New to piano lessons?
Here's what you need to know.
How young is too young? Starting at the right age...
For children, starting at the right age is a key element to the success of their lessons. Some people suggest “the sooner the better,” but this attitude can actually backfire and create a negative experience. If a child is put into lessons too soon, he or she may feel overwhelmed and frustrated and want to stop lessons. The last thing you want to do is turn a child off music just because they had one unpleasant experience which could have been prevented! Sometimes if the child waits a year to start lessons, their progress can be much faster and more enjoyable! Children who are older than the suggested earliest starting age usually do very well.
If a 3 or 4 year old has a keen desire and wants to start music, a group preschool music class will give them a good foundation in music basics which will prove helpful in later private lessons. At this age, students often learn more effectively through a game-oriented preschool environment.
Generally speaking, 5 years old is the age most kids are ready for lessons. However, there are lots of factors that go into a child's overall readiness. Some might be ready for lessons before 5, some might not be ready yet when they are 5. I only teach lessons from age 5 years old - high school.
How much practice is necessary? What parent involvement is required?
All students should practice a minimum of 5 days a week.
Ages 5 - 7: Practice should be 5 - 15 minutes per day, with parent involvement being 100% of the time
Ages 8 - 9: Practice should be 15 - 30 minutes per day, with parent involvement for 2/3 of the time
Ages 10 - 11: Practice should be 30 minutes per day, with parent involvement for 1/3 of the time
Ages 12 & up: Practice should be 45 minutes per day, no parent involvement necessary
Outside of regular practice, students should be encouraged just to PLAY and have fun! Allowing them to be creative on their instrument creates a greater appreciation of the music and opens the door of beginning composition.
What kind of piano is required? Will a keyboard work?
You will need a piano that is tuned with all working keys in order or a keyboard that has weighted (so it feels like a real piano) keys is also acceptable. I am happy to meet with you to help you choose a piano or keyboard to buy. For more information, check out Buying an Acoustic or Digital Piano.
How do I choose the right teacher?
Teaching is an art of communication. If one teacher possesses 100% of all musical knowledge but can only effectively convey 20% to his students, he will be less effective than a teacher who has 50% plus the ability to convey it.
The important thing is not what a teacher knows, but what his students know; not what he can do, but what they can do.
If you can appreciate the importance of a good teacher, pick one for your child with the same care you'd use to pick a surgeon. You wouldn't want to be operated on a mediocre surgeon -- even if he is a nice guy, has his office right near your house, or charges a few dollars less. Finding a superior teacher is worth some research and is money well spent because an inspired teacher can be a positive influence that your child will remember the rest of his life.
What life lessons can be learned while learning to play an instrument?
Mistakes are ok. In fact, they are encouraged. Mistakes teach us to learn and grow. One of my jobs is to teach the difference between perfectionism and excellence. Perfect is unreachable and always results in feelings of failure. Excellence is doing the best that can with the time, resources, and energy that you have. And that is perfect enough.
Challenging yourself is rewarding. Pushing yourself beyond the boundaries of your comfort zone is the most challenging and rewarding thing you will ever do. You grow far more than you ever thought possible! Jumping out of your comfort zone gives you the opportunity to discover things about yourself that you never would have known or still remain undiscovered. New opportunities provide opportunities for growth in ways you can never imagine. Challenging yourself builds confidence in yourself to always try new things even though you might make mistakes or you don’t know the outcome.
Things worth having are worth working for. Do not expect instant gratification. The understanding that in order to achieve anything worthwhile, you have to put your best effort into it. Despite a natural desire to excel with ease, we must not expect to receive any form of reward in an instantaneous fashion. Knowing that you didn’t put your best effort into it does not make it rewarding at all.
How long does it take to actually learn the piano?
There are several factors to consider:
How well do you actually want to play? Do you want to be able to just play some chords and just sound good? Do you want to be able to accompany a choir? Do you want to be able to play with a symphony orchestra? How much time are you willing to commit to practice?
There are students who have absolutely no experience who can learn simple melodies easily, as well as learning things fairly well on YouTube. You may not know the ins and outs of the theory behind it, but you can play it. For student who begins piano lessons at say, age 7, they will likely be able to read music and play chords well by the time they are 14 or 15, with regular practice. They may be able to accompany a choir at school or play at their church. For an adult who would like to play with a symphony orchestra, practice will need to be every day, typically 4 - 8 hours per day, for likely 10 - 15 years with a master teacher.
But the most important thing... HAVE FUN!
Music should be something that you enjoy for a lifetime. So, try not to put unrealistic expectations on yourself or your children to learn too quickly. Everyone learns at a different pace and the key is to be able to enjoy the journey. =)
For more information, check out Frequently Asked Questions.