Intro and ages for children to start playing

I'll say Hi and Welcome

My daughter has been around music and musicians her whole life, she's 9 know. I use to set her on the couch put a pillow in front of her and set small keyboard on the pillow and let her have at it. There are also about every instrument you can think of here at home and over at the studio. For about the last year or so she's been practicing with my old Gibson Explorer. After years of hanging with Dad and the bands she's not a stranger to the stage. Three weeks ago she entertained with a local band doing early 70's material and a couple new covers.

You should hear the folks screaming and clapping when she's doing all those dance moves she's picked up from the music videos and backup singers. Oh yes I've heard the third degree about letting her dance like that, but you know thats just part of becoming a great professional entertainer. And I won't discourage her.

For her birthday I got her a mini fender strat. the amp she wanted one of my older all tube amps. Granted she dosen't practice the guitar as much as I do (not many do) or would like her to, but this comes down to not forcing anything on her. if they want to play they will when they want to. If you force it they may not want to and move on to something else.

Just my thoughts/way

Joe

I've dealt with this from three sides - child, teacher, and parent.

My father hated the idea of me being a musician. Absolutely hated it. He did everything he could to discourage me - but music has been my passion since as long as I can remember. I mowed lawns and shoveled walks for money for my first drum set... nothing was going to stand in my way. My mother thinks my father's attitude may have actually have contributed to my success - strong personalities strongly opposed and all that. (Sidenote: my father saw me perform this summer, for the first time. He's changed his mind now that I'm 45 and still at it!)

As a father, I was determined not to repeat what I saw as my Dad's mistakes. I've also got a house full of instruments, and when my sons expressed interest I got them lessons. I've ended up with two accomplished teen musicians, so I guess that just fuels the genetics/environment debate...

As a teacher, I see a lot of young musicians. From the ones I see, most teachers don't work well with kids... maybe a quarter of my students are 'refugees' from other teachers.

From the mistakes I've experienced, seen, and made myself, I'll offer the following advice:

Instrument - look around for an inexpensive (but playable) 3/4 size nylon string guitar, either folk or classical. It'll be easier for them to experiment with - more size appropriate, and easier to finger. If they do take to it, rent a good instrument if you can when they start taking lessons... that limits your downside if they give it up. After they've been playing for a couple years, a good instrument makes an awesome birthday present :)

Lessons - if they take to it, find a teacher. Although I play many of the instruments my sons do, an outside voice is one they'll listen to more... it avoids all the psychological baggage of the parent/child relationship. You can still jam with them and have a good time, but they have their own separate thing going on, and their teacher can be their confidante and sounding board in ways you can't as they hit the teen years. Find a teacher who has a lot of young students, and one who's had many of those students for a couple of years. School band directors might be a good resource for finding a teacher - many of the high schools around me have guitar programs, so the music directors will know who teaches their brightest stars.

Wow! Thanks very much for the good advice from both of you.

I'm not sure there's enough musical talent in our family to think any of us will ever be famous or anything*, but I really like to be able to play so I have never forced them in this area because I figured why force them in an area that is supposed to be fun?

And Noteboat, your thoughts on teachers are very helpful. Mine aren't quite there yet, but esp with the boys, I think that's so true. After all, moms are supposed to say stuff like that, but when are Real Person says it, it really means something, eh? ;)

*Having said that, at least two will now go out and become stars, right!

Thanks again! The only person I ever talked to about this strongly discouraged guitar for younger children.

I don't think you can start too young, BUT...

Piano is still the best for the youngest musicians. It has instant feedback: press the right key, hear the right note. They will learn at least the basics of standard notation, and it lasts a lifetime.

Guitar is good for 8+ because it's portable (get the right size), and the two hands can work well together.

No one should play ancient fretless instruments with impossibly high action until they are old enough to drive. :wink:

In our house, the kids were required to play any one instrument from 1st to 8th grade. Unfortunately, both of them have become proficient on 4 or 5 different instruments, which is cool, but gets expensive.

After all this, the best part is that we can jam together.

-Laz

Whats really weird is that the sooner you teach them to read music, the more it gets ingrained in them. I know only from my personal expereince. I cant even remember exactly who taught me! but now, its like second nature, atleast for oboe. guitar is more difficult. So id start with that, but i personally belive that unless your are going to take an extremely serious attitude with them, dont let them play any instrument(especially guitar or drums) before age 10. To many kids see it as just a way to be a rock star and goof off and look cool, when in fact, its usually the EXACT opposite. So, unless you think your kids are mature enough to know that the guitar(and any other instrument for that matter) takes serious dedication and skill, I wouldn't let them touch it. It will make them want it even more and become even more serious about it when they do get the chance to play. I think every kid needs to play atleast one instrument though. Playing an instrument teaches you discipline, focus, and teamwork, as well as giving them exposure to the arts. Let them find the instrument they like though. I know where i live there is a music school that has an instrument "petting zoo" where kids come with their parents to pick out their first instrument. They explore and give demos of about 20 different instruments, and you learn the history of each etc. So id try doing something like that.

I have quite a different take on this subject. My daughter just turned three. She has an acoustic and an electric guitar. She straps one on, gets a pick, capos up, and goes to town. She strums up and down, and sings songs like Jesus Loves Me. She also loves to watch Steve Vai and SRV concert DVDs. The other day we were in a music store and they had the G3 video on and I asked her who that was on the TV. She said Steve Vai, and the salesmen were blown away.

She fingers notes, she can play Em and A chords, and she understands that you can play the songs you hear on CDs.

P.S. It's hilarious to hear her tell her grandmother to put on Metallica.

The moral of this story is that I think you can start children out very young and they will take to playing if you don't push them. When I get my guitar out, she usually gets hers out and asks me to show her where to put her fingers.

One more funny story. The other day I was in a different music store and she was jamming a Daisy Rock flower shaped guitar and these two goth boy friend / girlfriend teens were watching. I suppose the goth guy was waiting to get a turn. The goth girl told my wife that watching our daughter play that guitar was the cutest thing she ever saw in her life. That means something coming from someone with a bone stuck through her nose!

I'm kind of divided on when to start. Most school music programs start kids out at age 9 or 10, but I've seen some astonishing 7 year olds on piano and violin, and one 9 year old who perfomed as a soloist with a community orchestra... so some kids can clearly benefit earlier.

My older son started his music career at 18 months, at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, in a 'Wiggleworms' class... singing songs, playing some simple instruments. He wanted piano lessons when he was five, and a piano teacher lives right next door to me, so he got lessons, did recitals, all that stuff. I didn't push it, and he gave it up at age 7. He didn't strike me as being especially gifted at music. At age 10 he wanted to learn French horn, and by age 13 he was first chair in his high school orchestra, a member of the county youth symphony, and had performed with an adult orchestra.

My younger son... well, I gave him a toy drum for his first Christmas when he was 11 months old. He banged that thing for years, and decided when he was about 7 that he really wanted to be a drummer. We went through several teachers... I studied percussion in college myself, and I figured if he had the interest, he should study percussion in general. (I remember one teacher he had, at a local music store... I told him I was concerned that all he was learning was drum set patterns, no rudiments or mallet techniques... the guy, who was all of maybe 23 years old, informed me that his way was best - I should trust him as the professional that he was. Wrong answer.) Now Charlie's 14, performs with two working punk/grunge bands - in one he's the youngest member by about four years - and plays tympani and marimba in the high school orchestra. He's got the music passion... one of his bands rehearses at our house, so their instruments are often around, and Charlie's picked up some bass and guitar on his own.

I'd say the right age is when they want it. Teachers need to be understanding of the needs of very young students - I personally have a hard time relating to most six year olds, so most of my students tend to be early teens or upwards... but I'm sure there are teachers out there who work quite well with younger kids.

My stepdaughter wanted to get her kids playing instruments......they are now aged 10 and 6, thought they'd want to play guitar after hearing me play......(JOKE!!!)......one plays violin, and is so into music she's now playing clarinet as well.....the other started on flute, and gave up after 2 weeks.......

My grandson, 18 months old, loves it when I finger a chord and he can hit the strings......as peter wyngarde said in "Flash", hmmmmmm- he shows promise..he also loves bashing the hell out of my keyboard....

So, I'd say there isn't an optimal early age for any kid to start playing - just let them beat the hell out of your guitar and (if it's your grand-child) charge the parents for new strings.......

My son is just over two and he has a small guitar, keyboard, recorder, drum set and tambourine available to him in case he feels the urge to bang on something. It's priceless to watch him pick up the guitar strum away (all upstrokes), dance and "sing". He's not expected to do anything with them other than play with them. (Wow, what a concept, I could learn from him cause there's no "working on" something involved).

My reasoning behind it is that I have read on a number of occassions that kids who grow up exposed to musical instruments tend to perfrom better in both math and language skills. Perhaps later in his childhood he will want to play something, perhaps not, but he will have every opportunity I can give him to make that choice. Music can enrich our lives in may ways. I think we owe children the opportunity to listen, play with and, if they choose, perfrom music. Let it be play for as long as they want it to be and hopefully that will be for the rest of their lives. Make it into work and your can turn them from a wonderful opportunity.