If I asked you to describe a toddler, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind?

However you choose to describe a young child, it is unlikely that the very first thing you picture is a 3 year old sitting quietly and listening intently, or staying focused and engaged for 30 minutes.

But I will tell you that it is absolutely possible.

One of the beautiful things about learning a musical instrument is that children are able to learn rather difficult skills — musically, cognitively, and socially — in a way that encompasses their fun and energetic nature.

There is no doubt that learning a musical instrument takes focus, determination, and patience, and not every child who begins lessons is quite equipped to handle these tasks.

So, how do you know when to enroll your child in music lessons?

In the music world, there is often an assumption that a child must meet a standard of “readiness” before beginning lessons.

Imagine a new cello student is wanting to get up and run around the room every 45 seconds instead of sitting and playing their cello for and entire 30 minute lesson. Perhaps the teacher and/or parent will decide that this student is “not ready” and decide to try again when he can focus for longer periods of time.

What makes me sad is the missed opportunity for those children who are labeled as “not ready,” especially because they would benefit enormously from being in music lessons.

Earlier I mentioned that music lessons encourage learning in a way that is conducive to the nature of children. What this means is that students are able to learn and develop skills starting from where they are.

Let’s continue with the example of a student who is insistent about moving around the room every 45 seconds.

There are two ways we could go about this:

1) We demand that this student sit and play the cello for their 30 minute lesson.

2) We allow the student to make the choice to get up and move.

It might seem that the first way would allow more time to learn to play the instrument itself, but it is often accompanied by fits and refusal to practice. Playing cello starts to become something the student has to do instead of something they want to do.

Here’s what the second option would look like.

After a brief time sitting and practicing cello, the student decides to get up and walk around the room. We (teacher and parent) would encourage this activity and tie it back to music. This would be a perfect time to get in some listening!

Can we walk to the beat of the music?

What other ways can we keep a steady beat?

What if we tried it on your cello?

See what happens there?

This student is allowed to make a decision, which is met with encouragement, and eventually tied back to playing cello.

Later on, we could introduce a timer.

“You played your cello for 45 seconds! Wow, I bet you could even do a whole minute! Let’s try!”

This is incredibly effective because it introduces a new challenge, but in very small and manageable fragments. Soon enough, this student will be able to sit and practice for 30 minutes –by choice!