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If most music schools seem to have qualified, friendly and
experienced teachers with a recital at the end of the year,
aren’t they all pretty much the same? Does it really matter
where you decide to enroll? Yes. There are five
main attributes that can make a huge difference in the quality
of instruction your child receives, the convenience of
taking lessons and the overall
enjoyment and satisfaction of being involved with a music
program.
Every parent should consider
these five criteria before deciding on a music school for their child. These are practical tips
that we have discovered from teaching hundreds of students
each year.
1. How young is too young?
Adults can start any instrument at any time. Their success
is based on how willing the adult is to commit to practicing.
For children, starting at the right age is a key element to
the success of their lessons. Some people will say “the
sooner the better”, but this attitude can actually backfire. If children start lessons too soon they may
feel overwhelmed and frustrated and may want to stop
lessons. The last thing you want is for your child not to
have a positive musical experience just because they had one unpleasant
experience which could have been prevented. Sometimes if the
child waits a year to start lessons his/her 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 successful in determining
how young a child can start taking music lessons. If a child
wishes to begin lessons and is younger than the recommended
age, ISM can arrange a trial/audition class to determine a
child’s readiness to begin lessons.
Piano, Keyboard, Violin and Cello - At our
school, age five is the youngest age that we start children
in private lessons. At this age they have begun to develop
longer attention spans and can retain material with ease. In
some cases we can accept children at age four depending upon
their trial/audition class.
Guitar – Acoustic, Electric and Bass - Age
seven is the earliest we recommend for guitar lessons.
Guitar playing requires a fair amount of pressure on the
fingers from pressing on the strings. Children under age
eight generally have small hands and may find playing
uncomfortable. Bass students are generally ten years of age
and older.
Voice Lessons - Eight years old is recommended
as the youngest age for private vocal lessons. Due to the
physical nature of voice lessons (proper breathing
techniques, development of the vocal chords and lung
capacity), the younger body is generally not yet ready for
the rigors of vocal technique.
Drums - The average age of our youngest drum
student is eight. This varies greatly depending on the size
of the child. They have to be able to reach the pedals and
the cymbals.
Flute, Clarinet and Saxophone - Due to lung
capacity (and in the case of the saxophone the size of the
instrument), we recommend that most woodwind beginners are
age nine and older.
2. Insist on Private Lessons when Learning
a Specific Instrument
Group classes work well for preschool programs and theory
lessons. However, when 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/her own pace. This means that 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 as he/she does not have to divide
attention between five to ten students at a time and can
help the student to reach his/her full potential.
3. Take Lessons in a Professional Teaching
Environment
Learning music is not just a matter of having a qualified
teacher, but also 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 one half to a
full hour 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 side-line 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 routine of
practicing and the friction may often develop between parents and students
concerning daily practicing. Here are some ways to make practicing
easier:
Time – Set the same time every day to practice
so that it becomes part of a routine or habit. Generally,
the earlier in the day the practicing can occur, the less
reminding is required by parents.
Repetition – We use this method quite often
when setting practice schedules for beginners. For a young
child, twenty to thirty minutes can seem like eternity.
Instead of setting a time frame, we use repetition. For
example, "practice this piece four times every day and this
scale five times a day". The child then does not pay
attention to the amount of time that she is practicing
the instrument, but knows that if she is on repetition
three that she is almost finished.
Rewards – Children and adult students
respond very well to rewards. 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 reward – there is just no substitute for a
pat on the back for a job well done. Sometimes we all have a
week with little practicing and in that case there is always
next week.
5. Use Recognized Teaching Materials
There are some excellent materials developed by professional
music educators that are made for students especially for young
beginners and adult students with no previous music
experience. There are books that can start you at a
comfortable level. These materials have been
carefully researched and are continually upgraded and
improved to make learning easier. They ensure that no
important part of learning the instrument can inadvertently
be left out. If you ever have to move to a different part of
the country, qualified teachers and institutions will
recognize the materials and be able to continue smoothly from where the previous teacher left off.
Have FUN!!!
Music should be something that 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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