Instrumental learning: is an early start a key to success?

The question of when it is convenient to start with vocal and instrumental lessons is a much-debated issue. This article studies a group of conservatoire students and looks at the relationship between their current level of vocal and instrumental performance and the age when they started formal lessons. It concludes that, for the whole student population, those with highest grades started earlier. Looking at separate instruments, however, we see both a positive and a negative relationship between an early start and a high level of performance in the conservatoire. Additionally, there are large differences between students. The findings are discussed in the context of expertise theory.