Playing by Ear Prior to Taking Lessons

WHAT IF MY CHILD IS PLAYING "BY EAR?"

Every once in a while, a concerned parent tells a familiar story. Their child needs lessons, they say, as soon as possible! The promising young musician has been learning to play pieces independently, and may be forming bad habits. In particular, the parent asks, "Is it bad for my child to be playing so much music 'by ear'?"

The answer is no; playing "by ear" is actually a very good thing. After all, the ear is the most important part of music making. Music is something that we hear. Eventually, just about everything in music education comes down to training ears to hear musically.

A child who experiments with playing "by ear" at the keyboard, before even taking piano lessons, is simply beginning their wonderful journey through an exploration of the world of music and their own creativity.