10 Questions About Getting Kids Started Playing Music

"There’s no argument about how good playing music is for kids. Playing an instrument, any instrument, is good for their brains, good for their bodies, good for having fun, good for discipline, good for individual achievement, and good for teamwork. But when is the right time to put an instrument in a child’s hands, and how do you know which instrument to give them? " according to Brian Glaser, Baristanet.

Photo: “The Estey” orchestra club, via Wikimedia Commons.

Parents have a lot of questions about getting their kids started playing music, so we picked 10 of them and got answers from some local experts.
1. At what age is my child ready to start learning to play an instrument?
Matt Sandoski, the executive director at the School of Rock in Montclair, says that 5 is the earliest age to go in for formal musical training, generally with piano or voice lessons. “By age 7, pretty much any instrument is an option,” he says, but notes that “there are always exceptions to these rules; each parent has to assess their child’s ability to focus and their interest in learning an instrument. There is nothing worse for a child’s musical development than being forced into lessons before they are ready.”
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Source: Baristanet