When to begin lessons

During my time working abroad, I had the privilege of teaching many children who could effortlessly switch between their mother tongue and English. One day, I was speaking with a five-year-old pupil’s mother and the school administrator, and the child spoke to me in English, to his mother in Russian (his native language), and to the administrator in Mandarin. He had been exposed to two of these languages at home from birth and had acquired the third at school. This child had also been introduced to music at an early age.

Children can learn languages with ease when they’re very young, and the language of music is no different. When children are immersed in music early on, they not only gain fluency in various musical skills but also enhance their brain development. A child as young as three or four can be ready to start music lessons.

So, what are lessons like at this age?

I recommend starting with 30-minute lessons, keeping activities to no more than 5 minutes each. This ensures the time passes quickly and the child absorbs the information in a multi-sensory way. It’s essential that learning takes place through play, and children should be encouraged to use their imaginations.

Key elements such as ear training, singing, understanding pulse and rhythm, improvising, and composing are all vital components.The most important thing is that musicianship skills come first, while pianistic skills follow. Activities like marching or clapping in time, singing action songs or chants, and inventing sound stories help establish a strong foundation in musicianship before focusing more on the instrument itself. I use a method called Dogs and Birds (see www.dogsandbirds.co.uk), which uses a Kodály-based approach. It covers all of these elements and has always been a big hit with my younger pupils.