I am often asked, "what is the appropriate age to start piano for kids?" There are many aspects to consider and there is more than one answer. People, including children, are different: some can start piano lessons fairly early while others need to be a little more older before they can benefit from piano lessons. Although there are exceptions, a child should be at least five years old before starting piano lessons. There are four main reasons for this:

1. Young children are small and usually have small fingers and hands. Often, these fingers are also not very strong. It can be physically challenging for a small child to press down a piano key correctly. In order for their hands to span the distance of 5 keys, they may position their hands awkwardly.

   These physical limitations will cause the child to be unhappy because playing piano hurts their fingers, hands, and/or wrists. Secondly, starting piano for kids when they are not physically ready will cause them to have poor hand positioning and subsequently poor technique. Once they acquire poor posture and bad habits, it will be hard to undo.

   It would be prudent to wait for a child to be physically ready so they can learn the piano properly right at the onset.


2. A child should know their alphabet before starting piano lessons. In America, music utilizes the letters A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Not only that, the child should know the alphabet backwards from G to A.

   Rather than teach a child the first 7 letters of the alphabet forwards and backwards just for the purpose of taking piano lessons, it might be better for the child's education to learn the entire alphabet before staring piano lessons. By the time they can remember the entire alphabet, they will be in a better position to go up and down the scales from A to G and back from G to A.

3. A child should be old enough to understand some basic math such as 1+1=2; 2+2=4. They should be familiar with the concept of a half and a quarter. It would be even better if they knew that a half can be split into two quarters. Children need not know these things formally or in writing, but they should be able understand conceptually that two halves is equivalent to a whole.

   One can teach piano for kids in a non-traditional manner so that math and alphabets are not needed, but knowledge of these basic concepts are probably necessary for any "true" piano lessons.

4. Children by definition have not completely finished growing yet: their senses work differently than that of an adult. Their vision, hearing, and perception of their hands in space are all still developing.

   Abstract concepts are also developing; for example, a three-year-old child might not understand the differences between loud, fast, and happy. So enrolling them into formal piano lessons at too young of an age might be excessive.

However, having said that, there is a lot you can do with young children to encourage their love of music. Take them to musical shows, or watch music on tv with them. Offer them age-appropriate musical instruments and play musical games with them. Place your child on your lap and introduce piano to them in an informal manner. They'll love it!

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