Rena's Music Studio

General information about kids learning music

Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.
Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks, and invents.
-Ludwig van Beethoven

Why kids need to learn music: 

Through learning music and playing music, kids will find music not only a source of enjoyment and personal satisfaction, but they also develop their individual and cooperative work habits (focus on doing one-thing as a time). Practicing piano is a work that needs to involve with hands, eyes, ears and brain, as well as emotion. Kids who learn music are able to be more concentrated and gentler. Through music learning, they also understand the knowledge of themselves and others, sense of personal responsibility, creative problem-solving skills, as well as awareness of connections to their communities and future careers. That’s why “kids who learn music are smarter”.

How kids can start their music journey:

Kids can start to learn music as early as before one year old. Kids from the age of zero to four are best in group lessons, because they are not able to understand language or verbal communication but they are very active and enjoy imitation, therefore the best way for them to have music education is learn by group lesson. There are some programs designed for this age group such as “preschool music program” or “early childhood music education”, etc.

Age of zero to two: begin to sense music
Kids of age under one to two understand music as toys, and what they benefit from music classes is having fun and playing games with music. Under instructions of a teacher, they slowly sense sound and absorb music through playing music games.

Age of three to four: begin to know music
Kids in these age groups understand music through singing songs, listen to music and do motion with expressing music ideas. They can start to play some simple songs with fingering numbers and indentifying black and white keys on the keyboard. They can’t read notes from score but remember melody from songs and play by ear. Kids at age of three can start on the private music lesson.

Age of five to six: start to have serious music lesson – better in one to one lesson
Private lessons best start from five/six year old, kids in this age group start to understand better what teachers tell them to do. They know fingerings, right and left hand, remember all keys on the keyboard, start to indentify notes from score and play songs by two hands at the same time. They can play songs like “Bingo”, “Ode to Joy”, “Lightly Row”, “London Bridge”, “Row Your Boat & “Wheel On the Bus”, etc.

Age of six to seven: able to enjoy more songs and start in RCM program
Kids of age seven starts to absorb things faster then before. Based on one or two years of music learning experiences, they can play songs up to level two/three (other than RCM) and start in RCM certificate programs (grade one/two). Soon, they will be able to prepare for exams and get their first certificate in their music education. In this case, kids can take grade one, two or three in RCM examination, depending on various situations.

Age of eight and up: gradually progress in RCM certificate programs
from grade one to grade five, pieces can be passed in every five/six weeks.
From grade six to grade eight, pieces can be passed in every two to three months. Followed by this progressing speed, kids can pass a grade every year. Grade nine and ten should hold a piece for as least three to five months. In this speed of progressing, students can play grade nine or ten at the age of fourteen/sixteen, and finish their grade ten exam at the age of seventeen.

Age of seven and up as new beginner: Children in the age of seven and up are very fast learners, as long as they have interest in it, they can learn rapidly and progress much faster then five year old beginner. Therefore some students may be able to pass two grades (grade one to six) per year.

Keep on learning: music learning is a journey that accompanies with kids' growing, no matter how late they start or how slow they progress, as long as they keep learning and playing music as their daily routine, they will realize how wonderful music is and how much joy they will find in music, and that is the greatest benefit they gain from music learning.

Let music become part of your kids’ life journey