How young have your kids started Guitar Lessons?

[Otta]

I play guitar and both my girls have shown a lot of interest. They are 6 and 4, the 6 year old has high functioning ASD and hypermobility, so not sure she'd manage the fine motor skill aspect.

Has anyone got experience of starting their kids off early? If so, how did they get on?

Also, can anyone recommend lessons that aren't a complete rip off?

[snowboarder]

My 6 year old started ukulele (small and only four strings) lessons part way through year one. He got the idea pretty quickly but we were a bit rubbish at practising so probably didn't make the most of it. He had lessons at school with someone from the Bromley Youth music trust (we are in Bromley!) who came in once a week. It was about ?100 for a term of 15 minute lessons. Have stopped now as he's started a new school and too much going on, but if you play yourself I reckon that will be s huge advantage - I don't have a clue!

[Amanda Guitar]

My son also started with ukulele lessons when he was 6 which really helped with muscle memory for strumming patterns. The lessons were with Jose at Twang Guitars in Penge which he really enjoyed. We also played a bit together at home - but not loads of practising. He shifted to playing the guitar when he was in year 4 using my travel guitar - an Ashton Joey - which although about half size has an amazingly big steel sound which appealed to his interest in loud rock but also low action so easy to play! He also started playing my cheap and cheerful electric guitar and is now a rather more confident rock guitarist than I am with the help of a neighbour who has been teaching him. So probably more luck than judgement but he's definitely a committed a guitarist now. I do think choosing the right guitar is important when they start.

I had lessons at Twang too and they were good and good value too - quite a lot of different teachers to choose from - including at least one woman at that time. Personally I think gender role models are really important for girls particularly when they are young. Even now I go to guitar workshops and I'm often the only woman.

Good luck!

[HannahSE23]

Hi Otta I think 4 may be a bit young for guitar due to finger stretch etc. Ukelele may be better because of the size and only 4 strings. Both mine started guitar at 6 and had lessons at school which was great but they needed pushing to practice! My eldest now 10 has private lessons at an eye watering 20 quid a pop, but worth it as he now picks up the guitar purely for pleasure and has advanced really quickly. It has also given him a love of 'proper' music! Good luck!

[Pickle]

My daughter started uke at 6, she loves it, and her teacher is brilliant at working with her on music she likes. She's played everything from Katy Perry to Simon and Garfunkle, and is now doing a piece of classical music that she heard her brother playing on recorder.

We pay ?20 a lesson (30 mins), but he comes to us, and as a musician myself I know that's a good deal!

His name is Ben Dean.

[uncleglen]

Mine started in the juniors (7 or 8?) with 3/4 size nylon string guitar. It was fine except for the 6.30 practising every morning including Sundays and insisting on an audience...still it is all to be encouraged

[Otta]

Thanks all. Amends Guitar I live near Twangs, what are the prices like?

Agree 20 quid a lesson is very good.

[uncleglen]

Cheapskates- musicians union says ?31.50 per hour!

[Scruffy Mummy]

to be fair uncleglen, they are paying ?20 for a 30 minute lesson - but I agree, a instrumental music teacher is a highly skilled professional who should be paid at least ?30 per hour. And ?20 for 30 minutes as well because it requires the same level of travel and also of prep to teach for 30 minutes.

[Pickle]

uncleglen Wrote:

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> Cheapskates- musicians union says ?31.50 per hour!

Indeed, we pay ?20 for 30 minutes (and ?22.50 for 30 minutes for our other child's recorder lessons), so ?40 and ?45 per hour respectively. I taught flute for years and charged the equivalent of around ?40 an hour (it was in NZ).

Not sure anyone on this thread is being a cheapskate?

[Otta]

Scruffy Mummy Wrote:

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> but I agree, a instrumental music

> teacher is a highly skilled professional who

> should be paid at least ?30 per hour.

I also agree they should be well paid, and am friends with quite a few teachers of different instruments (unfortunately the only guitar guy I'm friends with lives too far away).

But I would also add that there are quite a few out there who are not highly skilled professionals, and you should always check for qualifications.

I think ?20 for half hour, or ?30 - ?35 for an hour is fair.

[Carbonara]

RE Twang - do they hold lessons in their shop in Penge or travel to your house?

[Otta]

Think they tend to be on the premises.

[wonderwoman]

Hi my son's 8 and joined Southwark Saturday Music School which is great. He's been playing Ukele for a year, brings home great variety of tunes to practice from Elvis to Bowie and disco. Its really fun and they have concerts twice a year with the rest of the school. He's now moving onto guitar group.

[Otta]

Okay, popped in to Twangs this afternoon. Lessons are a bargain at ?14.50 for half hour. And they do all week round up to 9pm, from total beginner to Grade 8, including the theory.