My boys, Jarvie and Giles, who are now 5 1/2, have been taking Dalcroze Eurhythmics, at The Cleveland Institue of Music, for two years now. This is the beginning of their third year. In Eurhythmics, they learn to run, skip, hop, tip toe, or gallop, according to what type of notes the instructor plays, on the piano. They also learn about 16 different types of notes. Eurhythmics is a great foundation to pursuing any instrument. At CIM, all the young adult, students are required to take Eurhythmics.
All along, I have been interested in having Jarvie & Giles have an appreciation for music, and then learn how to play the guitar. Along the way, friends shared with me that they thought beginning piano was important for any musical education, including guitar.
I thought I would start guitar lessons at five years old, however, my plans were foiled. Upon further exploration, I discovered that the guitar teachers felt that learning guitar, before the age of seven was too early, because of the size of the average 4, 5, and 6 year old’s hand.
So I thought to myself, maybe Jarvie and Giles could take piano in the interim. I attended a meeting at the Cleveland Institute of Music regarding preparatory piano lessons. I was told you need to have an acoustic piano, in your home, in order to have your child in their preparatory classes. So I went out and purchased a like new, but used, Baldwin. She is a beauty! Sounds pretty good too!
As I began to make arrangements for piano lessons, with teachers from the Cleveland Institute of Music, the common theme was that it would be better to wait, until the boys were seven to start piano. Apparently, the teachers want children to know that you read prose and music, from left to right, and until that is drilled into the brains of little boys and little girls, trying to read music is rather difficult!
Thank goodness that Baldwin is as pretty to look at, as she is to listen to! I have acquired a rather large piece of furniture in my dining room that will sit largely unused, until my boys learn to read!
So much for taking piano, before guitar!
Lisa J Lafave, PhD, MBA, ACC
A Single Mom By Choice Raising Surrogacy Twin Boys
CEO & Founder of Coaching Rocks, LLC
Written in Mt Little Brick in University Heights, Ohio
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