As a parent of 3 young children, just like others, I would like my children to be excelled in whatever they do. As far as I can afford, I will send them to art class or music classes to cultivate their interest in these areas. I sent my elder son to attend music class when he was 3 year old. He spent 2 years learning what music is all about for 2 years before I decided to withdraw him from the music class in order for him to concentrate on the subject interest him most, which is art. To make that decision was really painful. But there is nothing much I can do when he demonstrated signs of no interest in music. I could have realized it long before.

Since that incident, I have been more careful when assessing what is right for my children. Especially in considering music class for my second and third children. Here, I would like to share my experience with other parents who are considering music class for their kids. In fact, there is no hard and fuss rules on what age should a kid attend music class. But parents may want to take into consideration of the following.

  • The minimum age for music school enrolment is usually 3 year old. If you have kids who are younger than three and you are planning to send them to music class, you can first start something at home. For example, you can turn on your audio/video player to fill your house with music. This will ensure the kids have enough exposure to music and give them chance to appreciate music. Some parents play classical music for their babies even before they were born.
  • When you note that your kids responded to music positively (they sing, dance, shake their body or clap along), this actually demonstrates that they have certain level of interest in music. They have started to learn through exploring and experimenting what they have seen and hear.
  • Teach them the fundamental to get them ready for music class. Your kids should be able to distinguish left and right hand? They should not have problem in counting from 1 to 5? They must be able to recognize alphabet from A to G? These are important basic skills a kid must equip before they are consider suitable for enrolling into music class. It’s no brainier why they must learn these.
  • The kids must be able to pay attention to the music teacher for a reasonable period of time, say 20 minutes. The professionally run music school also recognise the short attention span of young kids and therefore, the music teacher will normally have some simple game session or physical movement after 15 to 20 minutes of teaching.

If the kids do not show any sign of interest, do not force them into it. For your information, my elder son is now begging me to send him back to piano class after seeing his younger brother enjoying the music. I am still assessing his real interest in music.

Chong is a music enthusiastic.
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