Learning an instrument is all about right timing

I was at Powerbooks the other day and this book seems to be calling out to me. I started piano lessons at age five  and stopped at ten years old. I had a good ear for music, and learned to play ouido on my own. For some unexplained reason, I just gave up  my lessons and my dream of becoming the next Cecile Licad, much to my mom’s consternation. She had bought me a big real piano on installment basis, a Zeitter and Winkelmann, which now sits in my living room.

I still play when I’m in the mood.  I see myself in my daughter who started taking violin lessons at age 5 and now, at eight years old, has shown disinterest in her lessons. After reading this book, I gained a few insights on why children who seem more musically talented than the rest become lackadaisal in later years, outlearned and outpaced by the less talented yet diligent students who start late yet carry on, some even becoming more accomplished musicians in adulthood.

A child prodigy himself, the author says that the right moment for a child is not simply a question of age, but a coincidence of physical, mental and emotional development. One of the most common factors in musical failure was starting to early. He says the right time for a child to start lessons is between the age of seven and eleven.

Here are a few tips I gathered from the book that may help parents who want to start their children on music lessons:

Encourage your child. Try to make a wider range of music available to the child to listen to, watch musical programs on TV or go to concerts, from circuses to brass bands to school concerts. Discuss favorite tunes or which sounds are liked or disliked and why.

Find out how inclined your child is and gauge his interest. A six-year-old may want to play an instrument yet not be really interested in taking  it on so he invents a specific achievement fantasy and tells his parents “I want to be like Vanessa Mae.”  Although this may sound like a mature decision, it should be treated along the lines  “I want to be a nurse or a doctor.”   The instinct will naturally ebb and return more strongly in a year or two. Unless you have funds to start lessons early, it is wise to wait until he is seven or eight before enrolling him in music lessons.

Take this simple readiness test. Has your child:

- attended full time school for at least two and a half years?
- carried on any hobby or belonged to an out-of-school activity or interest group for three months or more?
- know the difference between work and play?
- have the spare mental energy (after schoolwork is done) to begin a demanding new activity?

If you answer yes to all of these questions, then the child is ready to begin lessons.

Check if the instrument is physically comfortable for the child to hold and play. Physical pleasure from playing an instrument is the most powerful reason of all why the child should carry on learning.  Some instruments are too heavy, or too large and require too much energy for a child. Only three instruments are made in sizes: the violin, guitar and cello. Other instruments will not function properly when their sizes are reduced.

Profile your child. Certain instruments suit certain kinds of children. Some instruments are solitary. A sociable, outgoing child who is learning guitar or piano is bound to be frustrated and unhappy because he will have no chance of playing with others for many years to come. Conversely, a truly solitary child will be miserable in a brass instuments which is for making music only in bands and orchestras. Hyperactive children are a nightmare for violin teachers but a dream for percussionists.

Practice is necessary. When lessons start, parents should monitor the child’s progress and continue motivating the child. Ten minutes’ practice a day is enough for most children; a longer period may produce boredom. What is vital is to make practice a habitual part of the child’s day like cleaning teeth or getting dressed.