These guidelines will help you or your child to have a successful, rewarding experience in the music program of your choice. These are practical tips that we have discovered in our experiences with teaching hundreds of students each year for the past 25 years.

1. How Young is too Young - Starting at the Right Age
Adults can begin any instrumental or vocal program at any time. The success is based on how willing the adult is to commit to practicing. We teach many adult beginner students of all ages, even in their 60's and 70's.

For children, starting 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 is not always true. If a child is placed into private lessons too soon, they may feel overwhelmed and frustrated and want to stop lessons. It is never beneficial to continue an unpleasant experience which could cause the child negative feelings regarding music in general. Children who are older than the suggested earliest starting age usually do very well. The following are guidelines we have found to be successful in determining how young a child can start taking music lessons.

KINDERMUSIK for 5 Year Olds and Younger
If a pre-schooler has a keen desire and wants to start music, ongoing Kindermusik classes will give them a good foundation in music basics which will be helpful in later private lessons. At this age, private lessons generally do not work as the child has not yet experienced the formal learning environment of kindergarten or school and learns more effectively through the game oriented preschool environment.

Piano/Keyboard
5 is the youngest that we recommend to begin children in private piano lessons. At this age they have begun to develop longer attention spans and can retain material with ease.

Guitar - Acoustic, Electric and Bass
Age 8 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 generally are 10 years old and older.

Voice Lessons
Age 10 is recommended as the youngest age for private vocal lessons. Due to the physical nature of voice lessons (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.

Drums/Percussion
The average age of our youngest drum student is 4. This varies greatly depending on the size of the child. .

Flute, Clarinet, & Saxophone
Due to lung capacity (and in the case of the saxophone the size of the instrument), we recommend that most woodwind beginners are 9 and older.

Violin
We accept violin students from the age of 4. Some instructors will start children as young as 3, but experience has shown us the most productive learning occurs when the beginner is 4 or older.

Trumpet, Trombone, & Tuba
Instruments of the brass family require physical exertion and lung power. 9 years and older is an optimum time to begin trumpet. Ages 10 and 11 are generally the most suitable for beginning the trombone and tuba.

2. Insist on Private Lessons when Learning a Specific Instrument
Group classes work well for preschool music programs and theory lessons. However, when actually learning how to play an instrument, private lessons are far superior. Each student is able to learn at their own pace. This means the instructor does not have to teach a class at a particular 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. Instructors also enjoy this as they do not have to divide their attention between 2 - 6 students at a time and can help the student exclusively.

3. Take Lessons in a Professional Teaching Environment
Learning music is not just a matter of having an instructor, but also having an environment that is focused on music education. In a professional school environment a student cannot be distracted by television, pets, ringing phones, siblings, etc. With only 1/2 to one hour of lesson time per week, a professional school environment can produce better results since the only focus at that time is learning music. Students in a school 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 school, the lessons are not just a hobby or side-line for the teacher, but a responsibility which 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 fight 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 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 after a successful week of practicing. Parents can encourage children to practice by granting them occasional rewards for successful practicing. In our school we reward young children with stars and stickers for their work, as well as placing their names on the flashing electronic board in our waiting areas for 3 superior ratings earned in a month's time. 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 designed for students in a variety of situations. For example in piano, there are books for very young beginners and books for adult beginners. Teaching materials are available for all ages and levels in any situation. These materials have been researched and are continually upgraded and improved to make learning easier and ensure that no important part of learning the instrument can be inadvertently omitted. If the student should relocate to a different part of the country, qualified teachers and institutions will recognize the materials and be able to provide a smooth transition in your music instruction.

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.

Adapted from www.laapa.com