Children can develop basic music competence (singing in tune and keeping a beat) most easily during the birth to pre-school years. 

There is a window of opportunity for maximizing each child's lifetime musical ability that begins before birth and essentially diminishes by age five. Though not impossible, it will never be as easy again to build basic musical skills. And while music making is wonderful for its own sake, it is also known that children who play instruments (including voice) do better in school, have higher self-esteem, and fewer social problems.

Ideally, to set up a child for mastering the technical skills of an instrument and to even have the desire to do so, music experience in infancy and early childhood is paramount. It is at this time, basic competence in rhythm and tonality can be laid down and the discovery that music is interesting, fun, and satisfying can be made. This makes future success learning to play an instrument much more likely. By focusing on the process, NOT the performance of these young children, we provide them with a solid foundation for future musical choices.