Dale Zink Instrument Lessons

Woodwind pics

I was asked "how young do I start kids off at?" It was under the post about why people should take lessons and due to the length of the post, the answer got lost. So, the following is my reply if you missed it or can't find it: This is usually done on a case by case basis since children grow and mature and their interests develop at different rates, but as a general rule, I like to keep the lower end of the age range to around 9. This can change based on several factors including child's size compared to the instrument they want to play, their maturity, their desire to play, their parent's desire for them to play and everyone's understanding of the commitment that will be involved in beginning an instrumental journey. Also, if a child starts too much before 9 and 4th grade, they won't have a lot of external opportunities to play. Most school programs start around the 5th grade, so getting them started a little before that can give them a head start so they won't be so lost at the beginning of their school class. But, if they start too much before that, they won't have the school program to work along with and we'll have to work that much harder to keep them interested and find venues for them to display their talents. Again, it's not a huge issue, but the more we can get the kids involved in music in different locations (lessons, home, school), the more experience they get and the more they will tend to stay in it.