Is My Child Ready for Saxophone Lessons?

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The saxophone is a magical instrument with a wonderfully sweet sound that mesmerizes everyone who listens to it. Moreover, the person playing the saxophone is admired by everyone. Having said that, it is considered to be one of the most advanced and complex instruments to learn, but that shouldn’t stop your child from learning it. 

If your child has grown up listening to your records of Paul Desmond, Phil Woods, and other greats, chances are that they want to pick up the saxophone from an early age. However, you need to ensure that they can take the lessons. This article is designed to discuss whether your child is ready to learn the saxophone or not.

Factors to Consider While Determining Whether Your Child is Ready or Not

How does one determine that their child is ready to learn a particular instrument? There is no actual science involved in the process, but this is a well-researched topic by child experts and psychologists, as well as music teachers. When it comes to learning how to play the saxophone, things are slightly more challenging.

Some of the easier instruments for kids to start with include the piano, guitar, violin, recorder, and drums. The saxophone is slightly more advanced, which is why you need to find out whether your child can learn it or not. Here are some factors that you can keep in mind to decide.

Determine If Your Child Can Hold the Saxophone

To learn how to play the saxophone, your child needs to be able to hold it properly. Saxophones come in various sizes, so you can start with the smallest one and see if your child can hold it properly. Have them wear the neck strap, and ask them to put their left hand on the top. While holding the saxophone, their fingers should reach the keys.

Their right hand should hold the bottom of the saxophone, and their fingers should curl up to reach the lower keys easily. Moreover, they should be able to maneuver their fingers and press all the keys without letting go of the saxophone. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that although the neck strap makes things easier for kids, they have to hold the saxophone at a certain position for a long time. If their hands get tired soon, they won’t be able to play it properly, and this means they might not be ready to learn it just yet.

Your Child Should Be Able to Pay Attention

Another thing to keep in mind is that saxophone lessons will require your child to sit still for an hour or two and also pay attention to what their instructor is teaching them to do. Usually, saxophone lessons are given one-on-one, and although it involves fewer distractions as compared to a group setting, your child will need to focus completely on the lessons.

If you register your child for saxophone lessons without finding out whether they can give it their all, not only would it be unproductive for them, but the instructor might also get irked and cease the lessons.

Your Child Should Practice Everyday

Apart from focusing on their saxophone lessons, your child also needs to give undivided attention to their practice sessions, which need to be conducted every day. Your child should practice for at least 30 minutes every day so that they can improve muscle memory and enhance their playing technique.

The more your child practices each day, the better they will become at playing the saxophone, and they will be able to learn more advanced concepts and music pieces in no time at all. Another thing you need to consider is that practicing the saxophone involves playing long notes repeatedly, which can get quite boring.

Therefore, unless your child is fully interested and invested in the instrument, they might find themselves losing focus every now and then, and their music lessons wouldn’t be as fruitful as you would hope.

Your Child Should Listen to Saxophone Music

Last but not least, you need to determine whether your child loves the saxophone or not. They won’t be able to pick it up unless they are passionate about it. So, if you love the saxophone, you can’t simply get them to start learning it. A major part of learning a particular instrument is listening to music that features it.

This means your child would need to listen to music from saxophonists, and if they don’t appreciate it, it means they aren’t ready for saxophone lessons as yet. Apart from these factors, you might also want to consider the possibility that your child isn’t old enough to attend lessons yet. 

However, if they have a keen interest in the instrument, you can buy them a small and affordable saxophone to get them acquainted with it. When they are old enough to start learning, they will be more confident and prepared.