Should we buy an electric keyboard now and wait to see how our child does before we invest in a piano?

Do you teach on weekends?

Why do you give 45-minute lessons?

Do you offer family discounts?

Do you teach adults?

At what age should my child start taking private piano lessons?

However, the best age to start a child at piano is when the child is ready, not when you are. Most children are ready for serious piano study by age 8.

Several factors should be considered when deciding if your child is old or mature enough to begin:

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Emotional Readiness: Has your child asked for lessons? For how long has he been asking? Does s/he frequently go to the piano, as if drawn to it like a magnet? Does s/he react favorably when someone suggests taking piano lessons? Does s/he dance or move to music? Have teachers at school or church remarked on your child's interest in music?

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Reading Readiness: Can your child say the alphabet, recognize the capital letters A through G of the alphabet, count to 20, and recognize the numbers 1 through 5? Does s/he know left from right most of the time?

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Physical Readiness: Playing the piano demands coordination and dexterity, the lack of which makes trying to play the piano at too young of an age a purely frustrating experience. Is your child able to color, write, draw, and use scissors fairly well? Is your child able to wiggle his/her fingers independently?

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Attention Span: Any learning venture requires an attention span commensurate with the material. Is your child able to stay mentally focused and directed in a one-on-one teaching setting for at least 45 minutes?

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Work Habits: Playing the piano is a complex skill to learn. In order to develop the mental and physical coordination necessary for making music at the piano, daily practice is a "must." Is your child willing to practice the piano daily? Are you willing to encourage your child to strive for excellence by working on a skill until it is mastered?

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Time: While many students do not aspire to become concert pianists, learning to play competently is a skill that requires more time and effort than some people realize. Is there adequate time in your child's daily schedule for at least 30 minutes of structured practice?

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Special Needs: If your child has any type of learning challenge or disability, s/he will not do well with the teaching methods and course materials used in this studio. Since we are dealing with your child's self-esteem, I believe that lessons with a music teacher/therapist who has training and experience working with such students is a much better alternative. (See How do you pace your students?)

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Parental Readiness: Are you ready to supervise your child's daily practice sessions? Are you willing to play "games" with your child? Are you willing to ensure quiet time for practice and to stave off negative remarks about music study? Can you generally count on other family members for support and cooperation? Are you willing to commit to the ongoing costs (both money and time) necessary for successful piano study? Are you willing to buy or rent a piano (if you don't have one)?

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How do you pace your students?

It is not fair or reasonable to expect all students to learn and progress at the same rate. Some students need more time to learn, so their progress is rather slow. Others learn fast and need to be permitted to move ahead. For this reason, I generally allow each student to learn and progress at his/her own pace. However, I also believe that each student should be expected to do his/her own personal best. Like any other activity, what a student gets out of piano lessons will largely depend on what s/he puts into it.

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Should we buy an electric keyboard now and wait to see how our child does before we invest in a piano?

It seems like such a great idea, but there are several reasons why pianos are better instruments than keyboards for learning to play the piano:

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Keyboards don't offer the range in octaves that a piano does. The best keyboards have a 76-key range, whereas pianos have 88 keys. To a child just starting out, there is little to compare to being able to explore all the registers of the piano.

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Piano keys are weighted and touch sensitive. This means that the volume of sound produced can be controlled by the way in which you touch the keys.

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The sound quality is different. If a child plays on a great-sounding instrument during piano lessons, s/he will inevitably be disappointed with the sounds that s/he produces on a keyboard. This is especially true if s/he has worked hard in the lesson to perfect a passage that depends both on her listening skills and on a feel for the touch of a piano. Practicing at home, s/he will most likely not be able to reproduce the passage to her satisfaction.

Think of it this way: If you're child wanted to learn to play the organ, would you want him/her to practice on an organ or on a piano? This might seem like an extreme example, but the truth is that from a learning perspective, a piano and a keyboard are just too different to be comparable.

I feel that ultimately it's best if you can either commit to a reasonably good quality instrument (a well-maintained upright console acoustic piano or a full-sized digital piano equipped with features that mimic an acoustic piano), or postpone piano lessons until you feel that you can. If you're child is quite young, perhaps group music readiness classes would be more appropriate. For an older child, try exposing him/her to a wide variety of musical experiences and see how s/he reacts. After a while, you will have a better feel for your child's interest and level of commitment; you'll be able to save up the money to purchase an instrument that you are sure your child will enjoy.

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Why do you give 45-minute lessons?

A longer lesson does not mean a longer assignment. It simply gives me more time to make sure your child thoroughly understands his/her assignment and the practice strategies needed to learn the repertoire. Students who understand their assignments and know how to use their practice time productively do not make as many mistakes. As a result, they usually progress at a faster rate.

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Do you teach on weekends?

No.

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Do you offer family discounts?

No. I do, however, offer early payment discounts.

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Do you teach adults?

No. I teach children and teens.

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