free report: 5 ways to get the most out of music lessons
These guidelines will help you to have a successful, rewarding experience learning an instrument or voice. These are practical tips that we have discovered from years of teaching and our experiences with teaching hundreds of students each 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’ve taught many beginner students in their 40’s, 50’s, even 60’s and 70’s!
For children, starting lessons 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 be a negative and backfire. If a child is 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 they had one unpleasant experience, which could have been prevented. Sometimes if a 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 exception would be our Musikgarten program.
The following are guidelines we have found to be successful in determining how young a child can start taking music lessons:
Musikgarten
Our Musikgarten program offers family music for infants to 5-year-olds. This is a wonderful opportunity to share joy of music with children at the earliest of ages.
Piano
At our academy, 5 years old is the youngest age that we start children in piano lessons. At this age they have begun to develop longer attention spans and can retain material with ease.
Guitar – Acoustic, Electric and Bass
8 years old is the earliest we recommend for guitar lessons. Guitar playing requires a fair amount of pressure on the fingertips from pressing on the strings. Children under 8 generally have small hands and may find playing uncomfortable. Bass guitar students are usually 10 years or older.
Voice Lessons
10 years old is recommended as the youngest age for private vocal lessons. Due to the physical nature (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.
Violin, Viola and Cello
We accept violin, viola and cello students from the age of 5. Some teachers will start younger children, but our experience has shown us the most productive learning occurs when the beginner is at least 5.
Brass and Woodwinds
Due to lung capacity (and in the case of the saxophone the size of the instrument), we recommend that most brass and woodwind beginners are 9 years old.
2. Choose a Music School that Offers Group and Private Lessons
Group lessons are a nice setting in which students at the same level can learn at the same pace. Group classes can also be more affordable. The class sizes at our academy are small so the teacher can make sure all the students are understanding each lesson. A lot of good friendships also develop in our group lessons.
Private lessons allows each student to learn at their own pace. When learning how to play an instrument, private lessons can be a much more effective way to learn an instrument since in private lessons it is hard to miss anything. 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 teachers also enjoy this as they do not have to divide their attention between several 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 an environment that is focused on music education. In a professional academy environment a student cannot be distracted by TV, pets, ringing phones, siblings or anything else. With only ½ to one hour of lesson time per week, a professional academy environment can produce better results since the only focus at the time is learning music. Students in an academy 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 academy, the lessons are not just a hobby or a side-line for the teacher but a responsibility that 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 struggle between parents and students to practice every day. Here are some ways to make practicing easier:
a) Time – Set the same time every day to practice so it becomes a 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.
b) 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 are practicing their instrument, but knows if they are on repetition number 3 they are almost finished.
c) Rewards – This works very well for both children and adult students. Some adults reward themselves with a cappuccino or some other treat after a successful week of practicing. Parents can encourage children to practice by granting them occasional awards for successful practicing. 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. Use Recognized Teaching Materials
There are some excellent materials developed by professional music educators that are made for students in a variety of situations. For example in piano, there are books for very young beginners, and books for adult students that have never played before. There are books that can start you at a level you are comfortable with. These materials have been researched and are continually upgraded and improved to make learning easier. These materials 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 smoothly continue 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.
