Music lessons or child development?

Hello! How excited are you about the possibilities for adventure and growth that our youngest ones can undertake in music? Welcome to the ‘Preschool’ section of my ‘Flourishing in Music’ blog. You can stay connected with me through the contact form at the bottom of the page or by following my Facebook business page to see more relevant posts.

Personally, I started the piano at the age of seven. I still feel that age seven is a really great starting place for a young musician and I feel that preschool music lessons can be ‘too much’ for little ones – BUT! (Wait – but you teach preschool piano?) Here’s the BUT! It’s all about what view you take of the reason for a preschooler to be involved in music lessons. If I look at preschool lessons from the ‘serious professional musician’ lens that I developed through my college studies (which included playing for one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century – and getting to study with one of his proteges), then it seems to me children should wait until they are older to study music. The kind of intensity, discipline, intellectualism, and emotional capacity that goes into developing both the physical technique and the artistic range of a professional level musician just felt ‘off’ to me for a preschool student, unless they really showed an exceptional inclination to play, and the last thing I want to do is create a high pressure situation for a child relating to music.

Shake the dust off that strict classical training!!! Today I am truly excited to be able to include preschool students in Flourishing Foundations Music Studio through one-to-one piano lessons. It was just a couple of years ago, while teaching at a commercial music studio, that I reluctantly agreed to teach a four year old. I am so glad I did! There is SO MUCH that a preschooler can do with music – and it does not all center around playing the piano. A whole lot of it is just good old child development – growing and fine- tuning skills that all children need opportunities to develop. I feel that when piano lessons are approached more from an aspect of overall flourishing and child development – then the exact ‘what’ of what a preschool student is able to accomplish in terms of piano playing is not that crucial. Musical life at this age is exploratory and fun – achievement (or discovering ‘musical giftedness’) should be pretty far from the involved adults’ minds. When we recognize the potential of just being able to explore the joy of music together, then I think we also get the joy of seeing a true interest in music develop.

Today there are modern composers writing method books and creating materials specifically for preschool students. Join me in continuing to explore the early years of music in a way that contributes to whole child flourishing! There is so much to learn and grow in when it comes to seeing how a child approaches music.