As the child grows, music can have other benefits. It can calm and help focus children who need to develop those skills associated with sitting still, Grant says, and help teach a child self-discipline. Reading music and playing develops hand-eye coordination. Some studies have shown that children who have had music lessons do better in math and may have an easier time with abstract spatial reasoning. Depending upon his or her temperament, a child can start formal lessons as early as four, Grant says.
Some children are ready by age three.
The key, she stresses, is that the lessons be short and fun, taught from the viewpoint of play. As important as formal lessons is the kind of musical environment a child experiences at home. If parents are interested in music themselves, a child will be more likely to be interested, too. But Grant cautions parents against pushing a child too far too soon. Numerous studies have shown that as long as formal instruction begins before the teen years, age makes little difference in the ultimate musical achievements of a child.