1. BEGIN AT THE RIGHT AGE
For CHILDREN, starting at the right age is a key element to the success of their lessons. Here are some guidelines:
PIANO At Whitby School of Music, the youngest age to begin lessons is usually age four. Success is dependent on the child’s attention span and fine motor skills. By age five, children have generally begun to develop longer attention spans and can retain material with greater ease. At younger ages, a parent’s supervision is vital to progress.
GUITAR Age seven or eight is a good age to begin guitar lessons. Young children will need a smaller instrument, suited to their size. Similar to piano, a parent’s supervision will greatly enhance the progress. Bass guitar students generally are ten years of age or older.
VOICE Vocal lessons are not recommended for students under the age of eight. Vocal damage can occur if the voice is “pushed” at too young an age. Full vocal technique would not begin until age ten. Because of 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 complete vocal technique.
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 be at least nine years of age with the exception of the flute which can be started a few years earlier.
TRUMPET AND OTHER BRASS Brass instruments require physical exertion and lung power. Students should be at least 9 years of age or older.
ADULTS can begin any instrument at any time. Their success is based on how willing they are to commit to practicing. People often find music an enjoyable activity when they retire.
Music is the literature of the heart; it commences where speech ends. ~Alphonse de Lamartine
