Where do you start?
The starting point in private piano lessons with a child who has maintained and developed their natural musicality before beginning private lessons is quite different than the starting point with a child who has not been exposed to songs, dances and instrument play at younger ages.
What is your dream?
If you have dreams that your child will become a pianist, then I recommend starting early but not with formal private instruction. Begin early with parent/child music classes that incorporate movement and singing and playing instruments.
If you have dreams that your child will love the piano, then make sure there is a piano in your family! Find a piano or keyboard that can live with you in your home.
I am fortunate that most of the students who currently study piano privately with me began their music education with their parents in my Orff classes by the time they were 18 months of age.
The benefits of involvement in baby & toddler music and movement classes are HUGE!
- Children develop a sense of rhythm and ability to audiate before they begin playing piano.
- We build confidence in approaching all variety of instruments and in being in musical situations.
- We play percussion from around the world; shakers, scrapers, metals and drums.
- We try violins, cellos, guitars, ukuleles, banjos, dulcimers and harps.
- We hear wind instruments from all varieties of whistles through recorders, harmonicas and some common band instruments like the clarinet.
- I create and incorporate activities that engage babies in noticing symbols for sound and pitch. They LOVE this!
- We move our bodies to music feeling every type of meter, a variety of tempos and also show dynamics of music.
- We engage in creative movement using language to describe how we are moving our bodies.
- We play social circle games that teach us musical and social skills simultaneously.
- In addition, these early group experiences develop a natural sense of music-making within a group of people. We learn to take turns, stop and start together, feel tempo and show dynamics with our bodies and with instruments as a group. We develop a sensitivity to the idea of making music in community.
