One of the most common questions I get is “how old does my child need to be to take lessons?” The answer (as are most things involving parenting) is complex. I can tell you that I am certified to teach as young as 3 years old and that through the Suzuki program with it’s encouraging slogan, “Every Child Can”. The notion that “Every Child Can” is inspiring, isn’t it? And it rolls so nicely off the tongue. Here’s the part that doesn’t flow quite as well: Every Child Can if they are provided the right tools and parent involvement. So, my answer to the ever-popular question of “how old…” is a series of questions for you, the parent. 

How much time can you invest?

Maybe this seems confusing. These lessons are for your kid, right? Yes and no. Your 3-8 year old will need LOTS of help at home. They will need a practice buddy in the beginning to watch their posture and help with their bow hold. That means sitting with them and actively listening and participating during their lessons so you know how to help. Luckily, when children start learning, their practice sessions don’t need to be very long. However, you’ll still need to budget a few hours a week to practicing and attending lessons. Even when they are able to practice without a buddy, children need to be reminded to practice. It’s not because they’re uninterested in playing or they don’t like it, it’s because they’re a child and children need reminders. Especially when they are young, there is a lot of parent-involvement needed in violin lessons for your child to succeed. Do you have the time to dedicate a few hours every week to your child’s lessons and practice? Then 3 years old is a great age to start. If you are not able to (for a plethora of valid and fair reasons) give that much attention to violin lessons, then your child needs to be old enough to remember assignments on their own and absorb what they are taught in the lesson and apply that at home. I often don’t see this until 7 or 8.

What are your expectations?

As adults we have been trained by society to view progress linearly. We often don’t have a lot of patience for ourselves or others if we aren’t seeing obvious improvement from week to week, or even day to day. If you are expecting to see your child play full songs by the end of the first month, then your 3-8 year old is too young for lessons. In fact, many older kids would be too young by that standard as well. For the average child, it takes months to get to the point where they will be able to play their first song. 

How much do you like Twinkle, Twinkle?

Okay, I’ll be honest and say I don’t know many people who get crazy over Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. My point is, if you have a really young child taking violin lessons, get ready to hear a lot of beginning songs over, and over (and over and over) again. They need a lot of time with these songs because we don’t simplify violin techniques for children, we just give them the techniques in bite-sized pieces. This takes time. It’s also important to note that, as Dr. Suzuki suggests, it’s a great idea to use something old to teach something new. Going back to old songs is not uncommon for the Suzuki method because we are constantly learning how to be better. 

Parents, this just one area where your role becomes important. From my experience, a child does not get bored with a song and become anxious to move on, the parent does. This goes back to us seeing progress linearly. It’s tough to rewire our brains, but very important. Here’s why: If your child hears you say something about wanting to move on or being tired of a song, then they will be influenced by that. Your children adore you and they want to emulate you, and even if you say something that seems insignificant, your child may very well take it to heart. “We need to practice Twinkle… again” becomes “Mommy/Daddy’s upset because we’re playing this again, I need to move on faster.” I’m not saying you’re supposed to like practicing the same songs over and over again with your child, but a little enthusiasm (even if it’s not sincere) will go a long way. If you’re thinking you may have trouble keeping your impatience to yourself, consider waiting until your child is old enough to practice on their own to enroll them in violin lessons. 

What age did you or your child start lessons? I’d love to hear your experiences below!