Piano Lessons

[HIU8]

DS just asked me for piano lessons. He is 5 1/2. We only have a keyboard (my parents had a piano that they sold b/c it was very expensive to have it moved). Any suggestions for places I should look about piano lessons (private vs a place like Jordan Kitts music)? I just heard DS downstairs playing scales. He just seemed to know what to do. I'm totally impressed as I took lessons for many years and I love to play.

[lalasmama]

I'll be watching this thread.... SO wants to learn, and Lala seems interested... and I think Lala would do great with it, as she has that kinda ear-brain connection where she hears something and repeats it back, word for word, in tune/tone and all. We actually call her "Lala" because she would sing la la la to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star well before she said her first word. And now, unfortunately, she hears me singing and emmulates. I can't carry a tune! She will will watch the pianist and organist in rapt attention at church, and asks to play. So, I think I'm going to try it for her....

[Indianamom2]

Well, I would say that 5 1/2 is pretty young to start...although scales are impressive!

Can he read yet? Most piano teachers (myself included) prefer that kids can read before they start. It just makes things go much smoother for everyone, parents included.

Can he sit still consistently for 20-30 minutes at a time? Most piano lessons last that long and teachers generally want students to be able to sit and practice 20-30 minutes a day (one long stretch is preferred, or maybe two 15-minute stretches).

I generally don't take anyone younger than 6, and honestly if I were to start giving lessons again today, I'd probably prefer 7-8 years old. There has to be a little maturity involved. Of course, there are always exceptions, but I think that age range is preferred.

As to where to find lessons, ask around your child's school, check with a local music store and call your local college (if there is one close by). Often the college is a good choice because music students will offer lessons at pretty good prices (and possibly with the use of the college music facilities!). FWIW, that's how I first started giving lessons.

Hope that helps a bit.

[Meatball Mommie]

DS1 (6.5) takes lessons and he started at the beginning of the school year (so just 6 at that point). Their school has a Suzuki piano teacher come in and give lessons to the kids who are interested (at an extra charge of course ) I LOVE our piano teacher and really like the Suzuki method (develops the ear for music)- much better than the way I learned (reading music first). I'd definitely suggest looking for a teacher that follows the Suzuki method. They typically start at 5 yrs of age (DS2 who just turned 5 will start lessons this summer). The only thing that might be a problem is that their teacher requires you either have an actual piano or a touch-sensitive keyboard. I am not sure what a touch-sensitive keyboard is, but she said you can't just have any old keyboard and she won't accept families who don't meet that requirement. It didn't matter to me as we have a piano.

[Indianamom2]

I agree with the "touch-sensitive" (likely referring to a keyboard/digital piano with weighted keys). It's really the best option as it's nearly impossible to teach dynamics on a non-weighted-key keyboard. Also for anything after the first year, you really need a regular pedal.

[jenmcadams]

I generally don't take anyone younger than 6, and honestly if I were to start giving lessons again today, I'd probably prefer 7-8 years old. There has to be a little maturity involved. Of course, there are always exceptions, but I think that age range is preferred.

This is the policy of our teacher. My DD did start just shy of her 6th birthday and she's done fine (actually she's probably the furthest along of the beginner group she started with which included herself, two 7 year olds and two 8 year olds), but the teacher now requires that kids be 7. She has a long wait list and I think she just generally has more success with kids who are good readers and have a longer attention span (with our teacher, beginners are expected to attend one 30 min private lesson per week, practice 4-5x/week (15 min each) and also attend occasional group lessons that last an hour).

The only thing that might be a problem is that their teacher requires you either have an actual piano or a touch-sensitive keyboard.

Our teacher also requires that we have a full 88 key digital piano (weighted keys with pedals) or a real piano.

Their school has a Suzuki piano teacher come in and give lessons to the kids who are interested (at an extra charge of course ) I LOVE our piano teacher and really like the Suzuki method (develops the ear for music)- much better than the way I learned (reading music first). I'd definitely suggest looking for a teacher that follows the Suzuki method. They typically start at 5 yrs of age (DS2 who just turned 5 will start lessons this summer).

Just want to encourage you to do some research to decide if you'd prefer a traditional vs. a suzuki approach to piano. For our DD, she was ready to read music and really loves the challenge that brings. She has a good ear and can tinker out songs after hearing them once, but for her, she was ready to learn to read music and I think the traditional approach has worked really well. We have some friends who swear by Suzuki and others who haven't loved it. As with anything, the individual teacher will make the biggest difference and I would really search for someone with great recommendations.

[HIU8]

DS isn't reading yet. He has been playing scales by ear (I have shown him nothing). We would have to get an acceptable keyboard (we have a small one where one portion is only chords). We can't afford a piano right now (although if both kids learn to play eventually we would get a piano). He can sit through an entire movie (at home and in the theater) so I'm not worried about his attention span. I started at age 5 as well, so I assumed that was an appropriate age to start.

[niccig]

We're doing Yamaha piano class and have for the last 6 months. They're group singing in circle time, and then play that song on the piano, so the 45 min. class is broken up. The songs are short and DS liked that he was playing a song from the beginning. We do sometimes have trouble with practice. He doesn't want to always do it. We do 15 mins a day. DS isn't reading yet, but he has learned to read notes. I can point to different notes and he knows what they are, but when we play he still plays from memory. The songs are short, so that is fine. The teacher said as we go further along, he will start to read and play.