Many people have the opportunity to take music lessons as very young children, as young as 3 or 4 years old. The reason is usually something to do with the child's parents believing that it will make their child smarter or more talented as they grow up. There are also lots of people who grow up without any music education, and decide later in adulthood that they want to learn to play an instrument. Although people can and do pick up instruments for many reasons, in various stages of life, the question that seems to be on everyone's mind is: is there a BEST age to start playing music? It's widely accepted that children learn and absorb information more quickly and easily than adults do, and for that reason many people put their young kids in music lessons from very young ages. Although in theory these young students will make more progress than their adult counterparts, it's also important to take into account the learner's motivation to succeed.
Often, young kids feel pressured or forced by their parents to play music, and therefore don't want to put effort into practicing and improving. In this case, the fact that young kids have the capacity to learn quickly is irrelevant. The advantage to starting to play music as an adult is that the learner would most likely have their own personal goals and reasons why they want to learn. This kind of self-motivation is very powerful and can make the difference between becoming a good musician and not. However, there still is the fact that adults usually can't learn as easily as kids, especially if they haven't been exposed to much music growing up. Adult's brains are fully developed, and less flexible than kid's brains, and therefore have a harder time making new connections and forming the necessary muscle memory. In my opinion, the best time to start playing an instrument is somewhere in the middle. Someone that is young, whose brain is still developing and can learn quickly, but not so young that they can't form their own opinions and goals regarding their personal learning process. If I had to put a number on it, maybe between the ages 8-14 or 15 is a great window for starting to play. That being said, learning to play music is a very personal process, and can vary from person to person. Anyone has the capacity to achieve their music learning goals, no matter their age or musical background. I personally started playing the violin when I was 9 years old, and it was the perfect time for me. I decided on my own that I wanted to learn, and was not pressured by my parents whatsoever. I think this is the best possible situation, and what ultimately led me to my aspirations of teaching and playing music professionally.
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Alani SugarAlani Sugar is a young fiddle and mandolin player from Maryland. She has been involved in the region's music scene since she was 15 years old, and has the attention of musicians and music lovers alike in the area. She currently works as a professional musician and teaches fiddle and mandolin lessons online via Skype Archives
January 2024
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