Dear Marina,
My son has been taking piano lessons for a couple of years and he loves it. His 4 year old sister is showing very strong interest in playing the piano, as well. But she has a very short attention span, and I don’t believe that she would be able to sit through a typical piano lesson. Should we just let her bang around on the piano like she wants to, or is there a better option for channeling her musical spirit?
Thank you for your advice,
Sanjeev
Dear Sanjeev,
You should definitely encourage your daughter’s interest in playing the piano. She clearly wants to follow in her big brother’s footsteps, but just letting her bang around isn’t really going to help her develop her musical ability.
At 4 years old, she may or may not be ready for lessons. Every child develops at her own pace, and has specifics talents and needs. My strongest suggestion would be to have your son’s piano teacher do a mini lesson with your daughter to assess her readiness for formal lessons.
In the meantime, I’d like to recommend a wonderful book called Piano Land for you to use at home. Click on the link to check it out! The author, Anne Cheteyan, developed this book to help parents introduce written music and the corresponding piano keys to very young children. The colorful illustrations and simple to understand lessons make this charming book an excellent way to start your daughter’s music education.
Congratulations on having children who love and appreciate the joy of making music!
Marina