Music is the best gift you can give someone, especially if it is your child. Music enhances your kid’s future in so many ways, making him/her creative and talented for the world to see. Studying music or practicing it makes your child disciplined, coordinated, intelligent and more over creative! It makes your child stand out from all the others and gives him/her the joy of performing. Recent studies have suggested that kids who are given keyboard lessons at the age of 5-6 years are more intellectual and have better developed motor skills than their peers. It’s not unlikely to find 4 year old kids playing melodious tunes of Mozart on YouTube, but does that mean that you should except the same from your 4 year old? Children under the age of 5 should be given the freedom to explore and discover their own talent in their own leisure time, not every kid can play Mozart, but every kid can surely develop an interest in Music. If you want your little one to develop interest in learning to play a piano or a keyboard, you will be facing questions like “What is the ideal age to begin keyboard lessons?” or “What can be the ideal keyboard for my little one?”

With this article we will cover these areas and more, we will help you find answers to the questions in your head and also give advice on Dos and Don’ts.

Many studies have been conducted to narrow down the perfect age to let your kid learn to play the keys, the ideal age to start keyboard lessons will differ from child to child, but it is concluded that kidsat the age of 6 to 9 years deem fit to begin training for keyboard lessons. Although I personally feel it is never too late to start learning!

There are a few things you will need to keep in mind before you enroll your little one in piano class.

• Size of Hands – It is extremely essential for kids to be comfortable in whatever they do, which is why your child needs to be relaxed and adjusted when he places his fingers on five adjacent white keys. You will need to make sure that his hands are grown enough to be at ease on the keyboard, if your child has small hands, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to wait for a year or two before enrolling him/her into the training.
• Finger Movements – For kids beginning to play the piano, it is essential for him/her to move his fingers individually. People have widely accepted the popular song ‘Hot Cross Buns’ as the initial test to check your kid’s independent finger movement. It is simple to see if your kid is ready for the lessons or no. If your kid can use three different fingers to play three black keys to ‘Hot Cross Buns’ he/she is up for the challenge, if he/she is only playing by picking the tune with one finger, he/she may not be ready after all. Check out this YouTube lesson to help prepare your kid to play Hot Cross Buns on the keyboard.
• Passion for Learning – Kids can be taught how to play the keyboard but you need to check if you kid has an interest and passion to learn the same. If you kid is relentless towards the lessons, it would be best to let him/her do something of his/her interest.

Now that we have established the criteria that needs to be looked into for your kid to start learning the keyboard, let us see what is the ideal keyboard for your kid?

We know it is difficult to choose a perfect keyboard if you really want your kid to succeed, you wouldn’t want to just hand him/her some lousy keyboard and expect him to prosper now would you? Think of it this way, when you send your kid to school on the first day, you would send him off with the most expensive stationery, but you will make sure that he has all the essentials for the day that are not cheap neither expensive. Which is why you need to check your options in terms of quality and budget, to make sure you haven’t done something under the bridge or over the edge.

What are your options for buying a keyboard for a beginner?

Out in the market, you will find a lot of options to choose, but you need to pick the one that fits your requirement and your budget too!

• Acoustic Keyboard/Piano – A good quality acoustic instruments provides sound from real strings and real wood, that offers immense responsiveness and dynamic range of tone which even the greatest and most expensive electronic instruments cannot provide! Beginners are usually trained on Acoustic instruments, for the very reason that acoustic instruments are better in response. Though Acoustic is expensive, you can make sure that it will work wonders for your kid. If you have a piano already, make sure it is well tuned and keys are in good condition to let your kid play them with ease.
• Electronic Keyboard – The second most convenient option to get your kid the perfect keyboard is to start with. Electronic Keyboards comes in variety of shapes and size, and price not to mention. A novice keyboardist, the important factor lies in number of keys and whether or not the keys are weighted. If you happen to buy a 88 weighted keys, it will be a huge advantage for a beginners. If you happen to think 88 keys keyboard is too big for your kid, we recommend you buy 61 keys that will help you to exercise and practice to be a pro! It is always essential to buy a keyboard from a good renowned brand. Check out the widely accepted, made specifically to fit your requirements of electronic keyboards here.

We want to make sure you get the best in class products that fit your budget, which is why we have got some best in class products just for you.

• Casio SA Series – Renowned for its easy accessibility and comfort level, Casio SA series are your budget keyboards that are not just pocket friendly but amazing first choice for your kid. Ranging from 32 keys to 44 keys, this is a suitable choice for kids learning to play keyboard under the age of 10.

• Yamaha PSR F50 Portable Keyboard – This little beauty is designed specifically to fit your requirements, although its 61 keys, it works wonders with Indian Voices and Styles to add to the creativity and repertoire of the Indian Musician. This works brilliantly for kids under the age of 15.

• Roland E-09IN Indian Edition Interactive Keyboard Arranger – This is a massive 61 key keyboard that is made with beginners in mind, the keyboardists who have been training quite a while now and want to pursue their passion on a bigger, Roland gives them the perfect companion for the same.

Choosing a right piano is vital for any parent, once your kid gets the tools of his trade you can be sure that greatness would follow. A keyboard without its essentials like a strong, sturdy stand and a bench is incomplete. Check out the Standard Keyboard Bundles that fits not only your requirements but also your budget only on BAJAAO.com!