Best/earliest age to start learning?

Matty30 · August 2009

Hi,
For any parent wanting to give their child the best opportunity in life, I would like to hear what everybody thinks is the best/earliest age for them to start learning? (i.e paying for private lessons for them)

Also, although i am not a teacher, i would like to know do teachers teach their own children? One teacher said to me they dont know any that do because it's quite intrusive. Personally, i would have liked to have grown getting lessons from my mum or dad. my old teacher before i moved, used to give sessons to her grandkids after me, they loved it, they were about 7 years old and would run in saying 'can i get on the table, nanny?!' in excitement.

thanks

Matty30 · August 2009

p.s when i say start learning, I mean learning the alexander technique.

dod · August 2009

Ah, I didn't realise that was what you meant.

Paragraph nine of this article suggests the critical age is around 8.

http://www.alexandertechnique.com/articles/develop/

Here's another link:

http://www.ed2k.org.uk/at_for_kids.htm

I remember meeting Sue Merry and being impressed with her dedication to the subject. She felt very strongly that the Technique should be introduced into schools. My own view is simpler. The longer a delay in sending a child to school, the later misuse will start to appear. In fact, I would add 'school' to the list of things parents should avoid subjecting their children to, as listed here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/familyadvice/3355719/Idle-parenting-means-happy-children.html

To answer your question, I would say at any age, but only if they express an interest, and only for as long (in overall exposure and lesson length) as that interest lasts.

Matty30 · August 2009

Thanks for that,

just to clarify as well, the second part of the question was also about the alexander technique, whether the alexander technique teachers teach AT to their kids.

elisabeth · January 2012

Hello,

My name is Elisabeth, the mother of a seven year old daughter who is being home-educated. I'm an Alexander Technique teacher, and i would love for my daughter to have AT-lessons too.
However, I don't want to teach her myself. This brings me to my question: Does anybody know about any current projects for children and AT?
I do know about a school in London, Educare. Unfortunately, England is probably too expensive for us. We would like to buy land or an old farmhouse and build an energy efficient house. At the moment we're living in Austria, where it's not so easy to find AT teachers near.
Does anybody know about other projects or schools for children and AT anywhere in Europe?
I would love to hear from you.

Regards,

Elisabeth

dod · January 2012

Hello Elisabeth,

If anyone could answer your question, it would be Sue Merry. You probably know about her already, from Educare. There was a recent Direction journal dedicated to the issue of children and the Technique, which might be of interest. We educated our three children at home, but it never crossed my mind to introduce them to Alexander work, in any formal sense.

Nicholas

elisabeth · January 2012

Thanks for the tip Nicholas, i will send her an e-mail.

Elisabeth

Best/earliest age to start learning?

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