Kenneth K. Guilmartin
Today's cultural norm seems to be a desire to produce children who are smarter and more accomplished at ever earlier ages. Starting with music-in-the-womb programs for the prenatal set, parents are bombarded with enrichment options for the very young, and it's hard to judge what is actually developmentally appropriate for your growing child.
Is earlier really better when it comes to traditional music lessons? If children can start Suzuki violin at age three, does this mean your child will somehow be "behind" if she waits until age six to begin studying piano? In point of fact, music lessons can all too often be a frustrating and even painful experience for a child who is not developmentally or musically ready for them; and most children—even the obviously musically inclined—can benefit from waiting a little longer to start traditional lessons than the anxious parent might be given to believe.
To have a good chance of enjoying and embracing formal music study, a child must have a readiness that goes beyond the traditional prescription of being able to sit still for fifteen minutes, count from 1 to 5, and know the letters A to G. It's important to consider your child's temperament, physical development, and level of tonal and rhythmic competence before signing him up for lessons, and to ask yourself what you as a parent want for your child.
The nature of traditional lessons
It helps to be clear-eyed about the nature of traditional instrument lessons. They involve learning to read music, which is a complex cognitive process, and they require a high degree of hand-eye coordination. They are inevitably product-oriented, focused on semi-regular recitals at which the student's learning will be displayed and judged. Reflect on whether your young child is developmentally ready for the pressure of performing a piece in public. Practicing a piece to become performance-ready requires persistence, patience, and commitment, and music study will not magically produce these qualities in a child who is not already showing some sign of them. If your child is easily frustrated and has little patience for repetitious tasks, it's probably better to continue for a while longer with non-formal music and movement experience.
The need for basic music competence
Temperament and developmental readiness are only part of the equation. Even an exceptionally mature and motivated child can flounder in traditional lessons without the most important readiness factor of all: basic music competence (BMC). This is the ability to sing in tune and move with accurate rhythm. Given a sufficiently rich music environment, tonal and rhythmic competence develop as naturally in a child as her ability to speak her native language. In fact, in world cultures where music remains an integral, active part of daily life, children often achieve BMC at around age three, just about the same time they are developing competency in language.
In our culture, however, there is a delay in acquiring basic tonal and rhythm competence. Children grow up apparently surrounded by music but actually at a slight remove from it: their music experiences are often passive, received from CDs or television and offering little opportunity for the active engagement needed for learning. As a result, many children don't learn to sing in tune and move with accurate rhythm until age six, seven, or beyond.
Imagine the consequences of this within the context of a music lesson. A child without tonal competence will have difficulty recognizing whether he is playing the correct melody: he may not even have an aural understanding of what makes one note "right" and another "wrong." If he lacks rhythmic competence, he will likely have trouble understanding the values of notes or keeping a steady tempo. If a child cannot "speak the language" of music by singing in tune and moving with accurate rhythm, how can he be expected to become literate enough to read music? As with language, music mastery happens first at the aural/oral level, through plenty of direct exposure.
Creating a sound music environment
Therefore, the best way to help your child prepare for eventual music lessons is to provide a rich environment with active music experiences. Young children learn through play, so singing, saying rhythmic rhymes, and moving to music are not only fun but beneficial. It's also an excellent idea for any parent who has dreams of her child playing an instrument to begin taking lessons herself. This will pique the child's curiosity and present a powerful role model.
Children who have been in music classes often demonstrate tonal and rhythmic competence relatively early—perhaps by age three or four—depending on how many semesters they've been in the program. While it may be musically possible for such children to start instrument lessons, our own inclination is to allow children a little more time to develop emotionally and physically before starting traditional lessons which involve reading music. In the meantime, they can explore rhythm instruments and strengthen their singing and movement skills, all of which will be useful to later instrument study. An ability to improvise and literally "play" music is invaluable to any musician.
Some general recommendations
Children develop at different rates physically, emotionally, socially, and musically, so the following can be only approximate guidelines for what might be best at different ages.
Threes and fours will continue to thrive in group music classes. Together. This allows them a direct, playful experience of music and movement which supports their learning style. Create a music environment at home, too, by integrating spontaneous music play into your daily life.
Fives and sixes will enjoy classes introduce more sophisticated music concepts within the context of a whole music and movement experience.
Seven to nine is often a good time to explore traditional lessons. Choose a teacher you think is a good temperamental match for your child. It's more important at this point for him to fall in love with his instrument than work with a noted maestro. (That can come later.)
Ten and older is not too late to begin! The older child tends to be focused and to progress rapidly. Sometimes, however, he may find beginner music to be "babyish," so the choice of materials will be crucial. Try Béla Bartók's Mikrokosmos, a series of books with musically interesting exercises that older children find appealing.
Music Together is an internationally recognized early childhood music and movement program for children birth through age seven. The Music Together curriculum, coauthored in 1987 by Kenneth K. Guilmartin (Founder/Director) and Rowan University Professor of Music Education Dr. Lili M. Levinowitz (Director of Research), is based on the recognition that all children are musical: all children can learn to sing in tune, keep a beat, and participate with confidence in the music of our culture, provided that their early environment supports such learning.
GROUP CLASSES
The following programs are all an excellent way to provide your older child with developmentally appropriate music instruction.
Dalcroze
Founded by Swiss pianist and composer Émile Jaques-Dalcroze, this approach emphasizes rhythmic movement (eurhythmics) along with sight-singing and improvisation. All types of music are used, and students are encouraged to express themselves by making movements which fit the music. Deep listening, imagination, and expressive responses all help develop musicianship. (Note: Many Dalcroze principles were incorporated into the Music Together program)
Orff
Properly known as Orff Schulwerk, this approach was developed in the early 1920s by German composer Carl Orff. It utilizes some of the principles of Dalcroze and teaches through folk music, singing, movement, rhythmic chant, and improvisation. Orff also uses rhythmic instruments and special barred instruments such as metallophones and xylophones which can be adjusted to play a pentatonic scale; consequently, children can play different sounds at once and it will still sound pleasing
Kodály
Composer Zoltán Kodály of Hungary developed this method, which emphasizes ear training and sight-singing. Kodály believed that the voice is the first instrument and that learning through singing should come before learning to read music or learning to play another instrument. Taught in group classes, this sequential method uses folk songs and gradually introduces children to ever more complex concepts of melody, rhythm, and harmony.
Suzuki
Founded by Shinichi Suzuki of Japan, this method offers a non-traditional approach to music instruction for a number of instruments---including violin, cello, piano, and flute---for children as young as three or four. Most Suzuki programs offer both individual and group classes; the youngest students are often taught in a group setting. They learn to play by ear, thus strengthening the child's aural ability and removing the difficulty of learning to read music at an early age. The Suzuki method, modeled on the way children learn language, requires a strong parental involvement: parents attend lessons and often learn the instrument along with their child.