Girl Playing Piano Concept

What is the Best Age to Start Piano Lessons? (2024)

If you are interested in learning to play the piano for yourself, or you want your child to embark on this musical journey, then it is best to start young, as young children learn faster than teenagers or adults. There are plenty of misconceptions regarding the age, however, the best age to start piano lessons is between 5 to 9, and here is why.

What is the best age to start piano lessons?

Children, due to their young age and natural curiosity, have the ability to absorb information like a sponge. If that curiosity is directed in a creative way, such as learning the piano, then these factors, curiosity, creativity, team up and lead to an enhanced capability of learning. 

The best age to learn piano lessons is between 5 to 9, since this is when children have a greater attention span, good motor skills, hand size, know to count, and their desire to learn is the greatest. Some children can begin even younger if they have natural talent.

Take for example, Mozart. He was just three years old when he observed his sister playing the piano, and learned the basics pretty quickly. However, generally, the best age for piano lessons beginnings at 5, up to even 9.

As our children grow, it is harder for them to have the desire and time to learn an instrument, and even their ability to learn may decrease with age due to distractions. They discover video games, may fall in love, get too worked up at school, or other factors which may lead to stagnation instead. As such, the right age to start piano is at least 5.

How age plays a role?

When it comes to learning an instrument, one year can play a drastic role in capabilities. When it comes to children and the piano, it is important to note that the piano requires extensive multitasking capabilities, like being able to play with one hand a rhythmic theme, and with the other a different one.

Children have the advantage of not being yet accustomed so much in using their right hand dominantly. A certain level of ambidextrous capabilities is required in learning the piano, and the older the child gets, the more their ambidextrous potential and coordination might decrease. 

A 4 yr old piano player or a 3 yr old, will have the advantage of starting young, however, a lot of patience and work is required. A 7-year-old, on the other hand, will be much more willing to learn, but he will be at a disadvantage of a couple of years if he didn’t start earlier. 

As such, there are different pros and cons of teaching your children the piano at various ages. As a parent, you should expect to put in a bit of work in teaching your child to play the piano. You need patience, and definitely make it as a game rather than something more serious.

Also read: Music Streaming Statistics (US & Global Data)

Can the child be too young?

Any age to start piano lessons is good, however, when it comes to children, they can be too young to learn to play the piano. There are some telling signs that you should consider and let it be. For example, if the child can’t yet distinguish left from right, can’t count, or his basic motor skills are not yet on par, then he or she is too young to play the piano.

If the child learning piano isn’t interested and doesn’t pay attention to what you are trying to show him, then you shouldn’t insist. A child’s mind is just as fragile as their body after all. You shouldn’t force anything, and you shouldn’t judge your child based on this, as everyone is unique in their own way and may develop the needed skills, or others, later. 

The best age to start piano is at least 5 nonetheless, and you need not worry, as there are countless toddlers piano lessons out there to have fun and learn!

Requirements for learning piano

There are some requirements for learning the piano when it comes to young children. The most important aspects to keep into consideration is their hand size, basic motor skills, if they can count, if they have the desire to learn and are not easily distracted, can tell apart left from right, follow instructions, and if they have an attention span of at least 30 minutes. Children learn piano through mimicking your movements.

We will discuss each requirement of learning the piano when it comes to children and explain why these different factors play a great role in starting their journey into the world of music. Let’s begin!

Size of a hand

Your child can play the piano even if they have small hands. In the beginning, they should learn to do small chords and maybe even legato. They can progress to bigger spans, but in the beginning, focus on small things. What is important is finger independence. They have to work up slowly and get accustomed to using different fingers since they will use different fingers to press different keys, and they have to get used to it. Piano basic chords can be learned even at a young age.

Basic motor skills

Your child must possess a level of basic motor skills to play the piano, otherwise, they might be too young to do it yet. Playing the piano definitely increases a person’s fine motor skills, but if your child simply bangs his fist on the instrument, it won’t do anyone any good, so it is best to teach them later if this is the case.

Can count to five

It is important for young children who learn the piano to know how to count to five since when playing the piano every finger has a number, and thus, ensures the correct position while playing. Teach them that their thumb fingers are always number 1, the index finger 2, middle finger 3, ring finger 4, and the pinky is 5. It is best for them to start learning piano after learning this.

Desire to learn

You can easily tell if a child is interested in learning to play the piano if they have showcased the desire to learn. Without this desire, it is pointless to persuade them, since they won’t catch things easily, and even if they do they won’t like it, and thus there is no point in teaching them.

Knows left and right

If your child can’t yet tell left from right, then it is probably too soon to teach them to play the piano. When playing the piano, we always use both hands and they do different things at regular intervals. If your child can’t yet tell them apart, then they won’t learn the correct position and technique.

Attention span of 30 minutes

It is important that your child can pay attention to you for 30 minutes while learning to play the piano. This is because they will progress in this timeframe, develop a habit out of it, and most importantly, it is a sign that they truly wish to do it and learn to play. Plenty of child piano lessons are available online, and within 30 minutes of exercise, they can progress amazingly.

Can follow instructions

If your child can’t follow instructions, attend to their needs first, and let the piano lessons be the last thing. If they still won’t follow your instructions, they are either not interested, or they are still too young to learn to play the piano. Without following instructions, they can’t learn how to play correctly.

Does a child need to know how to read?

It is a general misconception that a child needs to know how to read when practicing a musical instrument. If we think of music in its beginning, it’s not a question as complex as the chicken or the egg. Clearly, music started off before notes were invented, and this is why it doesn’t matter if your child can read when they learn a musical instrument.

Of course, for the later lessons, they will eventually have to learn how to read music sheets and tell apart notes. Yet, in the beginning, reading is not important as they develop their motor skills, attention span, and other factors that will help them master the piano. Ages and ages of reading will be dedicated later.

Should your child learn to play the piano?

As adults, we often regret not picking up certain skills, or learning to do certain things, like playing an instrument. Children have numerous benefits if they start to learn to play a musical instrument in their childhood.

If your child is interested in learning to play the piano, then it will benefit them greatly in life. Studies have shown that child pianists have improved brain development, it teaches them patience, discipline, confidence, humility, improves their auditory skills, math skills, language skills, and overall will help them in their academic studies. As such, there are plenty of advantages of teaching your child to play piano or any other musical instrument.

How to spark your child’s interest in piano?

Children are very curious and it is easy to use that and capture their interest in learning the piano. If you are a piano player yourself, you can sing near them to capture their attention, and slowly teach them how to play easy things. Consider it child play, piano is fun and entertaining afterall.

You can also hire a music teacher to do this. Take note that if your children won’t be interested in playing the piano, then it is not for them. They might develop an interest later, naturally, or pursue other things.

Make the music lessons as playfully and fun as you can, maybe even pay attention to what songs they like from cartoons or so, and try to play them on the piano to spark their interest. They will surely love to sing along with you no matter what! Search for kids piano lessons on the web and take it from there.

Is it ever too late to start learning the piano?

It is never too late for an adult or a child to start learning the piano. It is true that children learn faster when they are younger, but that doesn’t mean they can’t learn to play the piano in their teens, or even in their young adult years. 

We constantly learn throughout our life, and this never ends actually. Even people with one hand have gracefully mastered the piano, so why shouldn’t you try it? Learning the basics of the piano takes less than a month, mastering it takes years. So what age to start piano lessons? Any age older than 2.

FAQ

What instrument should a child learn first?

The best musical instrument for a young child to learn is the blokfluit (recorder) since it is the easiest to learn. However, there is no general rule as to what instrument should a child learn to play first.

When should a child start piano lessons?

The best age to start piano lessons is between 5 and 9. This is when children can pay attention easily and grasp musical knowledge very fast.

Is it hard to learn piano at an older age?

Learning the piano solely depends on how much time you invest into it. The only factor that might make it harder is our mindset, and whether or not we have practiced our musical skills before.

Am I too old to learn piano?

No one is too old when it comes to learning the piano, or any other musical instrument. On the other hand, some might be too young.

Can a 2 year old learn piano?

Piano lessons for 2-year-olds might be difficult to implement. They can learn some of the basics if they are interested enough, but it varies from child to child.

Can a 3 year old learn piano?

We know that a 3-year-old child can learn the piano since we have many examples of people who have done so at this young age, like Mozart, for example. It might be a fragile age for piano lessons for some though.

Can a 4 year old learn piano?

A 4-year-old can learn to play the piano if proper guidance is given and if the child is interested in learning. It will be difficult, but it is possible.

Can a 5 year old learn piano? 

Children that are between 5 to 9 years old are the best suited to learn the piano. A 5-year-old is more than suited to begin piano lessons.

Can a 6 year old learn piano?

A 6 years-old child will definitely be able to learn piano if they are interested in the musical instrument. Just find the right person to teach them. Piano lessons for a 6-year-old are more than welcome at this age.

Can a 7 year old learn piano? 

The piano is easy to learn in the beginning, and children of age 7 are more than suited to begin learning it, not to mention that they are old enough to understand basic concepts. This is a good age to start piano lessons.

What instrument can a 2 year old play?

Two-year-old children are a bit too young to play an instrument, however, they might begin to play with a blukeflute (recorder), and move on to other instruments later.

What instrument can a 3 year old play?

A 3-year-old might be able to play blukefleute (recorder), and even a piano just like the famous pianist Mozart. They should start very lightly nonetheless.

What instrument can a 4 year old play?

A four-year-old child can begin to start piano lessons, or even learn how to play the blukefeute (recorder) musical instrument.

What instrument can a 5 year old play?

The best age for a child to learn an instrument, such as a piano, is that of 5. Some other instruments such as the guitar, viola, or violin are also good.

What instrument can a 6 year old play?

A good age to learn piano, violin, guitar, and even other instruments is the age of six. Children catch things very easy at this point.

What instrument can a 7 year old play?

A seven year old child can learn to play music instruments such as piano, violin, viola, cello, guitar, and even oboe, among many other instruments.

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