Friday
Apr202012
What About Piano Lessons?
Friday, April 20, 2012 at 5:00AM
"There's nothing remarkable about it. All one has to do is hit the right keys at the right time and the instrument plays itself."
~ Johann Sebastian Bach
This picture is one of my favorites! My precious daughter was 9 months old - and I was.... well, 11 years younger than I am now!
My daughter heard piano music from the time she was conceived. I know she is more musical because of that.
I have always known my children would play the piano. No questions asked. I know you're thinking this is a rather militant attitude, and I agree with you. You require your children to learn math and learn to read, don't you?
I happen to believe reading and understanding music is just one of those things my children should KNOW, and it's an integral part of our homeschool. Learning to play piano helps us achieve the goal of becoming musically literate.
Remember Day 1 of this series, when I shared my favorite book with you? I urge you to consult Raising Musical Kids, by Patrick Kavanaugh, if you have any questions about piano lessons, their value, or how to approach finding a teacher, etc....
For what it's worth, here are my thoughts on children and piano (or any instrument for that matter) lessons:
1. Each child in our home is required to take piano lessons as part of their homeschool music education.
Miss B started with me at age 7 and once I saw she enjoyed it I found her a teacher. She still takes lessons now and loves it. GMan just started a few weeks ago with me and so far, so good!
What if they want to quit? Any skill worth mastering takes time, patience, and yes - sometimes a parent's nudging. I have personally seen many students of mine go through the "I want to quit piano" phase, and normally it is just that - a PHASE. Maybe it is finding music that is more exciting for them, or working out an incentive system, but I have witnessed peaks and valleys with my students.
What age should my child start? After almost 20 years of teaching piano I can recommend that children start when you feel THEY are ready....generally I have found this to be around the ages of 5-7.... but my older beginners have also been more motivated and progressed quickly. It depends upon the child!
2. A knowledge of piano helps you learn to play any other instrument.
Once you can play the piano and read music you can visualize that as you are learning other instruments. Piano gives children a foundation for further musical study.
3. I require daily practice. I also require participation in recitals and competition when they are offered.
Perseverance at a skill produces success and success produces confidence. The skills gained through public performance (and yes - a healthy amount of performance anxiety) are valuable and will help my children later in life.
4. Traditional piano lessons can be expensive, but sometimes you can find student teachers at a cheaper rate. A good place to look for a piano teacher is through the National Music Teachers Association.
Follow the link above to learn all about what questions to ask of a potential piano teacher, as well as search for a teacher in your area. Don't forget to utilize your local homeschool group - sometimes a simple email to your group inquiring about good piano teachers will be successful.
Be sure your piano teacher incorporates MUSIC THEORY into the lessons. You would be surprised at the number of children who learn to play piano, but cannot tell you the names of the notes or the values they receive!
5. Try your hardest to have a REAL piano!
I owned a piano before I had living room furniture... I know not everyone wants a piano THAT much, but you can also rent pianos, check on Craigslist or in the paper, or (again) consult your local homeschool group. If you decide to purchase a digital piano or keyboard, do your research! This article might help.
As with anything, I do believe some piano skills can be self taught. Check your local music store for method books and see what you like. These happen to my favorites:
Alfred's Music For Little Mozarts (ages 4-7)
Alfred's Basic All-In-One Piano Course (younger beginners)
Faber & Faber Piano Adventures (good for the more mature childhood beginner)
Back to that sweet baby girl of mine... she and I had the opportunity to see a performance of Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto this week. Avid music lovers refer to it as "RACH III". This piece is probably one of THE MOST DIFFICULT piano pieces there is... we heard a 23 year old play it with superhuman piano prowess. It was AMAZING! We had THIRD ROW SEATS.... even more amazing!
We read the program notes and my daughter was understanding much of the musical description of the piece. She made several comments to me during the performance about aspects of the playing.
As we left symphony hall, my daughter gave me a huge hug and said "Thank you, mom! That was one of the best things I've ever seen. I can't wait to tell Mrs. Day (her piano teacher) about this!"
Exposing our children to great music and affording them the opportunity to play an instrument is a gift. I hope I've given you a little to think about...
Other posts in this series:
Day 2: A Simple Way to Incorporate Music - SQUILT Notebooking Download
Day 4: Learning to Hear in a Noisy World - Exploring America's Musical Heritage DVD set giveaway
The 10 Days Series is organized by iHomeschool Network, a collaboration of outstanding homeschool bloggers who connect with each other and with family-friendly companies in mutually beneficial projects. Visit us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. And of course, visit all the 10 Days posts from these homeschool moms of the iHomeschool Network. You'll be blessed with tips on how to handle bad days, cultivating curiosity, teaching with Legos, and much much more!
Reader Comments (17)
I love that photo of you and your daughter! Precious!! Thank you for these basic tips about piano lessons - the question most ask and wonder about! We enjoy piano lessons around here and have one daughter that is ready and asking to start in the fall - at age 6.
Thank you, Mary. This further confirms my resolve to have my children keep on keepin' on when it comes to music. We started each girl in a parent/child piano-based music class when they were toddlers, and Lulu graduated to private lessons in the fall. Piano practice is the first thing they do for their "lessons" each day. They complain, but it's worth it.
What a great photo of you and dd. I so want to get my kids playing our piano. I just got it tuned and one of the kids is testing out freepianolessons4kids.com. So far I like what I see at this site. Dd is having fun too. We can't afford any lessons but free ones right now.
Blessings,
Dawn
Thank you so much for this post. I was hoping you'd address this in your series!
One of my daughters is very interested in music and I want to get her in lessons soon. I have two questions, one of which you addressed.
First, how much of a hindrance is it that we're a military family and will be moving a lot, thus, having to chance piano teachers. For example, I would love to start my daughter in lessons possible this summer when we move, but we'll be relocating again in just six months. Would it be best to wait until our second move where we'll be stable for a longer time?
Also, we do not have a piano and I don't forsee us being able to make the investment in one right now. How do you work in practices when you don't have a piano in your home? We do have a keyboard, but I'm not sure of the quality and how it would translate for piano playing/practicing.
Also, I love that photo of you and your daughter, it is really precious!!
Yes, yes, yes. Reading music is as important a life skill as arithmetic at our house, too. Piano is an essential life skill at our house. And a good piano is indispensable. Growing up, we had a barely-okay one for a beginner. A huge problem for me as I got better is that the piano was no fun at all to play--a couple of very important keys that wouldn't play, terribly out-of-tune and untunable.
I was so lucky to come back to lessons as an adult when I also had the resources to buy my dream instrument--way better than I'll ever be, but also my kids will never outgrow it. And even with the simplest pieces it is an absolute delight to listen to. I can't agree with you more about getting a real instrument.
Glad you had a good time last night. We were thinking about you!
This is great help - thank you! We have a piano but no funds for lessons right now, I'm starting to teach the children basics to get us going but would LOVE them all to learn eventually, blessings - Leah
This whole series has been great, thanks so much for putting it all together.
I agree with you on the importance of piano. My daughter has been taking piano lessons from me since Kindergarten, long before she was homeschooled. We love Faber & Faber Piano Adventures. We actually started with My First Piano Adventure and have grown up from there. She now has branched out to other instruments as well, but piano is still her first love.
Mary, I have so enjoyed this series you have done this week. I have gotten so many great ideas and resources.
Thank you for all the time I know you have invested in it. Love that picture of you and Miss B! :)
Mary, that is a beautiful picture of you and your daughter. I too believe music education is important. All of my children are interested in different instruments though. I am a saxophone player and only one wants to play. Reading all of these wonderful posts is leading me to wanting to invest more into their musical education! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing so much with us through this series! It has helped me to see the need to include more music in our home:)
I love that photo of you two! It is precious. Doesn't it just seem like yesterday that she was so small?!
Thanks for this whole series! I am really enjoying it and looking forward to more. I'm pretty much tone deaf and musically illiterate, but I think it's important for my kids to have music in their lives. My oldest are both in piano lessons which has been wonderful for them and the family.
Mary, Thank you so much for writing this series on music teaching. I am a piano teacher and your words have been a huge encouragement.
Hi. I just read your post after finding it through Pinterest! Congrats on seeing the importance of music for your family. It's one of the best gifts for a lifetime that we can pass on to our children. Just wanted to say how much I agree with your statement that a child should begin piano lessons when YOU the parent think he or she is ready. So many parents just automatically begin at say, age 6, when that child (esp. boys!) may be knee-deep brain-wise in learning to read and manage basic math facts. Taking on piano at this age would be frustrating and in a way, could be a waste of time and money. I've found that waiting until the child has mastered beginning chapter books allows them to focus more freely on the piano (one of the most difficult instruments to learn.) My son was 11 when he started with me and then went on to an outside teacher, after first trying unsuccessfully at ages 9 & then 10. (in the meantime we did composer studies.) He picked things up SO quickly at 11 and now at 13 enjoys performing for others and I never have to remind him to practice. My second son began with me at age 9.5 and that was perfect, too. My 8.5 yro son is learning recorder at a homeschool co-op. My 6 yro plays by ear when he feels like it. Research has shown that countless children drop out of piano lessons due to STARTING TOO EARLY (their brains were just not ready for it.) No need to rush it, in my opinion. And better to drive a horse that is light than one that is heavy in the hand. I do hope this encourages someone who is feeling they should delay starting lessons for their child until he or she is older for one reason or another.
Molly
Fantastic article, Mary! I've been a piano teacher for 20 years and I agree! I do prefer the Hal Leonard series to the Alfred for younger children though. In response to Molly, there are many children who have fantastic success when starting as early as 4 years old in piano lessons. In fact, studies on the brain show a difference in people who have started instrumental lessons BEFORE 7 years of age. I've always told families that most children 4 and up can start as long as they know the letters A through G and the numbers 1 through 10 and I enjoy watching them learn to read as they learn to play :)
Enjoyed reading this, Mary. Since you have taught piano lessons, what prompted you to seek an outside teacher? We don't have the funds for a piano instructer right now and my sister finally convinced me to teach my son myself since I had 11+ years of lessons. I'm 'able' to do it, but finding that we are not consistent with it like I would be if we were paying someone else...
Great advice, We are using Alfred's all-in-one course. I am not an expert by any means. Do you have any suggestions on resources that will help me teach my child beyond the book, like flash cards or teaching tips? Thanks!
Hello! I loved this post; have been teaching my five-year old since January and have absolutely loved it. I especially appreciated your suggestion to look for a student teacher. This is such a great opportunity for a young family starting and it's a huge help to the student teacher as well. In ninth grade I started student teaching at my teacher's studio and it really solidified my knowledge of theory (loved the plug for that, too!) and musicianship. Transferring the knowledge made me even more passionate about it. Looking forward to reading more!