# Piano: what age to switch from group to priavate lessons?



## fajfall

For over a year now my five-year old has attended a weekly 40 minute keyboard-based music class. It has six kids in the class with one teacher.

He loves it. It's based on solfage (only DO to SO), weekly note reading and writing homework (only the same five notes every week), and counting. There's clapping, singing, and other solfage-based activities to keep them happy.

But there's no individual attention from the teacher at all. My son can't play any songs- I tried teach him a very easy song like Mary Had a Little Lamb but he doesn't seem to think a keyboard is for playing actual music. He can slowly read out the five C to G notes written on the page but can't connect them to pressing a piano key. I took traditional private lessons where I'd be given a new song and had to try slowly play it as correctly as possible; it was boring as hell and it was challenging, but I learnt a lot in a short time too.

It's a fantastic program to start but the progress is extremely slow, so I'm wondering if it's time to start being challenged and taking up private lessons? Or is five years old so young that I shouldn't expect anything until he's a few years older?


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## PlaySalieri

Its not about age, its about readiness.

Sounds like your child needs more time to discover that link between the notes on the page and the instrument. You can help him with that - so what you are doing is great - just keep it up - be supportive as you are and make it fun.

Plus - take to a piano concert to hear some Mozart, Beethoven - find out what he likes by playing pieces on youtube etc.

Thats the best way forward - you will get to know when the time is right for one to one tuition.

NB I am not a teacher - my son played from an early age so I am going on that experience.


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