Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Suzuki for young kids

DD2.75 is fascinated with musical instruments. She has asked for a guitar, piano and violin. I'm wondering if I should give her a chance to try violin (suzuki) next fall, she would be bit over 3 then. Only reason I'm thinking violin over piano and guitar is her size. I'm quite undecided though and have few concerns:

Is 3 too young? I don't want to be a pushy parent and we would stop if she would not like it.

Is it too time consuming? I work full time, can we find time to practice (only for minutes) after a long day at work and preschool?

Am I setting me up for more critique. I'm still struggling how to talk about her academic capabilities and I'm afraid her violin lessons would make ME look even worse in front of other parents.

If we would decide to try it, should we choose a music school or a private teacher?

This is a topic near and dear to my hear, since my kids started Suzuki at 4 (daughter, violin) and 5 (son, piano). There are plenty of kids that start violin at our music school at age 3 (even some a little younger, piano tends to be a little later). The difference between starting at 3 and 4 is the willingness of the parent to practice with a very little one. We were doing kindermusik style classes at that age. My daughter at 5 is the only one in her group lesson that started so "late". So she's at the exact same place the other kids are (or even beyond in some cases). You just move slower through the initial phase the younger you start, which is painful at any age! It can take months and months and even over a year to be able to play a whole song on the violin. A lot of that is dependent on small motor skills, willingness of the child, and the enthusiasm and commitment to daily "practice". Much of the first year is just building up a practice habit. Sometimes those practices are 5 minutes and involve holding the violin and playing a few games and being done. It's not for every family for sure. But it has been wonderful for both my kids (and me - I took Suzuki violin growing up too). They're able to crank along at their own pace now that they're well established. It has taught them a lot about working at something over time and working with a mentor. Lessons that go well beyond music. But kids can learn these types of lessons in a lot of ways.

As far as where to go, we love our large well established Suzuki program with many other kids and group lessons, but we know families having an equally good experience in a small private studio. I would observe teachers and group lessons. It's great if you can get a good teacher fit initially (my kids are on their 2nd and 3rd teachers for various reasons!). A lot of it is about someone who "gets" your child. When people ask me about Suzuki I tell them it is a HUGE parent commitment. There's nothing magical about how my kids play. They practice 6 days a week and I'm usually helping them. They've taken off faster than others, but it's still hard work for me and for them. My 5 year old can usually be done in 15-20 minutes. I would expect that is the kind of practice you can expect until you reach late book 1. My 9 year old piano guy never practices less than 30 minutes and it can reach up to an hour when we are preparing for something (averaging 45).

I wouldn't worry at all what other people think! If you go to an established Suzuki program or teacher young kids are the norm. And so many kids in our program are obviously GT++. It's more I think a parent decision about the level of commitment you have to music lessons.

I think this all depends on your DD. I would still not consider lessons with DD4, though she has an early and advanced love of music, for a variety of reasons. I'm sure she has the attention span and the understanding. She certainly has the drive. What she doesn't have are superior fine motor skills and self control when she gets frustrated (which happens easily). She would not be willing to be bossed around by a teacher. She couldn't be trusted not to take her frustration out on her instrument and those suckers are expensive. She would have unrealistic expectations and would expect to be able to perform at a high level sooner than would be possible. Oh, and also, her preferred instrument (for years now) is the trumpet, which obviously won't work for such a small child.

She got a fairly decent keyboard for Christmas, and has played on it a lot. And she has many other child-friendly instruments. I think that has mostly satisfied her desire to play music for the time being. We will reconsider when her fine motor skills and her self-control catch up to her interest.

If you don't anticipate those issues with your DD and she has a genuine interest, I don't see a problem with starting lessons at 3. I know a kid who started at 4, and her parents are definitely not of the pushy variety. If it's what you think is right, and you can find a teacher who agrees, don't worry about what other people think. Don't tell them if you don't want to.

Oh, and also, I did Suzuki when I was a kid, and one of the best parts was the group lessons/recitals. I would prefer a music school for that reason.

I know dozens of Suzuki kids and all of them had these kind of issues starting up. I know a little boy that spent a year sitting under the piano pouting while his mom used his lesson time to learn piano. This is why my son didn't start at 3 or 4! Our music school has regular "support groups", to talk about how to work through practice issues. A lot of start up is working through these kind of issues of perfectionism, frustration, and expectations and much less about learning the instrument. The younger you start, the more of this there is to work through. The practice with my 5 year old can involve puppets, stickers, beads, goldfish crackers, etc. It's all a big game to get through those 15 minutes a day! BUT ... it's a lot easier than it was a year ago.

FWIW, I just don't think you have to have all those ducks in a row to start your child as a preschooler in Suzuki (teachers certainly wouldn't expect it!). But it's good to know that those are the exact kind of things you'll be working on the first year! If you're not into the idea of practicing and being an enthusiastic participant, it's probably best to wait a few years and pursue traditional lessons.

Maybe I should ask if we could go and observe a lesson so we could see if it might work or not. I played suzuki piano as a child, but I started at 6.

DD seems to understand rhythm quite well and her singing is better than mine. I'm in the process of buying a piano for me and she is very exited, asked if she could have a small pink one for herself

I'd try to find a suzuki school first. With a child that age, you really want someone who can make it fun and play based rather than the "best" private teacher in town.

Our local Suzuki school also offers Kolary and keyboarding classes. Some of the the families with the youngest students start there and add the violin class after the student can pick out a few simple tunes on a keyboard.

My daughter started violin at 5. She's been at it 2 years now. She's doing great, but I don't think she'd be any further "ahead" if she had started earlier even though she is really bright and musical because of her fine motor skill developement and willingness to stand still. Not to say that starting earlier isn't a great option, just not for her. DD did a year of Koldary class before starting vioin somewhere else in town,, that was good for her as a younger person and a bit cheaper.

BTW, my dd just started working out of the new Mark O'Connor violin books because she likes the music better. I guess she's going to be a fiddler...

I think observing is a great idea! Our school requires it. I started Suzuki at 6 as well. So much easier to start at that age! But there are benefits to starting younger and it can be worthwhile with the right teacher and program. Our program is great and so fun for young kids.

I do totally agree with Chyrs' comment about not really being further ahead in the repertoire starting earlier. With both my kids and with friend's kids they hit a point where it clicked and then they were able to move at their own good and consistent pace through new music. It's just painful to trust in the process until you hit that point! Hitting that point has a lot to do with small motor, listening skills, practice skills, and not necessarily length of play.

Chrys - fiddle music is so fun! Can't wait until we do that.

We tried with DD6 when she was 4 years old. We are on a break for about a year and half now due to tears during practice. But, recently, DD is thinking about starting again with the same Suzuki teacher.

We found this list of Suzuki piano teachers a while back.... in case if you are interested (arranged by zip code).

http://core.ecu.edu/hist/wilburnk/SuzukiPianoBasics/Teachers.htm#United%20States

Mag

Slightly OT, but what instruments can/do they learn in Suzuki?

We have violin, viola, cello, harp, double bass, piano, guitar, flute, and recorder available at our own local Suzuki program.

A lot of great points have been made. That early phase of Suzuki with a young child, I think the parent really carries the burden to make a committed practice fun and joyful. Even when it isn't!