Is My Child Old Enough to Take Violin Lessons?
Is My Child Old Enough To Take Violin Lessons?
If you’re reading this, you would love for your child to start learning the violin, however, you’re unsure what age is a good starting point. How young is too young? And is there really an ideal age to get started?
Hi, I'm Melodie with the Violin Practice Partner, and I've been teaching violin for 25 years. It's my mission to help light the world through music by helping children learn to play the violin, while also gaining confidence, learning important life skills, and improving their academic achievement.
Using the Suzuki method, children as young as three can start learning the violin. There are violins that are scaled down to the perfect size for a three-year-old to hold easily. However, it is important to note that some children actually do better when they wait until they are a little older. Here are a few questions to keep in mind as you make your decision:
- Is your child interested in learning the violin?
Is your child the one asking to learn to play the violin? If your younger child isn’t interested in learning, then it’s going to be hard to keep them interested long enough to practice. Do you feel like your child will stay engaged or pay attention to their violin teacher easily throughout their lesson? This is a good starting place. If you got past this part, you can move on to the other questions.
- Does your child have patience?
Beginning to learn the violin takes time. Many of the first lessons are spent learning how to hold the violin and bow, and how to draw it across the strings to create a pleasant sound. There is also time spent learning the fundamentals of violin theory. Will your child handle this well, or will they get frustrated because they want to learn to play music right now? Consider if they have the patience required to get through several lessons before they are able to play music.
- There is time.
If you feel like your child may not have the interest, attention span, or patience at a younger age, this is common, and there is no need to worry. Children can start lessons at any age and still become skilled musicians. Some children are ready at age 3 or 4, others need to wait until they are 5 or 6. Any child can become a talented musician if they have the interest, patience, and perseverance it will take to learn the instrument and the ability to work hard at it.
Thank you for supporting your child’s goals! If you’d like a free copy of my guide about what to look for in a violin teacher, click here.
