Music lessons? - for little ones

DansMom wrote: Do you plan to or hope to start your child(ren) on a musical instrument before they are six years old?

MomToMany replied: LOL, our families aren't that musical. They can try one when they are older if they want.

coasterqueen replied: I will let Kylie make that decision if she wants. I do try to introduce her to music as much as possible though.

I do plan to introduce Kylie to gymnastics soon though. If she doesn't like it we won't go further with it. (and then dance, etc.)

ediep replied: I will just wait until he decided that he wants to play an instrument. We are not very musical..... I did sign up for music together class, but it is more like singing songs and banging on instruments than any kind of lesson

coasterqueen replied:
Those classes can be good for them and it's not forcing them to play an instrument .

A&A'smommy replied: Not sure what to vote for I don't think we are going to start music quite that young but when she turns 3 I'm going to start her in a dance class and then let her decide if she wants to continue it...I'm thinking I will get her into something she likes as young as possible so she can have a passion (hobby). I do play classical music for her while she sleeps and I understand that helps them learn? Well anyway I know it helps her sleep and she LOVES music so I figured its doing something for her

lsjulee replied: Ops so far I'm the only one who voted to start them as soon as possible. Cos I understand that children tends to develop learning better with introduction of music in early age.

I sent Xin to 'Little Tots Music' when she was 3yo. The earliest age to start introducing music for this Music Center (linked with Yamaha, the muscial instrumental supplier) nearby. Then she progressed to another 2 years of advance learning until we saw her slided enthusiams in keyboard playing. That was when we stopped. Guess she is not an instrumental person. She is more on movement, cos she loves to dance. She can't wait to start her Ballet class next year.

I will be starting An the same music class when he reaches 3 in Jan.

MommyToAshley replied: I haven't decided... but I am leaning more towards waiting until Ashley shows an interest in an instrument. I might put her in some kind of singing/dancing type music class though. She loves to sing and dance. However, if I had any kind of musical talent, I would probably lean more towards teaching her to play an instrument at an early age. But, I can't even hum in tune.

5littleladies replied: I started Maddie last year on piano (age 5) and she loves it and she does pretty well. I've asked Megan if she wants to start this year and she doesn't seem interested so we will hold off for now. I will do the same for Brianna-see if she shows interest and go from there. We are a pretty musical family so I think it will pop up in them eventually.

MomToJade&Jordan replied: I was a music major in college and I am also thinking about starting a music program out of my home. Jade just loves to sing and dance and the moment I know that she can learn I am going to start teaching her. There is a tape out there somewhere of me singing Grease songs at the age of three. Music has always been a big part of my life. They have music courses out there for the very little ones. They don't teach them an instrument, but they can grasp the concept of the length of notes and learn all of those children's songs. Plus music is fun and it helps a child learn in other areas as well.

Kirstenmumof3 replied: With having two older children I voted no, I'll wait until they are older. I went through the swimming, soccer and beavers (scouts) phase and I won't pay out the money for lessons unless I know that it is something they are interested in and will stick with it. In Thunder Bay there is an organization called KinderMusic, it's for children 0-6. It's a playgroup where they introduce kids to instruments and music, I've always wanted to attend, but I hear that even this is expensive and your children aren't really learning to play an instrument.

MomofJandB replied: My daughter begged to play piano in first grade so we started her that January. She did great! She's a natural--reads music easily and catches on to the lessons easily. Practicing was never a problem. Now, as she enters 3rd grade, she's losing interest and says she wants to quit. Her teacher and I are going to try to make it easy for her to continue, but once she's had enough, there's not much we can do. I always said I refuse to fight over practicing. I want her to enjoy it, not dread it. To me, that was the only downfall of starting her "young". I hope once the school routine gets in place, so does the practicing and she continues! She is so good at it! I believe if they show a strong interest in something so good for them--go for it! Although she says she's tiring of piano, she says she wants to try another instrument! We'll see what happens!

Guest_micah replied: My daughter is 11 now and has been playing the violin for 3 years now. (She is actually pretty good). My son is 10 & played the cello for only 3 months & decided he didn;t like it. He now is in band at school & playe the clarenet & hopes to get into the saxaphone. He has a guitar, but only goofs around on that. I think a variety is good. In the long run, they let you know when they are ready & serious to play & be comitted to it.

Boys r us replied: I will introduce my children to as many different things as I can..music and instruments included. But I would never force feed them any one thing, it will be like the "buffet of life" ....I'll put it all on the table in front of them and they can decide what looks good!

ammommy replied: We will, but only because Alec shows real interest in guitars. We are planning on getting him a guitar, but won't start formal lessons for a couple of years, if at all. Right now, I'm leaning towards group classes that introduce many types of music/instruments.

jcc64 replied: Dh is a musician, and so music is obviously a high priority around here. Alec, 12, has been playing the alto sax since 2nd grade, and is now learning the bass from dh. Noah started with trumpet in 2nd grade and is starting to become interested in drum. And dh has mentioned wanting to start Corey on piano when she's 4 or 5. It's very typical for Korean girls to receive music lessons, particulary piano, from a very young age, and it's one of the few traditions he's chosen to observe.
I totally regret having no musical influences in my life as a child, so unless they're totally resistent and miserable, we strongly encourage it.

~Roo'sMama~ replied: I'm going to *TRY* to teach my kids piano when they're somewhere around 6. That's when I started piano lessons. Dh doesn't want to pay for them to go to someone else though.. he wants me to put my ten years of lessons to good use. We'll see how it goes when the time comes... I taught one student for a year and HATED it. But I really want my kids to learn so if I have to do it, I will!

danahas4monkeys replied: my 2yr old and i take a kindermusik class once a week and they use many different instruments and dance, she is very shy and backward so this is slowly helping her come out of her shell, she is more a singer than a player . as far as lessons probably not until she gets older if she wants, the older 2 kids never had a desire to really learn, our oldest dd wanted to play guitar but didnt have the discipline it took so she quit but does other things gymnastics , our older son has no desire to do anything, and our baby is totally into music so daddy will surely teach him to play the guitar! daddy is very musical and would love for his son to " keep up tradition" dh plays the guitar electric and accoustic, he can play the mandolin, drums, fiddle you name it his whole family is musical! dana

gr33n3y3z replied: Lets see
Erin took gymnastics from the age of 4 till 12 years old from the age of 7 till 12 she was on a gymnastics team and done very well for herself she made it to level 8 states and burned out ..... when they get on teams the eat ,sleep gymnastics no hanging out with friends no parties nothing bc all the comps are on the weekends they do home work during break which her grades showed it.
So she left gymnastics and done dance for a year and enjoyed that.
Now she plays Lacrosse for her high school and wants to continue doing that.
John played the Alto Sax since 4th grade .... He took that to the high school marching band and concert band and maybe into collage.
Katie started out with the sax and went to the drums lol so she is having a blast with those this is her 2nd year of that plus she plays soccer.
Rick didnt want to play anything but sports soccer,lacrosse

So what I'm saying is when they all do thier own little thing when they had enough they had enough and dont ever force them into anything or make them stay in anything.
Like us we need changes well so do they.

my2monkeyboys replied: I have my son in a "gym" class once a week for an hour... they do rolls, kicks, etc. Just a fun way to get some excercise and be with other kids. I won't put him in a real class of any kind until he seems interested in one. I think they can show you what kind of things they like better as they get a little older. As long as I let him know what things are there for him to do, he should find something he'll like.

luvbug00 replied: we have no choise. the recoreder is a requirement until the 2nd grade at mya's school and then the violin until 5 grade.

MM'sMama replied: I think music is important but I'll only do it if he and she show intrest . I had piano lessons for 13 yrs and I loved it.

Tamatha replied: I, too, was a music major in college, and I am a certified piano instructor, though I only have 1 student currently. I would encourage all of you to introduce your children to music as early as possible--maybe not through formal lessons, but definitely through a program like Kindermusik. There is research that shows a child's capacity for learning music is fluid until age 9. This means that introducing them to music early on will help them be able to go farther in music later on. Once they hit age 9, their natural capacity is set, and they will only ever be able to do so much. Granted, some children are born with greater capacity than others, but even those who don't have a lot can increase what they do have with early exposure.

As a SAHM now, I'm thinking about what I want to do with myself down the road. I am very seriously considering opening a Kindermusik program, possibly through my church. There is only one other Kindermusik teacher in the area, and she is completely full, so I think there's definitely a market. And I fully believe that exposure to this kind of thing is essential to the development of a child.

I can also say that I've successfully taught piano lessons to children as young as 4 1/2 and 5. Once they are old enough to talk and communicate openly with adults, they can begin playing piano. I use a method that is a little unconventional--they don't have to read notes on the staff for the first 6 months or so of lessons! But it works.

Just my 2 cents!

Sunflower04 replied: I think it depends for each child. Joey has a kiddie keyboard and a fake guitar in which he loves so I am going to sign him up for piano lessons as soon as he can start which I think is 5.

Hillbilly Housewife replied: I was on both ends - begging for a specific lesson, and being forced to take several more.

When I was 3 or 4, I was into:

Ballet, Piano, Gymnastics.

I got too fat for my ballet teacher`s liking - so my mom pulled me out when I was 6. My Gymnastics teacher got pregnant, we were on a military base, so there was no other teacher - I stopped that at 6 also.

Piano I was FORCED to do it until I was 15. Becuase we moved around a lot (military) I had to re-do a few grades in Conservatory music.... I got to the 8th Conservatory grade when I was about 14 - and I really wanted to quit - not beause I wasn`t any good - but because I HAD to lay, mandatory, 1 hour of classical crap EVERY DAY, and 2 hours on saturdays and sundays. Not a high priority when you`re 14 and eager to go out with some friends.

I also , throughout the years, took cartooning classes, musical theory classes, painting, pottery, karate, tap/jazz, ballroom dancing (that one *I* wanted to do) violin lessons, and singing.

Now, at 23, I can play the piano, the violin, I self-taught myself the guitar, took music in high school and learned to play the tromone with the school band. I now paint small paintings on wood to give away/sell as gifts. I have an eye for color - and have decorated a few friends houses. I have an ear for music - and can pretty much play anything I hear (I mean on the radio ) with a few twists on it - of course it won`t be exact.

I`ve sung professionally for some weddings and special events in the past - I sang my own wedding song, recorded it, and have sold copies to about 50% of the guests that were there. I`ve animated some karaeoke nights at different bars - not because I was working there, but people have asked me for encores and to go up - the people working there would call me up when I was there.

I have a very creative streak - have no troubles finding recipeis out of the blue - using what I have at home to make something really god - same with stuff for the kids - anythig can becaome a toy if you think about how it can be...

I knit, I crochet, I sew. At least I try to sew. So far I`ve only been successful with pillow covers. Even my curtains sucked.

Can I do it all because my parents forced me into classe at a young age?

Maybe...maybe not - but Ì have 2 guitars at home, an adult sized violin as well as a child sized one - I have a piano, easy daily access to 4 pianos, I have my voice, crayons, paintbrushes....will I expose my kids to it? I already do, and they`re almost 3 and just over 18 months.

Will I continue to expse them? You bet. Will I pay for classes? Probably not - why would I pay someone to teahc my kids how to play the piano - I can do it, AND spend time wiht them. Why would I pay someone to teach my child how to paint? They can do it on paper on my kitchen table...WITH me.

I can teach them to play the violin, I even have the right sized one for them.

So - will I force them? A little at first - to try....if they don`t want to, they`don`t want to. Bottom line though - I`m the parent and they *have* to do what I say. Zach doesn`t like to clean up his room - bt he does it anyways. I didn`t like to play the piano - because I couldn`t play what I wanted to play. I`ll be happy if Zach at least plays it - it doe3sn`t have to be Bach by 5, you know?

Anyhoo - I`m a big believer in exposing my kids to everything I can. If they show a particular interest in it - I`ll keep them going at it- if they don't give a rat's butt about it - move on, try again later on. Same with foods with babies...it takes several attempts to determine if there is a particular dislike to a new food - it may take 14 different attempts to get Zach to try an instrument.

I won`'t give up though - because of the way I am. Maybe my classes had nothing to do with how artsy I am today - but maybe it made all the difference in the world. I didn`t lose anything by going to those lessons... I even spent *quality* time with my parents, because they'd always sit and listen to me practice or watch me do my gymnastics etc... so I didn`t lose anything, and I might hbave gained it all.

Brias3 replied: Music is a big part of our family so the kids have always been involved in music things due to the common interest. Yes, I think its important but I also think that children can benefit from lots of different types of extracurricular type activity while they are young.

My youngest LOVES music- listening to and singing it- so I enrolled him at a toddler music class at a local music conservatory. It's basically a music version of a Mom n' Me class, we sing and also dance to children's music, but he loves it. Ryan is just about to start up drum lessons and is interested in guitar as well, as my husband is a guitar player for enjoyment too. Aliyah tried violin while we were living overseas but that was shortlived. She much prefers dancing and gymnastics.

As for me, I think musical exposure and education is important but not crucial at a young age. I was never forced into music as a child because of bad experiences my mom had as a young girl. I did willingly try piano but soon discovered I was more of a dance/sports girl.

MamaJAM replied: I plan to wait until/if my kids want to take music lessons. Also - I think lessons before age 6 is a bit early -- possibly at 5 (but only if they REALLY want them).

DD#1 took violin (her choice) in 3rd grade (age 8) -- but they were group lessons at the school and she was the only one in her group who cared and practiced - and she lost interest quickly. For her 13th b-day last fall all she wanted was a guitar -- which we bought her and she started lessons a short time later -- she's been taking private lessons for 2.5 months now and LOVING it! I'm sure she'll keep this up for a very long time.

DD#2 has stated an interest in music lessons now too -- but she wants to play the drums. Aside from the fact that there is nowhere in our house to safely keep a drum-set....I don't think my head could handle it. I'm trying to get her interested in a smaller (quieter) instrument.

DD#3's choice of 'insturment' is her voice. She joined the choir at our synagogue two years ago (at age 5). She was loving choir until lately when half of rehearsal times are spent with the director having to discipline kids who don't want to be there (parents pushing kids to be in the choir)...so DD quit because it was too upsetting for her to be there. Hopefully - she'll join another choir (the school has one starting in 3rd grade) when she's older (or the choir she's been in will get straightened out). Possibly when she's older she'll take an instrument - but only if SHE wants to.

The boys are too young -- 3.5 and 2.5 -- if they ask when they are older - I'll galdly find them a teacher.

Bee_Kay replied: Ash took flute lessons for a few years, then got bored with it and took this year off. She plans on starting again next school year.
Ty will be starting music lessions this year, he had no interest when he was younger.