Once they turn at least five years of age, and have the physical control to start learning an instrument, then I think they should start. It depends on the instrument to some degree as well. Our kids had a piano instructor, that wouldn’t start teaching piano to children until they were at least seven years old. She thought that prior to that, their fingers simply weren’t big enough to play all the keys. Speaking of pianos, you may be wondering what brand to get for your kids. Well, it doesn’t have to be the best of the best, like James Bond’s brand of watches. We had just an old piano that my father bought years ago. I think he traded in his test De Ville Co-Axial replica on it when he was younger. Not a bad decision in hindsight, considering all the use we’ve gotten out of the piano. Friends of ours also bought just a regular Yamaha electric piano when their kids started playing.

Personally I’m glad to have had all the music lessons I did as a kid. And I never had to sell my replica Omega for a pair of drumsticks to get started. Drumming was something that was a big part of my life for a lot of years, and I must admit to missing the days I spent playing for hours. The nice thing about musical ability, is that it never truly leaves you forever. You can always pick it up later, and do something with it. I still harbor ideas of building a soundproof drum room in the basement, getting a nice kit, and starting playing again. Once of these days, I likely will.

Small scale guitars have been around for a long time. They take a lot less work to fret and are easier on the fingers than full size guitars so fingers that haven’t developed can play along. Aside from the guitar, all of the rest of the gear is the same. You’ll use the same guitar cables, amps, picks, and effects as you would for a full size setup. Many parents prefer to start their kid with an acoustic before jumping into electric so that they can have more control over the loudness, rather than dealing with having to constantly turn the amp down.

Teaching guitar to kids is a test of your patience, but the reward of improving your child’s ears and mind is well worth it. Keep in mind the short attention span that kids have, so do any teaching you can in short bursts. It also works best if you have a guitar that you can play along with them. Many kid’s songs are very easy to learn and play, so you can be playing together fairly quickly with consistent practice. There are also tons of guitar books that are geared towards teaching kids guitar that you can pick up to help you out.

Helping your little one learn to play guitar is an extremely rewarding experience and something that you both can enjoy for years to come. Teaching kids music is one of the best things that you can do to help them out for their entire life.

Music opens doors, and gives kids opportunities that they may never have had without the benefit of learning to play an instrument.  So much of how we are, is a result of the people we choose to associate with.  Or hang with, as the kids would say.  Musicians are a slightly different breed of people, and have a very artistic view of the world.  While that may not be your view, is does expose your kids to a different perspective, and that I believe is fundamental to their growth and development.

That’s why I say it’s not that important which instrument you have your kids learn, as long as they learn something.  If your kids aren’t set on any particular instrument, and your not too sure, then choose the piano.  It’s hard to go wrong with piano lessons, and the piano can be used as a stepping stone to another instrument later on.  The basic fundamentals and theory of music are all there in the piano.  If they decide to play guitar, violin, drums, trumpet, or even the tuba later on, then what they’ve learned from the piano will be of benfit.

But, whatever they start with, make sure they stick with it for at least a year.  Two or three would be preferable, but I understand how hard it can be to get kids to practice their instrument even for one they want to learn.  Let alone one they’re not that keen on.

At some point, you need to give them the choice as to whether or not they continue with lessons.  With my oldest daughter, it was the second year of high school.  She had attained her grade 5 piano, and other things in her life were beginning to consume lots of her time.  Even still, she continued on teaching herself herself music from the current music charts.  Seeing her do that for a year or two was in some ways more rewarding than having her doing regular lessons.  She was playing the music because she enjoyed doing it.  That is afterall, how music should be played.