How old do my children need to be to start violin or harp lessons?

The best judge of if your child is ready to start music lessons is you! Every child develops differently, so there is no hard and fast rule for the correct age to start lessons. That being said, here are some general guidelines to take into consideration. Many violin students start between the ages of 4 and 6 years old. For younger children, the child should be able to concentrate on a single task for 5 minutes with parental support and supervision. Most importantly, the child should show an interest in music, either listening to music, dancing, singing along to favourite tunes, and so on.

Harp students generally start later than violin students, around ages 7-9 at the earliest. In addition to the above criteria, children who want to learn harp should have solid motor-control skills, such as being able to tie their own shoes or using scissors to cut semi-complex lines without adult help. They must also be tall enough to reach the bottom string of the harp with their left hand while sitting behind it.

How do I know what size of violin to get?

There are a variety of sizes of violins for young students. If you are renting or buying an instrument through an instrument dealer, they will be able to help you determine the correct size of violin. A good rule of thumb is that a student should be able to put the violin up in playing position and wrap their hand around the scroll of the violin without stretching or locking their elbow. To get an idea of what size might be a good fit, have the student stand straight with their left arm held out horizontally with their palm facing upwards. Measure from the neck to the point where the wrist and hand meet. From that measurement, the recommended sizes of violins are below:

If the student is close to two different sizes, it is better to go with the smaller instrument. An instrument that is too large can cause injuries and frustration for a new student.

What equipment do I need to start violin lessons?

In addition to a violin and a bow, you will need a few additional items for your lessons. Most violins come with a cake of rosin included with the violin case. This is needed to keep the hairs of the bow sticky enough to make a proper sound. Your instructor will help you to know when you need to add rosin to your bow. You will also need to buy a shoulder rest. There are many different types of shoulder rests available at a range of prices. Some standard models are the Kun shoulder rest or the Everest shoulder rest. You can find these at most music stores, or online at Amazon or even Kijiji. Finally, you should consider purchasing an inexpensive, adjustable music stand; posture is very important when learning string instruments to prevent injuries and to improve tone.

How long will it take before I can play music that I recognize on the violin?

When you learn an instrument like a piano, you can make a sound right away by pressing a key. String instruments like the violin are different. Before you can make a sound on the instrument, you have to learn how to hold the violin and the bow and how to move the bow correctly to make a good sound. In the beginning, this will be as uncomfortable and awkward as the first time you learned to tie your shoes or to hold a pencil. It takes time to train your muscles to work in a completely new way. If you do your practising right from the start, it won’t be too long before you can start to make music. However, if you don’t put in the work at the beginning, it will take much longer to train your hands and arms to move correctly, and you will find that your progress will be much slower. In that sense, the question of how long it will be before you play real music will be up to you!

What do I need to start harp lessons?

In addition to a harp, you will need to make sure you have a harp tuning key. This is a special type of key that fits the tuning pins along the top of your harp. Some harps have standard-sized tuning keys, and some do not, so it is important to make sure it is included with the harp you purchase or rent. You may also want to invest in a mechanical chromatic tuner. These can be found in any music store – the types used by guitar students will work just as well for the harp. For your practises at home, you will need a chair with no arms at a comfortable height – you should be able to sit with your feet flat on the floor with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle. Finally, you will need an adjustable music stand, to help you raise the music to the right height beside your harp. Once you start lessons, you may find that you want to purchase one of the many harp stands or similar accessories for helping beginner students to hold the harp correctly. There are many different kinds available online, depending on the size of the harp and the comfort of the student. Your teacher can help you to figure out what will work best for you.

How do I know what kind of harp to get?

It really depends on what you want to play on the harp. There are many different sizes of harps, and most are not standard between instrument-makers. The smaller the harp is (the fewer strings it has), the more limited you will be in choosing which pieces you want to play and which styles of music you can perform on your harp. Larger harps will have a bigger range of notes and will also have levers, which allow you to change the notes from natural notes (the white notes on the piano keyboard) to either sharps or flats (the black notes on the keyboard). This will allow you to play more music than is possible on harps with no levers. The largest harps have pedals, which allow you to play all of the possible sharp, flat, and natural notes, just like a piano does; therefore, a full-sized harp will give you the most versatility in terms of what music you want to play. However, a beginner student can play many lovely pieces on a smaller harp in a range of different keys simply by tuning the strings to the notes needed for each song. Your potential teacher can help you figure out what will work best for you based on your budget and the types of music you would like to learn to play.