Jen :
I’ve got a video to share with you, it’s Alex playing a piano. He is so active that sometimes I wonder if he is enjoying the music or the punching on the keys?!!!
I remember you said that the earliest time for a kid to learn piano is around 3 yr old. But how do I know that he is ready or not?

Dear Jen

Wow Alex is good! I am very impressed! I will tell you why:

1. he sits good, he looks like he is used to sitting in front of a piano already
2. he is obviously exploring the different sounds – high/low, single/group of notes, slow/fast, hands together/alternating, hands close/far away – all of this he did in less than a minute! if you think about it, all music is some sort of combination of all of the above – in the short video, Alex already demonstrated strong sense of rhythm and texture
3. he is responding with his body – this is very good – traditionally a lot of children are taught with just using their fingers and not responding internally with their physical being, but ultimately music means nothing if it does not ‘move’ you
4. he enjoys playing for others – natural performer!

What you can do next is show him videos of others playing the piano, or even better, take him to live concerts. Of course, continue to have music all around him – I see that you are teaching him nursery songs and he is singing twinkle twinkle etc, that is all good. I also see in other videos he likes to dance with music, keep all that going.

As to when he should start formal one-on-one lessons, well this depends on a number of things:

1. can you find a good teacher in your area that specialises in teaching very young children – experience matters a lot here
2. are you able to commit financially on a long term basis – piano lessons is a long term commitment for parents, but definitely one that is worthwhile! even if he does not make a career out of it when he grows up, music lessons enhance so many areas of learning that he will benefit enormously (have you read my website article “Music Advantage”?)
3. are you able to put in the time and effort yourself – young children learn best when parents can reinforce lesson materials at home with their children, this means you have to sit in and ‘practice’ with him everyday

If your answer to all of the above is yes, then you can start lessons at 3 and half, definitely by 4, and the results will be most rewarding. If not, all is not lost, you can still start at 5 or 6. So what about if you start at 7 or 8? Well it is never too late! But I always say in this competitive world, children who start later will have to put in a lot of extra effort to make up for all the learning they could have done in the earlier years.

I look forward to meeting Alex in person. I know he just turned 2!