Piano Lessons for Beginners

Most people who have a desire to play a musical instrument dream of playing the piano. There is a mystique surrounding this particular instrument that separates it from all others, and pianists are generally held in very high regard among musicians.

Private piano lessons today have become quite an expensive proposition, and as a consequence, many people have been turning to online piano lessons as a more economical option. But is this digital method of delivery an effective alternative to the traditional one-on-one experience with a teacher?

Let’s examine some of the advantages and disadvantages:

On the Up Side

• It is significantly cheaper to get piano lessons online because the time, effort and expense associated with setting up and delivering digital lessons are a fraction of what traditional lessons cost.
• The material and teaching methods are no different from what you would expect from a live tutor.
• No travel necessary. You can study your music in the comfort and privacy of your own home without having to hassle with driving to your lesson.
• You can choose the type of music you want to play. While the rudiments of music apply to all genres, if you want to learn jazz or classical, you can select a course that focuses specifically on that musical form.
• You get to set your schedule to fit the demands of your day. You are no longer restricted to any particular weekday as you would be with offline lessons. You can practice whenever it’s convenient for you.
• You get to hear and see how your lessons are to be performed before you actually play them. This audio/visual component helps you understand what you are to do, and gives you a reference point against which to compare yourself.
• Whether you are a beginner or and experienced musician, you can find a piano course that appeals to your skill level.
• In some cases you get unlimited access to the entire library of lessons, videos, sheet music and other resourses the course provides.
• You can advance as quickly or as slowly as you want. There’s no timetable or deadline except those you may set for yourself.
• If you are a beginner, it’s an ideal way to learn the basics of music theory and get a feel for what playing the piano is all about, while progressing at your own pace.

On the Down Side

• As comprehensive as any particular course may be, it will never be sufficient to satisfy all your musical development needs. Sure, you could make remarkable progress and achieve a measure of proficiency, but at some point you will outgrow that course.
• Some of the finer points involved with technique, execution and expression may not get the attention they deserve. These are a few of the elements that contribute to “touch” – that subtle something pianists acquire which allows them to convey their emotions through their music.
• Since you don’t have a teacher monitoring your every practice, you could easily form bad technical habits which could hamper your long-term development.
• Not every musician or pianist who offers an online course is necessarily a great teacher. You don’t want to get stuck with a course that is poorly designed and is more confusing than enlightening.

A great online course may not be sufficient to guarantee a professional career as a concert pianist, but it can certainly provide you with the tools to entertain your friends at parties and play for your own enjoyment. And the cost in terms of time, effort and money, makes an online piano course an attractive proposition. The trick is to find the one that best suits your needs.

Every parent wants the best for their children and part of this is often music. However, it’s not a good idea to simply hire the first piano teacher you come across, there are some things you really should consider first. It’s important to realize that not all musicians are able to teach their art and not all music teachers are good at it . . . don’t waste your money on mediocre ones. Instead, do your research and make sure that the person you choose to teach your children piano is someone truly qualified to do so.

There are a few other things to consider, as well, so we’ve compiled this list for you.

Family

Readiness. Is your child ready to learn? Even the best piano teacher will have troubles teaching a child who is adamantly opposed to learning piano. Younger children will probably be more interested in learning, while older ones might rebel at anything that seems like work. Gauge the interest in piano carefully before you begin.

Practice. Do you have what it takes to ensure your child practices daily? It’s not going to help much if you find yourself ignoring practice and letting your kids watch TV instead of doing their homework. Unfortunately, kids tend to avoid this even if they enjoy the piano lessons, so you need to be ready to urge them to play.

Piano. If you want your little one to start tickling the ivories, you’ll be needing a piano in the house for practice times. It’s no secret that a real piano is expensive, so you might want to leave the real deal out of it for now. A more affordable alternative, though definitely not the same is a keyboard, which is often suffice until a child grows into a real piano.

Teacher

Distance. A piano teacher who lives within a decent distance from your home is going to be your best bet. These days, families are running from one activity to the next and there isn’t much time for long commutes. Another option is to find out if the piano teacher can come to your home.

Background check. Unfortunately, some families have learned the hard way that the music tutor they chose for their children should not have been allowed near kids. Do a background check on anyone you are considering letting near your children and keep them safe.

Experience. While experience and certificates are certainly not the only signs of a good teacher, they can definitely help. Someone who has been teaching for 30 years will have a few more tricks up their sleeve than someone who has just started a few weeks ago.

Likeability. Children have very keen people skills and tend to pick up on things that we don’t even notice. If your little pupil is not interested in continuing with this particular piano teacher, you might want to look elsewhere. It’s easiest for a kid (or anyone for that matter!) to learn from someone they trust.

Piano lessons can help shape a child’s life, so you’ll want to make sure you do a good job of choosing the right teacher. Kids are naturally interested in music and you’ll fare much better if you have the right teacher and think things through completely before enrolling them in classes. Knowing just what to expect is a good idea, so talk to the teacher about how much practice time will be expected and how many lessons each week, etc. This will all help you prepare for what is going to be a definite part of your lives from now on.

If you’d like to find a piano teacher it may not be obvious where to begin your search. Below are a few places that may help you in finding a piano teacher.

Phone Book – The most obvious of choices is to simply open up the phone book. Under the yellow pages look for piano instructors, musicians, or music. If you can’t find any piano teachers listed in these categories simply call up music stores in the area who should have referrals available for you. It is best to get as many names and numbers as you can so that you may interview each one, most likely via phone, to see if they meet your criteria. If you’d like a list of interview questions to ask piano teachers click here.

Music Associations – If you can’t find a good candidate on this website or the yellow pages try looking under local associations. Many larger cities have their own piano teachers associations so use your favorite search engine to look up “your city piano teacher association” to find possible results. Or try music teachers national association at www.mtna.org.

The Internet- There are many websites devoted to finding piano teachers. Simply google piano teachers along with your area to find teachers in your area. Also check out http://www.freepianostuff.com/piano_teachers.html for an online directory.

Local Colleges – Another great place to search is local colleges or universities. College music professors sometimes take on students from outside their college curriculum or may know of other teachers who are interested in taking on students.

Referrals – If you know of anyone who already plays the piano or has friends who have taken lessons consider asking them for a referral. A referral is a great way to discover a piano teacher and also may make the interview less intensive because you’ve already gained information about the teacher through a friend.

If you are an accomplished piano player then ask yourself, have you ever considered teaching the piano to others? This is something that you should really consider. Not only would you be able to earn some extra money, but also you would be giving your students a gift, the gift of music.

Once you know how to play the piano, a vast world of music will become available to you. You do not have to be a Mozart or Beethoven in order to teach others to play the piano. However, you do have to have patience, and a real love for teaching others. First and foremost, make sure that this is truly something that would be of interest to you, as this will take a large commitment both from you and from your students. You do not want to start teaching someone how to play the piano and then suddenly decide that you are not ready for it. Not only will you disappoint your students, in the end you will end up disappointing yourself.

The art of teaching the piano is a long and varied one. You may choose to teach young children or you may choose that you want to teach adults. In order to make this decision, you will have to decide which of the two groups you are mainly interested in. Do you want to see children experiencing the valuable gift of being able to sit down at a piano to show their parents what they have learned from you? Can you imagine the parents, their eyes gleaming as their little one plays their favorite song? The feeling of accomplishment? The fact in knowing that you have helped a child learn a valuable skill will change your life for the better. You have given them the magic of music.

If you decide that you would like to teach adults to play the piano, then you will have to consider that some adults will balk at the constant practice that learning that the piano demands. They will tend to make excuses; however, you will probably hear that they are not happy that they can only play the same song over and over. Why is this? It is because they do not have the full commitment which is required in learning to play the piano. Additionally, as their teacher you will have to constantly make them see that their money is being well spent. Seemingly, it is often more challenging to teach adults than it is children.

Children are usually excited at the prospect of being able to learn the piano, especially the younger ones. Most children that are in pre-school will look at the learning the piano as a wonderful and joyous thing. They will howl with laughter at their first attempt of playing a basic melody. Moreover, you will probably find more fulfillment in teaching younger children to play the piano. As the old saying goes, “Children are like sponges, the more that you give them to learn, the more they absorb.” As a piano teacher, what better way to help children learn something constructive?

Whatever you decide to do, make sure that you can make the necessary commitment. Remember that you are responsible for teaching the piano to whatever age group that you decide to teach and you will be able to relish in the fact that once they have learned how to play the piano, you will have given them the greatest gift of all, the legendary art of music.