The first 2 years of a young child's music education is the most important TIME to build a strong foundation in their musical journey.
The younger a child starts, the better
they learn.
Very young children learn by imitation.
They learn by what they see, and especially so,, by what they HEAR!
During the earliest years of 3-6 years of age,, children's aural abilities are at their peak.
This is the time
to expose them to music,, to recognise sounds eg high/low,, dynamics, Loud/soft and tempo fast/slow.
This is also the best time to train them in pitching,, though you may hear most kids cant sing in pitch,, they CAN be trained to stretch their
vocal chords to reach a certain note,, but before that, they will need to be trained to recognise what note it is.
Solfege is very important to help them "hear"in their heads what note they are hearing. You dont just hear with your ears, you
hear with your head as well as your heart.
"What you hear is what you sing, and what you sing is what you play!"
Piano technique is also very important to start in the early years.
Correct curving of the hands,, how to play legato,
staccato using forearm or finger staccato will have to be taught as basics.
Learning the correct way of playing the piano will help the child go a long way , in cultivating good habits and help them achieve an effect with ease.
As we
do all these for the child , we must be careful it doesnt get too technical that the child finds it tedious and boring.
I sometimes use some props to strengthen their hands/fingers.
This creates fun as well as improving their strength.
Most importantly,, the teacher must understand where the child is at,, and to achieve all these in a most fun and loving manner.