earliest age to start?

[Carl-Victor]

A friend has asked me whether 2 years old is too young to begin the violin. I honestly feel that it is too young (I started at age 10), but am seeking advice on this from teachers or experts. Any help would be appreciated. I always thought of age 3 as the youngest simply from the biographies of violinists that I've read.

[Stephen Fine]

My teacher at least two of her five children at the age of 18 months... obviously it's too young to teach them some things, but there are things that can be taught.

[picfiddle]

I have a new grandaughter 2 days old. She has lovely long fingers... maybe I should get her a minute violin next week. Joking apart there is an 11 year old girl in this area very talented and apparantly heading for a career in music, who began violin at 2yrs & piano at 3 years.

[Paganiniest]

IMHO I think age 2 is a good age to start children in some of the basics. My approach is not to 'teach' at this age, but rather have a great time tapping beats, singing tunes, Mozart Mozart Mozart! and if he/she can be in a group situation, the better. Games is the answer at this age.

Pag

[bubba]

I agree that 2 is a good age to start basic rhythm training, singing games,etc., but my experience has been that most 2 year olds do not have the attention or coordination needed for a structured private lesson. When I have students whose younger siblings attend lessons, sometimes we will spend a few minutes with the younger siblings clapping rhythms, singing, letting them join in with marching a song, holding the bow, but normally I think 3 is as young as I would formally start a student. I do have a baby who has been coming since she was 6 days old. By 4 months she was keeping the beat to the basic twinkle rhythms with her feet. She is now about 14 months old and loves to hold the bow and have us draw it across the strings for her using the twinkle rhythms.

Some teachers in our area encourage 2 year olds to attend group classes to observe on a regular basis in preparation for starting them at 3.

[crystal]

My teacher who is absolutely excellent with kids, has had no luck with children younger than four.

They start out, and everyone thinks it's so cute, but their attention span is about 2.56 minutes. After about the 3rd lesson, the newness of it wears off and they don't want to come. She can't get them to hardly open their case and they have no interest in it.

[tc]

Tackle the basics of music before tackling the basics of the violin. I think that starting on piano before starting violin is a very good approach.

[Cedar]

Having shepherded several children through the terrible twos, I can't imagine trying to introduce the violin at that age. I think three is even too young, unless the child is begging for the instrument. I've read the biographies too where Heifetz, Menuhin, Perlman, etc all started at three. But I think that in the vast majority of the cases starting a child at that age is more a function of parental vanity and ambition than true concern about the best interests of the child.

[Ken Nielsen]

Start at age 0 with soft violin music and champagne, during pregnancy with holding the violin back to the tummy and playing perfectly intonated scales. At birth, toys should include violin shaped rattle and bow shaped teething toy. At one, soft cuddly stuffed violins that emit mozart when squeezed... you get the idea. Violin for young people (my youngest student is 4 1/2) is a building process. You introduce them to as much as they can handle and a little more for the stretch. Regular and steady paced "lessons" can include such things as how to hold the violin, tapping out rhythms to tunes on the left shoulder using the right hand, and Oh!, so much more...