SingaporeMotherhood | Baby & Toddler
December 2011
Thinking of Giving your Children Music Lessons?
You may have noticed your baby gurgling and waving excitedly when she plays with a musical toy. Perhaps your toddler bobs rhythmically to music on the radio. And when your preschooler tries to play songs on his toy piano, you wonder whether it is time for formal music lessons. To help with your decision, we spoke to several music teachers to find out why, when and how to start your child on music.
Benefits of Learning Music
Music lessons were once seen as a luxury, or only for the musically-talented. However, an increasing number of parents sign their children up for music classes now, at a younger age than before. The benefits of learning music go beyond merely enabling a child to master an instrument or accumulate examination certificates.
A child who learns an instrument gains an outlet for expressing emotions. In addition, music training helps a child learn discipline through practising the instrument. Learning how to play the piano or violin also challenges and develops a child’s motor skills in a manner that few other activities do, as both the right and left hands have to perform different roles simultaneously.
Some researchers have also found that children who learn music tend to have better linguistic skills than those who did not. Others suggest that listening to and learning classical music may help children develop their spatial ability. This in turn enhances their capacity to learn and understand mathematical concepts.
Best to Start when Young
It is never too early to expose your child to music. Start by playing classical CDs during your baby’s waking hours and drawing attention to the various instruments. You can also select songs which invoke different emotions and ask your toddler if the tune sounds happy, sad, or angry.
Other activities help too. Encouraging your toddler to shake a rattle to the beat or to dance along helps to develop rhythmic sense. Allowing your little one to experiment with a keyboard encourages the recognition of different notes of the musical scale. You may also consider bringing your child to a live orchestra performance. The Singapore Symphony Orchestra’s Babies Proms and Concerts for Children cater specially to young listeners.
Some schools, such as Kindermusik, offer courses for babies, where music is introduced through story-telling, dance and hands-on exploration of musical instruments. Preschoolers around the age of three can enrol for Christofori’s Music for Baby Mozarts, Manderville’s Baby Music, or Yamaha’s Music Wonderland.
Classes for this age group do not teach the child to play a specific instrument. However they lay the foundation by teaching the basics of rhythm and tone recognition through singing, percussion playing, and exposure to various genres of music.
Beginning Formal Music Lessons
Many children begin formal music education at the age of four. If you are unsure of your child’s interest or abilities, you could send your children for group lessons. Parents who want their children to progress faster will usually send them for individual classes.
Mrs Y. M. Wong, a private piano teacher with 29 years of experience, observes that most children at this age enjoy group lessons. “It really depends on how your child responds to the classes. While it is possible to go straight to individual lessons, the child will miss out on the fun of music making.”
Mrs K. Chen, a full-time musician for more than 10 years, agrees. For children aged three to six years, she says that “It’ll be good to have a course that teaches music through movement, aural and playing skills in a group format, considering their short attention span. For older learners with better concentration, you could consider private lessons. More attention is given to building up proper playing and musical techniques according to the individual’s ability and progress.”
Whether you are choosing group or individual lessons for your child, Mr Y. Chua, who has been teaching music for the past nine years, suggested going for a holistic course which includes the teaching of theory, practical, aural and scales, and to find a teacher who can spark your child’s interest.
Given the wide array of courses available, we interviewed several mothers to find out what they enrolled their children fo. Read their responses below:
Mrs B. Ng, an executive and mother of two girls aged 11 and 5
Age when children started lessons: 4 years old
Music Course Attended / Attending: Christofori’s Music for Mini Mozarts (elder child), Edvox’s Funtime Doremi (younger child)
Reasons for choosing the course:
“I chose Christofori for my elder daughter as they do not require parents to sit in with the children. I felt that this will encourage independent learning in my child. If I were to sit in the class with her, she may not pay attention and will depend on me to reinforce what the teacher has taught.
I sent my younger daughter to Edvox because they offer the flexibility of transiting to individual lessons when the child is ready. Thus, my daughter can start taking piano exams at a younger age. Hopefully, this will help her to complete her Grade 8 exams before she reaches Upper Secondary. This will free her from having to juggle the increased demands of school and piano.”
Mrs V. Tjahjono, a Communications manager and mother of a 4-year old
Age when child started lessons: 3 years old
Music Course Attended / Attending: Yamaha Music Wonderland (from 3-4 years old), Yamaha Junior Course (currently attending)
Reasons for choosing the course:
“Yamaha has its own syllabus and a unique way of teaching young children to read notes and play the keyboard. Children at this age tend to be forgetful, but the drilling and reinforcement during each lesson help them to remember what they learn.”
Mrs K. Chen, a full-time musician and mother of two children aged 11 and 13
Age when children started lessons: 5 years old
Music Course Attended: Yamaha Junior Music Course
Reflections on the course:
“I found that this is a good course as it focuses on developing the students’ musicality through movement, rhythm, singing with solfège ‘fixed-doh’ method, aural skill and playing on the keyboard. The class is a smooth flow from one learning element to the next, though this depends greatly on the teachers’ teaching experience and preparation. I observed that the teacher has to be enthusiastic in engaging the young children and inspire them to learn and respond.”
Furthering your Child’s Musical Education
Upon completion of group courses, some children continue with individual lessons and prepare for examinations by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM).
While some parents like to fast-track their child to complete the syllabus in the shortest possible time, Mrs Y. M. Wong cautions against merely drilling examination pieces throughout the year. She explains that “it is important for the child to be exposed to different composers and learn to interpret various styles of music. It is very sad if the child only plays exam pieces and misses out on learning songs which they actually enjoy, such as Disney pieces or light music. If we set our expectations too high, the child may lose interest in learning music altogether.”
Concurring, Mr Y. Chua shares about how he was initially uninterested in music as a child. His interest was only ignited at a late age of 13. He started learning the piano then and attained his diploma within five years. In university he pursued a degree in music and now holds a Masters in Music Composition.
He advises “Learning music is a costly investment. Don’t do it just to keep up with the Joneses. If your child is not keen, it is better to spend your time and money on areas that he is interested in.” After all, music is to be enjoyed. There is a greater sense of achievement when a child develops a love for music in his own time and makes it his lifelong passion.
Featured image: Siniz Kim on Unsplash
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