young boy playing the drumsWhat is the best age to start drum lessons for my child? There really isn’t a magic number where we would say a child could or could not play the drums. We generally recommend starting around the age of seven, but there are a number of factors that determine whether or not a child is ready to start. The biggest one is their physical development – do they have the strength in their hands to use drumsticks? Extended periods of playing can wear out the wrists and fingers, even for older players who are out of practice.

There can be a six year old who is big for his or her age who will have no problems gripping drumsticks, while at the same time an eight year old who is small for their age could still have issues. Another issue is that of the maturity of the student – again, a mature six year old may be perfectly suited to start drum lessons.

The other factor to consider is the student’s academic skills. There is a lot of work that goes into learning the drums beyond the physical end of things. The student should be able to learn how to read sheet music while also developing all of the techniques of rhythm and counting. Musical notation for drums and percussion is different than that for tonal instruments, so for some younger students, this can prove to be slightly difficult.

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