“When Should I Let My Child Perform?”

Before teaching my morning violin student today, I was sharing with the mother about a performance opportunity in January 2026 that I would like her daughter to participate in. The mother soon asked me, “Will she be ready? When should I actually let her perform?” After hearing this question, I immediately felt a sense of relief because these are questions I like to hear. I was confident and as a result, I simply replied “as early as possible.”

For examinations and competitions, a student will clearly need to display a certain level or standard. But when it comes to performances, I strongly believe that as long as there is an opportunity, go for it! It’s never too early or late to perform but there may be a sensitive period for students to perform that I sometimes avoid, depending on the student’s personality. And this is undoubtedly when they enter their teens. Not all 12 or 13 year olds will feel self-conscious and potentially, even display a rebellious attitude towards performing but as a teacher, I always try to have most, if not, all of my students perform as soon as their first opportunity arises. 

Performing at a young age provides a lot of benefits. Not only will they gain experience performing which is crucial if they progress to higher levels or participate in examinations or competitions in the future, but it also helps with managing nervousness. Believe it or not, performing takes practice. The more you do it, the better you get (and the less nervous you get). In addition, performing helps the student with stage presence - how you carry yourself in front of an audience. This includes walking on stage, bowing after the performance and the little details that help you look like a seasoned performer. 

Performing is an exciting opportunity because after all, don’t you want to showcase all the countless hours of hard work with others? It is a celebratory moment and whether or not the performance was successful or not as successful as you wanted it to be, it is always a learning opportunity in how you prepare for the next performance. 

The more you do it, the better you get. At some point, it may even become second nature to you.