MUSICAL ABILITIES DEVELOPMENT: WHEN TO START MUSIC EDUCATION?

Musical abilities are among the primary conditions for success in the field of music. It has been proven that musical abilities already begin to develop in the prenatal period and that different types of abilities have a specific developmental path. Therefore, it is necessary to remember the critical periods for learning music, i.e., time frames within which musical experiences have particular importance. In addition to the informal musical experiences gained in the preschool period, formal music education is undoubtedly one of the best ways to develop musical abilities. The paper discusses the specifics of the music education system in Serbia, more precisely, the age of students that can enroll in programs for various instruments or solo singing. The data presented in the paper points to the conclusion that students that enroll in primary music education at the age of 7 or 8 (which coincides with the most crucial period for learning music) will have better prospects for the timely development of musical abilities when compared to children who begin musical training later. However, it should be held in mind that musical abilities develop even before the start of formal musical training, so efforts should be made to provide children with diverse and valuable musical experiences in the preschool period.