piano advice

At What Age Should My Child Begin Piano Lessons?

Age is relative to the maturity of the child to begin lessons. It is beneficial for children to take during the age range of six to ten years due to the benefits on brain development. Musical stimulation can cause nerve synapses in the brain to develop stronger connections while the brain is growing during that period.

Some factors to determine when your child will be ready for lessons are:

-the child is mature enough to take responsibility for consistent practicing during the week.
-the child enjoys working with number and letters (1-5, A-G).
-the strength of the child’s fingers to play piano keys in a musical way.
-sufficient eye hand coordination to play beginning primer level songs.
-the child shows a desire to play and is ready to achieve good results.

Keep in mind that younger students (up to age seven) usually have a slower rate of progress than, say, students age eight to ten and beyond. It is not unusual for a student to take an entire year to finish the beginning primer level method book (ex. Faber Primer Lesson Book) which in the Faber case contains about fifty songs.

What Type of Piano or Keyboard Should I Get to Begin Lessons for my Child or Myself?

     There are a wealth of options to finding a starting instrument for taking lessons. Pianos range in size from the smaller spinet upright, to a medium height console upright, to the taller studio upright. The next level are grand pianos starting with 4 8 baby grands and continue up to 9 concert grands used by major symphony orchestras. Many cities have piano stores with inexpensive rental programs.
     Keyboards start from $100 and continue to nearly $20,000 for grand piano shaped digital pianos. Keyboards with full weight (not the same as semi-weight) and velocity sensitive keys, usually described as digital pianos, will of course help you to simulate at home and more closely learn all the factors involved in playing a real piano. Digital pianos prices tend to be $500 and higher as of 2004. From my experience Yamaha keyboards have nice firm keys to the touch at all levels of their product lines. But there are many brands to choose from. The Kurzweil digital piano series is another personal favorite.
     Resale value, decorative needs, included amplification/speakers, and availability of space can all be factors in deciding which instrument is best for you.

What Benefits Can I Get as a Beginning Adult Student?

Adults many times find a hidden talent when they explore their options in music lessons or other extracurricular areas. For the love of music, for incredible mental stimulation, or to fulfill a lifelong goal, piano lessons enrich one’s life both as an expressive outlet and as an active discipline for mind, body, and soul.

How Much Practice Should Be Expected for Weekly Progress?

All students are different in their learning rates and natural abilities. The standard set by many piano teachers is 15 minutes a day, 5 times a week. This allows for reinforcement of the week s assignment over a period of time. As a student progresses, an increase in practice time is always welcome, with 20 and 30 minutes goals daily recommended. Intermediate to advance students may need 45 or more minutes a day to reach the goals they have set in song selection. Many professionals and music major students may practice 2 to 8 hours a day to reach their short or long term goals.

How Do I Motivate Myself or My Child to Practice Consistently?

The love and curiosity of music and the enjoyment of achievement is the most natural environment for making progress when taking lessons. Asking your child to take lessons or requiring him/her to play and practice is of course a secondary motivation for the child to please you. Hopefully the child also enjoys playing. Just remember that our motivations comes from inside ourselves and not usually from others.
I remember competing at the early age of 11 and finding motivation in the competition itself but realizing this was not pure motivation to play but it seemed a type of artificial motivation.
I also remember in first grade taking lessons and wanting to share my playing ability and music with my peers and this was my personal motivation, to share and enjoy music and find self- esteem in my accomplishments.

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