This is a quick checklist of things to do, buy, learn and decide before your child has their very first piano lesson.
Working your way through this checklist will speed up your child’s learning curve, possibly by months (maybe more!), and once you’ve covered every item below you will be a superbly equipped parent entering into the role of nurturing the growth of a new little (or not so little) pianist.
1. Buy a piano. This may or may not seem like a no-brainer to you. In case it’s not, let me explain. Your child will not make progress without a piano at home with which they can practice between lessons. So until you have a piano don’t bother organising to take piano lessons. Unless your goal is to pay for really expensive babysitting.
Ideally you will buy a good quality acoustic piano, but there might be reasons why you would prefer a digital piano (usually issues related to living in an apartment or a very small house). You want an acoustic piano because it does cool stuff that digital pianos can’t do – things like capturing harmonics when you silently depress the keys and then play other keys – and because the ‘touch’ your child will develop when practicing on an acoustic piano will be a better touch than when they practice on a digital piano.
But if a digital piano is the best option for you you’ll discover that a digital piano offers some wonderful extras that acoustic pianos don’t deliver (things like recording your performance and a variety of sound options – how many extras, and how wonderful they are, will depend on the quality of the digital piano you buy). The thing is you need weighted keys, touch sensitivity, a fixed pedal, a music stand that is not flimsy, and a sound that really does match the sound of a piano (as compared to electric keyboard).
2. Put the piano in a part of the house that isn’t a. lonely and/or b. where the only TV is. Two of the biggest reasons children don’t end up practicing is because they’re either lonely in the glummest/most distant room of the house or because everyone else wants to watch the television and the piano is in the same room. Having the piano hidden away communicates that the piano is not something normal or useful; having the piano and tv competing for acoustic space is just asking for conflict in your family.
3. If you have an acoustic piano, keep it tuned! This is more of an adminstrative burden than it is a major expense (you need to find a piano tuner, book them up, and then be at the house while they tune the piano), but if your piano is out of tune your child(ren) will find playing the piano far less pleasant, and you won’t enjoy hearing the piano played all that much either.
4. Have the piano in your house for months – even years – before your child begins lessons. This is about developing a sense of the everyday about the instrument (the piano is a part of normal life) as well as allowing the child to explore the instrument quite thoroughly prior to lessons beginning. To which end….
5. Encourage your child to play around with the piano prior to beginning lessons. You can’t break a piano by playing it, and your child will develop a sense of familiarity with the layout of the keys (black notes in groups of 2 and 3 placed between white notes) and the way the keys make sounds (high sounds towards the right, low sounds towards the left) as well as different effects the piano can make (softer sounds when you press more gently, sustained sounds when you depress the pedal, etc.). This saves time in the first weeks of lessons and, more importantly, means that your child will have a confidence when being asked to try ‘new’ things on the piano in these first few weeks and months.
6. Purchase a chair/piano stool/piano bench that is height adjustable. Sitting at the right height is a huge part of what makes playing the piano comfortable and effortless, and sitting at the wrong height can prevent the pianist from creating beautiful sounds. Don’t make do with cushions – organise a permanently available means for your child to sit with maximum ease at the piano.
7. Notice what your child discovers at the piano, and (when the time is right) talk about their discoveries with them. Does your child play the same thing (or variations of the same thing) every time they get near the piano? Or do they experiment with one kind of sound for a few days and then move on? Do they try to pick out tunes, or are they more interested in piano role-playing? Do they play across the full length of the keyboard, or restrict themselves to one area?
Noticing the way your child experiments is an essential foundation to being able to talk about what they are doing. And talking about what your child does is an essential part of validating and consolidating the discoveries they are making.
It doesn’t matter if you’re not sure of the exact musical term, talk about the kinds of feelings the sounds reflect, what the sounds remind you of, and ask your child to talk about their intentions, ideas and reflections. Some pianist gestures are gentle, others are cheeky, while yet others can be very sad indeed. Starting out your child’s pianistic journey by talking about emotion, attitude and texture (smooth/spiky, for instance) puts your child at an enormous advantage in communicating with others about their playing.
8. Make sure your child knows the difference between their right and left sides. This is a bigger issue than simply knowing the right hand from the left; having your child be aware that they can create an action on one side of their body and then mirror that action on the other develops physical-spatial awareness that will be immensely beneficial when learning new skills at the keyboard. Which is to say: having a child practice jumping to the left or jumping to the right will help them be better pianists. Anything that asks a child to do things with their body in terms of left and right will lay the foundation for physical fluency at the keyboard.
9. Make sure your child knows their alphabet. From A to G. And maybe back again. This won’t be covered in the first lesson (normally), but if your child understands that the musical alphabet goes A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B, etc., they’ll save at least half a lesson. And if your child can think through those letters backwards you’ve probably saved two more whole lessons over the course of the first year.
10. Show your child a treble and bass clef. And explain that the treble is for high notes, the bass for low notes. If you have no idea what a treble clef is then google it. This is just a symbol, but the more familiar your child is with what these symbols look like these easier it will be for a teacher to introduce new ideas quickly during the first year or so of lessons. The treble clef in particular is an oft-used symbol to represent music – your child may well have already seen this symbol and just never quite understood what it meant (it just means the notes on it in the top half of the piano). Being confident distinguishing these two symbols could save half a lesson or so at least three times in the course of the first 12-18 months of lessons.
I’m sure readers of this post will be able to contribute more great ideas for things parents can do before their child begins piano lessons, but these are my top 10. If every new student had these items covered … Well, I can dream, can’t I?!
August 10th, 2011 at 1:50 pm
Wow Elissa! You must have read my mind! I am getting ready to begin teaching my daughter piano in the next 4-6 months and was just wondering how to, er, prime the pump. So far, we have accomplished 9/10 on your list (and #10 is what remains). As a pianist, I’m sad we only have a digital piano, but I guess it’s better than nothing.
Will you be writing a follow-up post to this? Curious about top 10 things to do once child begins! I am thinking of using a Suzuki-inspired method (I’m not trained, but have read loads). Would love to hear your thoughts on approaches
for young students (age 3-5).
Thanks for a great post!
August 10th, 2011 at 2:06 pm
Oh, that’s fantastic to hear (that this is so timely for you!)! These things are very much in my mind because I have a 4 year old myself, and I’m noticing the things I’m doing to have him lesson-ready. Your comments are inspiring me to get some follow-up posts written as soon as possible!
August 10th, 2011 at 2:00 pm
This is GOLD, Elissa. And I loooove Number 1. [Got tricked just last week on that one!]
What about Number 11?
I have heard that the post-modern 11th commandment is
Thou shalt not commit thyself!
I think Number 11 is Help your child to know their finger numbers and especially to know that the thumb is 1 and the pinkie is 5.
August 10th, 2011 at 2:15 pm
Yes, that would have been number 11, I think, but it’s complicated if kids are already learning violin…. And there are things not on the list that I’m taking for granted even if parents don’t anticipate their children learning an instrument – things like being able to clap in time….
August 10th, 2011 at 9:08 pm
Spot on Elissa – love the first point! Seems like a no brainer, but I had 3 sign up this year at school with no access to a piano!!! I shall keep a link to this very handy! All the best
August 10th, 2011 at 10:02 pm
Very helpful post – I will put a link to it from my blog/website. Whenever I interview new students (and their parents!) I always ask if they have a piano and whether it is kept in tune. Many do not, due to financial and/or space constraints, and generally ignorance about the instrument. I have played a couple of my students’ pianos and have, largely, been horrified at the quality. These are pianos which were bought second hand, very cheaply, and are not properly maintained. It can have a serious affect on the way a student plays if their instrument is not in tune, or has keys that don’t work etc. I think another factor is making sure the child actually wants to learn, that it is the child’s choice to take up the piano (or indeed any other instrument). I have encountered a number of students who are being hot-housed or forced to play by pushy parents, and they are not the best students, for all sorts of reasons. Plus the parents can be a nightmare!!
August 11th, 2011 at 1:54 am
Number eleven: have your child observe a lesson!
August 11th, 2011 at 8:57 am
Great suggestion – but not until parents have determined what kind of lessons they will be organising for their child (or which teacher they will be taking lessons from). There can be quite substantial differences in style, format and content from one teacher/teaching style to the next! Younger siblings are often advantaged in this sense – they know they will be taking lessons from the same teacher as their older sister/brother, and they have no doubt spent time around the teacher over the previous year(s) prior to lessons beginning.
Having said that, it’s often not possible to observe a lesson in situations where teachers are working one-on-one, so while this can be helpful it might be beyond the control of the parent to organise….
August 11th, 2011 at 9:06 am
I had a little girl turn up to a seasoned student’s lesson. Observing how I work with Susan, who has been coming for six years and is fifteen years old, would not give five year old Rosie any idea what her lesson would be like!
August 11th, 2011 at 2:36 am
I love No. 1! That’s the first thing I ask when parent inquires about lessons. To me it’s obvious .. to others, not so much.
August 11th, 2011 at 11:23 am
Thank you Elissa. This article is perfect for sharing with my prospective and enrolled music studio families. Pleased to see ’10 things’ has travelled internationally too!
August 12th, 2011 at 1:16 am
I found your blog yesterday via a link at the Piano Adventures Forums http://pianoadventures.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=55067#Post55067 . I have immediately read the entire blog, and am impressed, amazed, awed, inspired, by your amazing insights and clarity of expression. I’ve now subscribed to be notified of new posts — the first time I’ve done that with a blog — and reading that you are on Twitter, tempts me for the very first time to join Twitter just so I can follow your tweets. Thank you so much for writing this amazing resource.
I recently bought a piano and began taking lessons. I taught myself to play piano as a child, but have not had access to a piano for thirty years. I am loving every instant. I go home from work and could play nonstop until bedtime. (Single, no kids, allows me this luxury.) For some reason I find myself absorbed with reading about piano teaching. You’d think I’d want to read about how to play piano — but no, it’s the passion and the dramas and the insights of teaching that fascinate me. Alas, I don’t think my ear (very mediocre) or my skill (unlikely to reach elevated heights, although I would adore to be able to reach a point of being able to play Beethoven sonatas and Bach fugues) will probably ever bring me to a point of being able to be a teacher myself.
I also find myself wanting to rush right out and buy all the children’s books you’ve written about. My sister and I often give each other children’s books, and I think from your blog I have now gotten gift ideas for a long succession of birthdays and Christmases for her
.
Thank you so much for your wonderful writing.
August 14th, 2011 at 3:09 pm
Christine, thank you so much for your comment – a reader who appreciates the children’s book reviews AND the music theory rantings! I deeply appreciate your taking the time to give me such positive feedback!
All the best with your lessons – I meet a surprising number of piano teachers who have taken up the piano in adulthood and found themselves addicted (it’s easy to think you’ve missed the boat if you didn’t start in childhood). Who knows where life will lead?!
August 12th, 2011 at 4:07 pm
Great comment about the piano “not being near a TV”. As a piano teacher, I’ve had students tell me that having the piano near the television actually helps them concentrate better, since they have to “multi-task” during the lesson. LOL, but I do agree an environment free of distractions is better. Good post, thanks!
-Theresa
August 14th, 2011 at 1:42 am
I like #9 (… and maybe back again). I used to give students a little quiz as their first lesson. One question was to recite the alphabet to G …. and then recite it backwards, from G to A. The question was asked to determine if the student could “reason”. Actually, I found the question a good indicator of a student’s mental agility.
Good set of points.
Dan Severino
October 4th, 2011 at 10:37 pm
Hi Dan,
My son has just had his first piano lesson. His IQ has been rated as high average and verbally superior, but, despite being nine years old, he literally would not be able to tell you that the day after Tuesday is Wednesday, let alone go backwards from G to A. He’s dyslexic and has enormous problems ordering anything.
I’d suggest that, just as someone has said that IQ tests are good at determining how good someone is at doing an IQ test, asking someone to recite from G to A is good at determining whether they are good at reciting from G to A – and not necessarily anything more.
We’re keen for him to learn piano as a kind of therapy, as well as because he is a naturally musical kid – he spends most of his free time humming, and pulls harmonies out of nowhere when listening to music in the car.
We went for the ‘Simply Music’ method for its hands-on approach and after 5 practices this last week, his 10 fingers are going up and down really impressively compared to the real struggle he had with it in the lesson. Here’s hoping it continues!
October 5th, 2011 at 1:20 am
Hi Les (!)
The issue of children with learning difficulties learning the piano is a fascinating one. Firstly (and excitingly) – piano lessons have the potential to make an amazing contribution to children ‘unblocking’ in regard to a range of difficulties.
Secondly, many piano teachers are not well-trained to cope with teaching a child with learning difficulties! Despite this, the one-on-one nature of the lesson situation is perfect for tailor-made learning approaches, and piano teachers as a profession relish the challenge of finding ways for each child to connect with music and with the piano.
Dyslexic students do face substantial challenges with reading music (unsurprisingly!) and, because traditional piano teaching does have a significant focus on teaching music literacy alongside pianistic skills, it can be extremely useful for teachers to test things like being able to say A to G forwards and then backwards in order to see how easily children can think in *this* particular way.
Facility with sequencing and ordering is a particular kind of mental agility (and one that is tremendously helpful in fast-tracking musical learning, as it happens), but it is not the only kind of mental agility! On the other hand, I would think that your son will find his skill at thinking around patterns will be greatly enhanced by his musical experiences.
My experience is that parents are not always keen to share with a piano teacher information such as an assessment of dyslexia, and sometimes teachers struggle on for months trying to figure out what’s going on. Well-informed piano teachers can let parents know whether they think they will be a good fit for the needs of children with specific difficulties.
December 23rd, 2012 at 5:42 am
You could try having him say C followed by the word BAG and then followed by the word FED.
December 23rd, 2012 at 12:00 pm
Maureen, your suggestion implies that dyslexia is a straightforward “getting-it-backward”, which isn’t the case at all… The ability to create sequences such BAG is precisely the ability that dyslexics *don’t* have. Dyslexia manifests in different ways, but what it all comes down to is a difficulty with doing *precisely* the thing you suggest.
August 19th, 2011 at 4:57 pm
Hi Elissa, love your work! I have a question about #1. I live and work in Western Sydney, and a lot of the families I work with are not well off enough to purchase a piano straight away. When we speak about it, I even agree with them that they should not buy a piano (a pretty significant purchase) until the child/student has shown enough commitment to learning the instrument long-term. What are your thoughts on this?
August 20th, 2011 at 2:41 pm
Samantha, thanks so much for your comment and question! In thinking about a reply I’ve realised I should write it as a whole new post – which I will try to do before the weekend is over. There are a lot of issues in this question, and I’ll unpack them in that post (as soon as I have an hour or so free).
January 1st, 2013 at 4:00 pm
If you want to treat this, please do not start off by saying anything that can be interpreted as, “If you are satisfied with a piece of garbage or so poor that you can only afford junk, then I suppose a digital is what you’re stuck with, but do save your pennies toward a Steinway.” The current technology of digitals is so much further ahead of ANY acoustic that ANY family is likely to find on craigslist or online — where most families will go to find a piano anyway — that implying people are settling for insufficient garbage by not buying an acoustic is really doing a disservice to the whole concept of music education. 99% of the acoustics that are to be found in a teacher’s students’ homes are almost literally unplayable, unmaintained junk. This is always brushed off or rushed past when people talk about buying pianos, with a big “yes but” tacked onto the end, and it’s a serious problem not only for the teacher but for the attitude of the student.
I can think of NO acoustic that I’ve ever encountered outside of a professional concert hall that could hold its own against a good digital. Piano teachers really have very little idea of how poor the acoustics most of their students’ families must suffer with, and how good the digital technology is getting every day.
The resigned attitude of “I suppose trash is good enough for the poor and the uncommitted if nothing else is available” is far more musically crippling than not having a Bosie Imperial could ever be. If I had a nickel for every person who mopes and moans that they are permanently crippled because they are “stuck” with a mere digital piano instead of the glittering Bechstein of their dreams, I would be spending my NYE in France.
Sorry. I really do feel strongly about this, though.
January 1st, 2013 at 4:47 pm
Hi fireandice, why would you think that I would address this issue by describing digital pianos as garbage/junk? I’m more than a little surprised you’re devoting so much comment to an attitude I haven’t expressed!!
Having said that, I’d much rather have my acoustic piano than any digital I’ve ever played.
It’s not a concert hall piano but I have no doubt that no digital would be preferable.
Many students have dreadful pianos, however, both acoustic and digital, and the real goal is to have our students working with quality instruments, no matter which of the two options are pursued. And most students who buy a digital don’t buy the kinds of instruments you are describing so positively!
Piano teachers are often shy about asking students about their pianos, or giving advice, and I think a big part of this issue is having more knowledge both in the piano teaching profession and in the general community regarding what makes a good instrument…
September 1st, 2011 at 4:50 pm
Thank you for your excellent suggestions. I expect my students to have a piano before they begin, but I tell them that digital or acoustic does not matter as much to me. Even a keyboard is fine with me for beginners, as long as it has at least 76 keys and is touch-sensitive. I did have a student begin once without a piano, and it wasn’t very fruitful. So I decided to make this a must to begin lessons.
August 31st, 2011 at 11:27 am
[...] I promise I’ll get back into blogging soon. Really I will. When it gets less busy. Like October. Or maybe next year. Or the year after… surely there must be some free time by the end of the decade…. This is a quick checklist of things to do, buy, learn and decide before your child has their very first piano lesson. Working your way through this checklist will speed up your child’s learning curve, possibly by months (maybe more!), and once you’ve covered every item below you will be a superbly equipped parent entering into the role of nurturing the growth of a new little (or not so little) pianist. 1. Buy a piano. This may or may not seem lik … Read More [...]
September 4th, 2011 at 1:54 am
#1 is also one of the first questions I ask prospective students’ parents. Sadly so many of them have no instrument. It has been in my heart for a long time to provide a Practice Studio for students. It would be a store front divided up into practice rooms. Parents would pay a small fee per hour of practice for their child. This would be cheaper than buying or renting a piano AND they would have access to a piano teacher – ME! I would also teach my students there. And in my dreams it would have enough room for my group lessons to do marvelous things and there would be a nice recital hall! I can dream, right?
September 4th, 2011 at 8:14 am
Nice dream!! That’s an interesting idea, but I wonder if it really would end up cheaper for the parent?
You would need to charge enough to not only cover the cost of the piano being practiced on, but you would need to cover all your other costs (rent, rates, electricity/gas/water, fit-out, insurance) in the amount you charged parents, and I presume there would only be about 5 hours a day that students would want to be practicing away from home (roughly 3.30 to 8.30pm, possibly an extra hour in the morning?) and you would also need to cover a wage for yourself for every hour you need to be at the venue in order for it to be operating when you are not teaching. I’ve done a quick calculation, and I think you’d need to charge $20 per hour minimum in Sydney, and that’s assuming a completely full practice schedule… By the time a child does even 3 hours practice a week the parent is going to do the sums and realise they’ll pay off an entry level acoustic upright piano in less than a year at that rate!
Especially once public liability insurance is taken into account our economy is not at all geared for sharing….
October 1st, 2011 at 3:47 am
Elissa, That’s a wonderful list, but I think it would also be helpful to begin some rhythm awareness and movement. Most students have a little trouble with keeping a steady pulse — but some of them really struggle. (Or maybe they don’t struggle, and that’s the problem! :>)
Thanks again for the helpful list.
November 15th, 2011 at 4:24 pm
Agree with this excellent list. It is amazing to me how many parents when they inquire about lessons for their child, ask in the next breath if they need to have a piano. Well of course they do. I always explain that the child may start on a small keyboard, but that they should be prepared to invest in an accoustic piano in about 6 months. A second-hand acoustic piano isn’t that much more expensive that a good digital. But you have to shop a bit. I have a fabulous Canadian Willis over 70 years old which has accompanied me to Hawaii. I paid less than $1000 for it and use it for recording.
The main thing after having an instrument to practice on, is that the child not be too young. I don’t take children under 8 because I want them to learn quickly before they become bored. And I have found that if you start a child at 6 and three years later, when he is 9 and you have a new 9 year old student, by the time they are both 10 and a half, they’re prertty much at the same level. But the one who began later is MUCH more enthusiastic.
it’s a matter of attention span, physical size of the hands and above all the difficulty of learniing a new “code” after learning the code of the ABC’s and reading. The code of music is much more complex, involving knowing the notes on the piano, on the staff lines and then coordinating the fingers to play them …. in time …. and with correct dynamics. Wow …. what a complex thing this is for a child.
There are other wonderful more physical skills a child can learn in the earlier years. Any form of dancing, gymnastics or games. There’s plenty of time to add the discipline of music lessons.
So good to read a teacher’s comments on how to prepare a child for those lessons. Thanks ….
March 4th, 2012 at 12:41 pm
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April 12th, 2012 at 2:56 pm
Hi Elissa,
Great article and love your blog. My sister Gina pointed me in this direction as I was bugging her with questions about children’s piano lessons (my 7 & 9 year old are keen to play). Just wondering if you have any posts about choosing the right piano teacher and what to look for in a good piano teacher. I’ve really got no idea but I know it is so important with other disciplines (e.g. ballet) so I’m sure it make a huge difference with music too. Also can you recommend any piano and/or violin teachers for children on the Sunshine Coast.
Thanks very much.
Fiona
April 21st, 2012 at 9:25 pm
Hmmm…. That sounds like an idea for a (controversial) blog post…!
June 22nd, 2012 at 4:47 pm
May I simply just say what a comfort to discover somebody who genuinely knows what they’re talking about on the internet. You definitely understand how to bring a problem to light and make it important. More and more people have to check this out and understand this side of your story. It’s surprising you are not more popular because you certainly have the gift.
November 28th, 2012 at 4:53 pm
Hello. I will like to find out can a child start their actual piano lesson on age 4. I have heard from some comment which are not encourage due to their fingers are still not fully develope.
Thanks.
January 1st, 2013 at 3:46 pm
Quickie comment on “capturing harmonics when you silently depress the keys and then play other keys” … You’d be surprised how many of them do this now.
The technology is advancing daily, literally. It all depends on how much dosh you’re willing to put out, but anything above a Clav CLP-380 will do this as a matter of course.
January 1st, 2013 at 4:32 pm
I’ll take your word for it, as I haven’t done a check of the latest digital pianos for about 12 months. Certainly when I wrote this article I was responding to the digital pianos currently in use (rather than the very latest advances in the technology). I’ll report back (and alter the text of the original article) once I have an idea as to the proportion of digital pianos in piano shops that do have this feature!
January 1st, 2013 at 4:03 pm
I could also suggest a #11: LISTEN TO MUSIC.
Lots of it!
January 8th, 2013 at 8:39 am
As many have listed above, the quality of conversation is
fabulous! As a returning student and Early Childhood music educator
the importance of preperation for success paramount. Clear
documents such as this article are invaluable. I have found
preperation the key through my own journey, and invaluable in
influencing the perception parents have on what is required when
beginning pre-instrumental lessons. Preperation of the parent for
what is expected, of the environment for practice and lessons.
Preperation of the student both in basic musical awareness,
listening and movement coordination skills (beat, sound quality,
timbre) and clear open communication on all fronts. Thank you for
adding to my growing resource. I intend on supplying this link to
parents of students in my prep and grade 1 music and movement
classes, to ensure that by the time they are ready to begin the
savings are there to buy an instrument of suitable quality and the
parents are ready to support, then the child will reach their
individual potential. I would love to read more your suggestions
for the instruments of choice either digital or acoustic and a
price range for beginner parents. Your (all be it contriversial
posting?) the requirements parents should look for in a teacher.
Any tips involving pattern recognition and ways around this if
lacking and the hits and misses we have as teachers. ( in response
to the Dyslexic strand of conversation) Thanks for your dilligence
and ongoing support Elissa, invaluable!
January 17th, 2013 at 12:01 am
[...] recently came across a fantastic list on pianist Elissa Milne‘s blog, detailing the to-do’s before your child’s first lesson. Here is an [...]
January 29th, 2013 at 6:52 am
Thanks so much! I was in this dilemma, I have 3 kids, twins-3 and daughter – 5 — I just purchased a used piano because my dd is starting piano lessons and my twins are too young so they are starting just rhythm classes. Anyhow, I was not sure if to keep the piano downstairs in our house (live in an apartment) for fear of the twins being to rough…. or upstairs with grandpa and have her start to practice upstairs. From your blog you recommend where she spends most of the time which would be with us… and then you say to have the piano at home for them to get used to it… Thank you so much!!! I am just glad that you said that nothing will happen to it from playing.. which I know will be a lot of until the excitement wears off. I will keep you in my favorites as this journey just begins.
February 7th, 2013 at 2:59 pm
If you’ve been blessed with a neighbor or family member who’ve learned a string instrument or a wind instrument, do you remember when they first started learning? How did they sound as a beginner? Yes, if you’ve had this experience you already know where I’m going with this. Piano is the easiest instrument to sound good at right from the beginning, lowering frustration levels for the student and the people around them. I know because I learned the violin too and I’ve been to my share of violin recitals and band concerts. This advantage for piano is actually both a blessing and a curse–especially when you reach the advanced levels.
Also, the piano helps to lead into just about any other instrument your child could want to play next. I even know any drummers who started with piano. It helped with timing and playing with others well.
February 21st, 2013 at 11:50 am
[...] 10 Things You Should Do BEFORE Your Child Begins Piano Lessons. [...]
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:26 am
Great tips thanks, I recently bought a digital piano because of lack of space (only have a small apartment)
for now….already my toddler is playing “tunes” on it. I’m hoping it will continue for many years to come and he will enjoy and learn to play tunes for his mom
March 3rd, 2013 at 7:56 am
I LOVE
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May 3rd, 2013 at 3:29 am
Thanks for a great post. I shared it on my studio page for parents to read. I love #1,2 and 3 – well said.
May 4th, 2013 at 5:19 pm
Whilst I think there are many very valid points here in the list of 10
I would like to comment, perhaps more by way of adding to what should be done before starting formal piano lessons.
I particularly will comment on
1. Children should start learning on an acoustic piano
2. Children should be able to recite the alphabet
3. Introducing Treble and Bass clefs as a measure of high and low.
It is my belief that children have an innate feeling of music from the very earliest of days. There is some evidence also that this goes BEFORE they are born – in utero. In fact I have tested this a little with my own grand daughter (now almost 3) and can say that I believe there is some evidence for it, based on a sample of 1. But that’s another story involving a piece of piano music of Schubert.
However, I believe that we should be encouraging children from the very earliest of days to experience music – at this stage we are talking about responding to music – moving and singing and perhaps playing small percussion instruments – all the elements of music can be introduced in an age appropriate way, without any of the technical jargon. It seems a perfectly natural learning option and would be in itself a perfect grounding for learning instruments when the fine motor skills are adequately ready for it. This could be as young as 3 or 4 when their reading skills are not developed. Should we be stopping them? I believe firmly that the best learning for a child occurs during the first 7 years, when children are like sponges and when they most likely are innately musical beings.
An acoustic piano is a wonderful instrument and almost essential for playing music from late Classical era onwards. But it’s prudent to remember that Mozart and Haydn, and a young Beethoven, did not write for the modern piano as it is. That being said it’s almost impossible to imagine putting Liszt or Debussy on anything but a finely tuned/pedalled instrument to capture every nuance – but this is a LONG time into the learning process. An acoustic piano is a rather large investment and I would hate to think that the cost of that and its maintenance puts anyone off.
I want to see that society puts as much value in music education as they do on gaining sporting prowess. We wouldn’t THINK of restricting children from engaging in any sort of sporting activity until they had the fine motor skills required (and some maybe never will). My grand daughter does gymnastics and has done from age 2. She does swimming. And she has participated in music class from the age of less than 12 months. She sings in tune. She loves to sit at any keyboard, whether digital or acoustic and experiment. She dances to music, reacting to the rhythm. Now she recognises those first 7 letters of the alphabet but I don’t think it necessary for her to associate sounds with letters. It’s confusing at this age. She sings recognising high and low by singing solfege and moving to feel high and low in her body, not to the right or left in a horizontal plane. She will start learning to play the piano (because we have one, as well as digital keyboards) long before 6 or 7 or 8. Not because she is super intelligent, but because it is a natural progression where music is as natural to her life as learning to move and to speak.
Music is a language and so we can see the natural relationship that develops as they learn the skills of language – first there is lots of listening. Then there is replicating sounds, random and maybe non-sensical perhaps, but gradually becoming ordered and refined and more complex. Then there is reading. Then writing. Immerse them in literature and music and they reap the rewards.
Not all teachers will be able, or willing, or trained enough to ‘teach’ the very smallest of toddlers. But as a teacher I so love it when a young student comes to me and already has music in the blood – not because they know the letter names of the notes, but because they ‘feel’ the music. I have seen children as young as 6 who are listening to what might be considered sophisticated classical music (one who listens regularly to Shostakovitch, he started early childhood music classes at about 18 months) and talks about how it makes them feel.
That’s a big investment by parents as well I know, but such an amazingly worthwhile one, given what we are learning about how good music is for brain function and even intelligence.
May 17th, 2013 at 9:41 pm
It’s an interesting one, isn’t it, the question of whether an acoustic piano is ‘worth it’ at the start. A topic worthy of a post all by itself.
I can’t imagine anyone in any context advocating for children to be denied access to music until they begin formal instrumental lessons. In a perfect world a musical education designed for very young children should precede the kind of instruction that happens in a piano lesson, and these days many more parents do seek out these experiences for their very young children than ever before. But if a parent has a seven year old child who hasn’t been in music classes since they a toddler (or before!) neither the parent nor the child should be led to believe that it’s too late! It’s not!!
One thing that is a delight is when young students begin their piano lessons already with a knowledge of solfège rhythm names – this, above all other early visual literacies, makes the first lessons incredibly easy for both student and teacher alike.
As to the alphabet: there are some children who struggle with reading, and there are children who struggle with sequencing, and my point about children being familiar with the first seven letters of the alphabet fails to account for these groups of perfectly musical children who are perfectly ready for one-on-one piano lessons. This omission needs to be rectified.
Having said that, there are plenty of 2 year olds who know their alphabet. And not many 2 year olds ready for piano lessons. If children don’t know their alphabet when they begin piano lessons it’s not a problem at all! But time will be spent, at some stage or other, learning what is not already known. And since most children beginning piano lessons are at school already….
I’ve never met a child who didn’t ‘have a feeling for music’ in some way or other. I have met children who don’t have a vocabulary for that experience. The piano lesson can be a joyous means for expanding the child’s capacity to articulate their musical ideas, either through their interaction with the instrument, through their voice (singing) or through words.
As to the treble and bass clefs – I’m not sure what the problem is with associating these symbols with either the idea of higher/lower or with the idea of the geography of the keyboard. Obviously the geography of a keyboard only comes into play if the child has access to keyboard instruments, but if a child does have the chance to experiment with any keyboard instrument this reality (where the high and low notes are to be found) will be apparent… Maybe I’ve missed something?!
May 19th, 2013 at 12:30 am
I started taking lessons when I was 8 or 9 and my parents bought this beautiful upright Kawai piano; however they didn’t just purchase it for me because my dad played piano, so it wasn’t like there was a chance I would decide I didn’t like it, quit, and the expensive piano went to waste. (It was no problem though, I loved and still love playing the piano). If your child is starting lessons I would recommend buying a keyboard for the first year, if they are under the age of 11 they won’t learn anything advanced enough for a full 88 key piano to make a difference (mostly twinkle twinkle little star and the like), but if they seem to love it and stick with it for a year or two invest in a nice piano. After about 3 years you cannot continue lessons effectively without a full weighted 88 key piano (preferably acoustic).
May 20th, 2013 at 4:20 am
These are all really good points you are making. As a piano teacher myself I know the challenges of teaching youngsters only too well. I particularly appreciate the fact that you bring up point 6. In my experience getting set up in front of the piano correctly is crucial to mastering the keys. I feel so strongly about it I recently made a video on that point. You can see it here: http://www.secondsightmusic.com/teaching_library.html