Written by Pam Murchison, flute teacher with Kathy’s Music, LLC
When I was six years old, my best friend’s mother was aflute teacher and my mother was (and still is!) an excellent painter. Mrs.
Booth was very interested in painting and proposed a trade with my mom: she
would receive painting lessons and, in exchange, I would begin private flute
lessons. I had just seen James Galway perform on Sesame Street and was already hooked on
the beautiful sound of the flute. I couldn’t wait to begin! The rest, as they
say, is history!
The question of the “right” age to begin flute lessons has
long been up for debate, and, as with most aspects of child development, there
is no hard and fast rule concerning the best time for your child to begin. Many children begin wind instrument
instruction in the 4th or 5th grade, when their school
allows them to sign up for beginner band.
If a child begins music instruction before then, it is typically on the
piano or violin or even guitar. While common wisdom is that it is easier to produce sound on those
instruments because all sound production happens outside of the body with the
hands and fingers, innovative teachers have expertly demonstrated that young children can successfully produce a beautiful sound on the flute and begin to learn how to play at age 4, 5, 6 years of age depending on the child’s level of interest and ability to focus for short periods of time.
long been up for debate, and, as with most aspects of child development, there
is no hard and fast rule concerning the best time for your child to begin. Many children begin wind instrument
instruction in the 4th or 5th grade, when their school
allows them to sign up for beginner band.
If a child begins music instruction before then, it is typically on the
piano or violin or even guitar. While common wisdom is that it is easier to produce sound on those
instruments because all sound production happens outside of the body with the
hands and fingers, innovative teachers have expertly demonstrated that young children can successfully produce a beautiful sound on the flute and begin to learn how to play at age 4, 5, 6 years of age depending on the child’s level of interest and ability to focus for short periods of time.
In addition, there are several options for flutes with curved head joints,
which reduce the overall length of the instrument. This makes the keys easier
to reach, and the weight is more evenly distributed so that the flute is easier
to hold. Tools such as the Pneumo Pro Wind Director are very effective tools to helping students of all
ages understand air production, and are particularly useful for beginning
students. Watch this short video to see what a
private flute lesson for a young child (4-7) might look like. Kinderflute
group classes provide an
introduction to flute specifically designed for this age group (look for one
coming to a Kathy’s Music near you in
2014!)
which reduce the overall length of the instrument. This makes the keys easier
to reach, and the weight is more evenly distributed so that the flute is easier
to hold. Tools such as the Pneumo Pro Wind Director are very effective tools to helping students of all
ages understand air production, and are particularly useful for beginning
students. Watch this short video to see what a
private flute lesson for a young child (4-7) might look like. Kinderflute
group classes provide an
introduction to flute specifically designed for this age group (look for one
coming to a Kathy’s Music near you in
2014!)
So, if your child:
- Shows enthusiasm for the flute
- Is comfortable with one-on-one settings with an adult outside of the immediate family
- Is able to focus on an activity for 20-30 minutes at a time
the right time to start flute lessons may be now!
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