Drumming with my niece Morgan
At the music school where I teach, there is a pre-school program. There is an art class for five year olds that meets in the afternoon. Every week I have the pleasure of seeing young faces peer through the window and smile as they watch and listen to me and my students playing the drums.
Rhythm is contagious… the sound of the drum calls people. It is more than a sound, it is a deeper vibration. This vibration is healing and can reach us in a subconscious way.
Many children have begun playing drums as young as three years old. It raises the question that I am frequently asked by parents, “when is the right age to start formal lessons?”
Jaiden is always ready to play some drums
Every circumstance is different and requires a unique approach. I am in favor of starting children at a young age, and drumming is a great introduction to rhythm and musicality. The right age is when the child expresses an interest in drumming. There is no “right age”. From my experiences with students, I know that the child will ask several times to begin playing drums. Several times. Several times.
Get started… I would suggest having a hand drum in the home for children to play. Find a drum circle near you that is open to young children. This is a great way for children (and adults!) to experience rhythm making. Hand drumming is an important foundation. I find that most children that come to me for lessons want to play the drum set. I teach a drum circle class that serves as an introduction to drumming and functions as a segue to individual drum set lessons. This video shows how enthusiastic the children are about drumming, and in fact, over half of the students continued on to take drum set lessons with me.
So just get started, and most importantly, let’s encourage children, no matter what age, to drum!
I honor all of the parents who have encouraged and supported their children in discovering their path to rhythm.
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