in the method were four and five grades different, and that gap didn't ease without heavy remediation. One or two grade differences are no big deal, but this was more severe. This is a common problem. Suzuki violin works better than the piano courses.

 

Age enrolled depends on the instrument. Voice and trombone are going to have later enrollment ages than piano and piccolo. My girls started piano at the youngest age the teacher would take them, based on a readiness assessment, and now three years out they can read music as fluently as they read print (yay!) and are advancing shockingly quickly. They wouldn't have gained much by starting at 3 instead of 5, since they are not virtuoso material even as they are very talented children.

 

As they age we may try adding other instruments, but again, many can be picked up later without issue. Piano and violin are some of the few where an early grade school start is almost necessary to reach the degree of technical skill needed to play professionally. French horn, bassoon, even percussion instruments like marimba, generally can be taught all the way up to middle and high school and still yield career options for dedicated students. There is quite a range. And some plain cannot be operated by very small children, like a viola. It really varies.

[Bluegoat]

Around here they don't tend to take kids for Suzuki violin if they are older than 5.  But I think you have to be willing to learn as well.

 

My kids started a program called Music for Young Children at that age.  It's one of the best programs around IMO for youngserts to learn music - they do piano, singing, theory, etc and have a ton of fun.  If there is a teacher near you it is worth looking into.

[gardenmom5]

I had a jar.  When she held her bow correctly, I would put a penny in.  When she played with a good tone, she got another penny.  We would then go out to Dairy Queen and get a treat after a week or two when she had earned enough money.  I was also liberal with my praise for any effort at all.

 

Warning though, beginning violinists are PAINFUL to listen to.  It takes at least a year before they sound good.  

 

sometimes even not so beginning.  dd did viola starting in elementary age, and through high school (I was able to pay for some private lessons, but then we had another stint of unemployment and couldn't.).  her middle school orchestra teacher was TONE - DEAF.  don't ask me how the woman got the job.  1dd (who did violin) and I would just cringe. (it didn't take much for us to hear something was 'off'.)

[Arcadia]

 Would your answer change if the instrument in question was expensive, not already owned, not available for rent in your area, fragile, and required replacing as the child grew (and the child grows like a weed, already the height of an average child 3 years older)?

 

My DS10 started classical violin lessons with a Russian teacher when he was three.  We bought a very cheap 1/2 size violin from a music store that sounded well but was harder to tune.  He hated the chin rest so we stopped after about six months. Now he is playing the cello which was what he requested at three but we couldn't find a teacher. 

If we knew the chin rest was going to be the deal breaker (it was for my nephew too who gave up violin) then we would have hunt harder for a cello teacher. He had no problem learning to sight read at three for the piano which he self taught so violin was easier since there is no bass clef.

 

My DS9 did not have the same kind of self discipline so he started formal flute lessons when he turned nine.  His student flute cost us over five hundred but comes with a five year warranty which is useful for this child.  However he had plenty of ear training since hubby is self teaching piano, plays the clarinet and brother practiced his violin. I also taught him sight reading for piano when he was five as part of music education.

 

The thing with piano and string instruments is that you can't tell quality from price tag for student or intermediate models.  You need someone who can play to sound out the instrument and go by gut feel.  The cheap violin I picked was as good as a more expensive student violin. Have you check whatever is your local equivalent of craigslist/garage sale for a violin from kids who have given up?  My DS10 used a 1/2 size one when he was three.  He was on the 99th percentile for height.

[SKL]

My kids started piano at 4 and guitar at 5.  One of them could read well at that age, while the other was just beginning to learn.  They did fine.  Actually it was easier to make progress in those days, because they didn't have a lot of other demands on their time.

[Lolly]

I had best results waiting until they were about 10 yo. My eldest absolutely begged and cried to be allowed to take piano. At 5, I allowed her to start. It was a disaster. My others, I didn't allow to start until 10 or 11. Ds just hated it. I forced him to take in the first place (piano). My twins both loved it and continued for a long while. One stopped in high school when her guitar teacher passed away. She just couldn't stand the thought of going to another teacher. She loved that man so much. (He was her third guitar teacher.)The other continued until midway through her senior year when she realized she really needed that time elsewhere. She still plays (violin) on a regular basis. She went straight onto a full sized violin. She caught up to the dc who had started at age 3 within a year. (She was placed right in among those kids at a concert recital at the end of her first year.) She only had a few weeks where it hurt to listen to her play. After that, it has been just beautiful. I do prefer to listen from an adjoining room... Midway through her second year, her teacher told me it was time for her to get a new/better violin. Fortunately, the starter violin was under $100 (recommended by teacher). I sold it to another student who was just beginning and totally recouped my money. That second violin cost a good bit more...but she still plays it! In fact, she left sheet music all over the floor in her room when she left to go back to college. I should pick that up...Other than ds, who I insisted against his will to take at all, I never, ever had to push my kids to practice or sit and watch them. They were responsible for themselves completely (other than driving to lessons!). Their music was a joyful experience.

[Aiden]

 

The thing with piano and string instruments is that you can't tell quality from price tag for student or intermediate models.  You need someone who can play to sound out the instrument and go by gut feel.  The cheap violin I picked was as good as a more expensive student violin. Have you check whatever is your local equivalent of craigslist/garage sale for a violin from kids who have given up?  My DS10 used a 1/2 size one when he was three.  He was on the 99th percentile for height.

 

I haven't checked much of anything yet. We just moved to Greece a month ago--with no language training before we arrived, and us immediately beginning to homeschool, as well as get settled and figure out the basics like where to go for groceries--so I don't have much of a personal local network yet. I have no feel for what's available here, or even if there is an English-language equivalent of Craigslist.

 

This also only came up yesterday, so I'm still trying to determine how serious she is about it. I just didn't want to ask her a bunch of questions trying to find out if she's serious and end up getting her excited about learning the violin if the consensus was that it would be better to wait a few years. Now that it seems that starting early may be a good idea if she's really interested, I'll ask her a few more questions and, depending on her answers, start asking around to find out if there may be a teacher able and willing to teach one so young.

[catz]

I'll be the one to speak against Suzuki. That would be the first method my mom had me enrolled in for piano and if gave me issues with sight reading that plague me to this day. I spent multiple years correcting that weakness with an ear that sounded pieces out but lacked the technical ability to read them or decipher the rhythms without first hearing them. The pieces I could read vs play in the method were four and five grades different, and that gap didn't ease without heavy remediation. One or two grade differences are no big deal, but this was more severe. This is a common problem. Suzuki violin works better than the piano courses.

 

 

 

I want to comment on this point because I have a 15 year old Suzuki pianist.  He started Suzuki piano at 5.  His teacher started him in a early childhood piano reading book at the same time.  That said, there were years where there was a divide between his "ear" playing and his reading.  But that had merged by about age 10/11 for him.  It made a difference for him to do NEW sight reading every day.  If you have a kid with a strong ear, sight reading the same piece every day for a week will have them reading it a day or 2 and then they start relying on their ear.  You can buy books geared for this with little snippets to read every day.  You can even go through one of those books 2-3X.  A strong ear is a GOOD thing.  It just sometimes requires out of the box techniques for continuing to grow with reading skills.  Something like this is what my kid used ...

 

http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/sight-reading-rhythm-every-day-book-4a-sheet-music/17419147

 

I will also say there are teachers out there that say they are Suzuki, but are not trained in the pedagogy and/or are not degreed professionals.  Much like there are amateur pianists that buy Alfred method books and advertise themselves as teachers.  I think it's harder to pull off with Suzuki because each piece has a very specific technique point..  Check carefully.  I hear this as a complaint of Suzuki teachers.  But my kids have been to national institutes and top end Suzuki teachers are horrified when their home teachers neglect reading skills.   Or technique for that matter. 

 

Another thing is some kids just WON'T practice sight reading.  My son has a piano playing peer who doesn't sight read AT ALL.  It's held him back in exams.  He doesn't care.  And my son sight reads all his music and doesn't want to get rid of it.  Some traditional kids can't hear a wrong note either.  Heck, some traditional kids aren't good sight readers either.   We are in a very large program (actually, the largest independent music school in the country) and I see examples in Suzuki and traditional that would both delight and horrify professionals in all corners.  Some kids quit Suzuki before they read as good as they play by ear, which I don't think is a Suzuki problem either.  I get to see hundreds if not thousands of kids perform over the course of a year.

 

The key is finding a high quality, well trained teacher with experience teaching a child in the age range of your own that clicks with your child.  Ask questions.  Attend performances if possible.  Sit in on other children's lessons.  That goes for selecting any kind of teacher really.

 

I could post videos of my "Suzuki pianist".  His lessons now look 100% traditional.  He has done concerto competitions.  He has won scholarship money.  He's working on Chopin, Beethoven, and Kabalevsky right now.  His Suzuki ear has made a huge, huge difference with voice lessons.  He went to an adult singing audition last night and a director told him he sings and takes direction better than most of the adults that come through his auditions.  My kid gets paid for doing sight reading accompanying now and can easily sight read a lot of musical theater stuff. 

 

Anyway - sorry for the aside.  I don't doubt you had a bad experience.  But I think a bad teacher and not the Suzuki method is to blame for that.  Our Suzuki program turns out kids that get acceptance at competitive music schools every year.  By the time they reach that point they really are indistinguishable from competitive and driven kids that learn traditionally.  And yes, there are kids that come out much less capable.    But I wouldn't say more so than traditional kids.  I find it kind of funny when a Suzuki student has a bad experience, it's the method.  And when a traditional student does, it's the teacher. 

 

[Arcadia]

I haven't checked much of anything yet. We just moved to Greece a month ago--with no language training before we arrived, and us immediately beginning to homeschool, as well as get settled and figure out the basics like where to go for groceries--so I don't have much of a personal local network yet. I have no feel for what's available here, or even if there is an English-language equivalent of Craigslist.

...

 I'll ask her a few more questions and, depending on her answers, start asking around to find out if there may be a teacher able and willing to teach one so young.

 

Email Yamaha Greece contact for teachers and price.  They usually have staff that can speak English and most would have contacts of in-house or freelance instructors.

 

Pianos and Acoustic Musical Instruments Department:

Phone: 0030 210 6686206

e-Mail: nikos-k@nakas.gr

(Sales Manager: Mr. Nikos Karamalakis)​

[Guest]

I had three different Suzuki teachers, all trained and certified. One was an award winner with the method. But only one of the three touched on sight reading practice at all in the early grades, and it was insufficient. If the teachers had added extra books outside the method to force sight reading assignments, from the get go, it probably *would* have gone better. But that isn't exactly Suzuki - my teachers with the one exception were purists, and used the Suzuki texts and tapes exclusively until at least book three.

 

I had a dear friend who played Suzuki and was an amazing pianist and quite competent at sight reading. Her ear, like mine, was still much stronger, but she was disciplined enough to spend extra time at home padding out her music reading. So like your student, she didn't suffer as much for her lessons. But as someone who has taken for years as both a child and adult, and has practice with six different method books and trained teachers in the methods for three of them, I have to say Suzuki left me underwhelmed for the price and results compared to Faber Piano Adventures and The Music Tree series, especially in the early primer grades.

 

Hindsight is 20/20. But my mom went out of her way, driving me several towns over, to take me to the best Suzuki teachers in the region. The best pianists I know these days - with pedagogy degrees and their own studios now, or who perform with orchestras and vocal groups - didn't learn with that method. That's anecdotal and I don't contest that there are many fine pianists who used Suzuki exclusively for their formative years, but I also don't believe that is due to the superiority of the method and that those children would have excelled in any number of other schools.

 

That's just my experience as a child and now an adult pianist. I'm glad you're happy with your own choices in that area :)

[Aiden]

Email Yamaha Greece contact for teachers and price. They usually have staff that can speak English and most would have contacts of in-house or freelance instructors.

 

Pianos and Acoustic Musical Instruments Department:

Phone: 0030 210 6686206

e-Mail: nikos-k@nakas.gr

(Sales Manager: Mr. Nikos Karamalakis)​

Thank you very much for the tip! I will do that.

[Ali in OR]

We started Suzuki piano when dd was 5 or 6 and stayed with it for 6 or 7 years (our teacher also added in sight reading). Dd's "party trick" is that she has something close to perfect pitch--play a scale on the piano and she can tell you what key it is. Play any note and she'll name it. I'm sure the early ear training developed whatever natural gift for this she has (younger sister has no ear at all but same training). While she doesn't play piano anymore, she did pick up clarinet in 6th grade to play in band which now in high school is her social group and very important to her. Piano first made it easy, and she sight reads for clarinet easily (much easier than piano since it's one note at a time!). No regrets in starting early even if eventually piano wasn't her thing.

[Tsuga]

Recorder (flute) at four, then an instrument of choice at 5. If she doesn't practice I will stop paying but that threat seems to be enough.

[Wabi Sabi]

My oldest started piano shortly after turning 8. My youngest was also interested in playing piano, and I told her that she could start once she could read fluently. I had anticipated it would be 7/8ish and 2nd grade for her, but last year at the beginning of first grade she demonstrated how well she could read and then asked if she could please take piano lessons. She started the following week. 

[Sarah CB]

Around here they don't tend to take kids for Suzuki violin if they are older than 5.  

 

 

That's weird, because one of the sayings I've heard about a million times in Suzuki circles is, "You're never too old and rarely too young to Twinkle."

[catz]

My Suzuki pianist has perfect pitch too, as an aside.  If you take him to a concert, he can tell you what key each piece is in.  LOL.

 

My brother took Suzuki piano in the 80's and was taught to sight read alongside Suzuki.  He quit at 10 and was reading music well.  He still sight reads piano for fun.  He went on to easily learn a couple other instruments.  I do think some teachers get very caught up in ONE set of books and approach and are not big picture teachers.  I don't doubt that and still think that is a teacher issue and not a method issue.  I've come across Suzuki teachers I wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole and traditional teachers I'd take my kids to happily.  Any teacher that wants to teach every kid the same exact one book set in the same way would set off my alarm. 

 

I would also say do NOT pay more for a Suzuki teacher unless it includes other amenities.  At our music school, my dd's violin rates include a leveled group class and leveled orchestra most weekends for example.  During the summer, we pay exactly what the traditional students pay based on education/training of teacher.  If you're JUST paying for lessons (no group or orchestra), rates should be similar for a Suzuki or traditional teacher of the same education level.

[Peaceful Isle]

My daughter started piano at ages 4 and 6. They went on to learn the clarinet at ages 10 and 12. 

 

I started piano myself at age 4.

[gardenmom5]

lol. I can relate.

 

 

you know - after yesterdays thread, that comment just floors me coming from you.

 

[Donna]

Oldest started drums at 8yo.

 

My middle ds started guitar at 6yo. He took for a year then took a year's break. He had a young teacher who I think took him into the room and showed off for him. He decided he really wanted to play guitar again, so we found a great teacher and he now plays guitar, bouzouki, banjo, and mandolin.

 

My dd started Suzuki violin at 3yo and does not know a time when she did not play violin. 

 

I let each chose their instrument.

[LMD]

I also vote Suzuki violin, it is very parent intensive though to work, but usually teachers are clear on their expectations. I know in some (excellent) studios parents have had to observe lessons for months and read Suzuki's books before their students are taken on!

 

My kids start violin at 4.