3.5 A parents' guide to music lessons  (Page 2/5)

Between the ages of six and ten, your child can begin any of the instruments mentioned above, with just about any teaching method; just be certain that both the instrument and the teacher are suited to younger children. If your child is determined to play a different instrument ( saxophone , for example), beginning on a different instrument at an early age and switching later will not hurt the young instrumentalist, and may give her more experience and confidence reading and playing music than the student who does not begin until age ten. It is certainly not necessary to begin early, however, particularly if the child does not want to study a different instrument; the motivated student who begins at age ten will quickly catch up to those who began their musical training earlier.

Many instruments do not come in child sizes and are physically too much for a small child to handle. At about the age of ten, most children become big enough to begin playing most instruments. If you have been waiting to start your child on trumpet , clarinet , or trombone , for example, now is a good time to start. Most school band and string programs begin at about this age. If you or your child is very determined on a particular instrument, you may want to begin lessons before school instruction begins, in order to ensure that she is not assigned a different instrument. However, if your child is either not highly motivated to practice or does not care greatly about instrument choice, it will be better for your child to cooperate with the director in taking up an instrument needed for a well-balanced ensemble. Beginner-ensemble instructors are experienced at matching students with instruments that they will be happy and successful with.

Remember, it's never too late to start music lessons. If you are an adult and wish you had had piano lessons as a child, find yourself a piano teacher! If your high school sophomore wishes he could be in the band, have him talk to the band director. Most will be happy to suggest an instrument (probably one that the band does not have enough of) and a teacher. Just a few months of lessons and practice will find most sixteen-year-olds playing at a level that is acceptable in most high school bands.

Does my child have enough talent for this?

The short answer to this question is "yes". All children can benefit from music instruction, and many of the children who enjoy it the most are not the ones who have enough talent to be the next Itzhak Perlman. Much research suggests that students who receive music instruction do better in their other classes, particularly math and reading.

If you still don't want to bother with music lessons unless your child shows some natural aptitude, consider the following questions:

• When your young child sings alone, is the tune accurate?
• Does your young child sing and/or dance with an accurate beat and/or with accurate rhythms ?
• When he sings with recordings, or with others, does he follow the contour (the ups-and-downs) of the melody correctly? Does he try to find correct pitches , even if the song is being sung too high or low for his voice? Does he ever try to sing along with parts that are not the melody (a harmony or bass line , for example, or instrumental part)?
• Does her play-time include singing and dancing even when an adult doesn't suggest it?
• Does he learn a song more quickly than the other children in his class? Does he still remember many songs a long time after learning them?