8 Things to Know Before Signing Up For Piano Lessons
Are you thinking about signing you or your child up for piano lessons but don’t know if it’s the right time? Perhaps you’re trying to do some research before going that final step to sign up for piano lessons. You’ve come to the right place! Let’s talk about 8 things you should do know before signing up for piano lessons.
When age should I start piano lessons?
There is no fixed or absolute age a child needs to be before piano lessons are a good idea. It is generally agreed that 5-7 years is the ideal age range to begin taking piano lessons. Older kids will have a slightly easier time focusing on the lesson at hand and will have a quicker pace to learning their technique and music theory, but it doesn’t mean you can’t start earlier. A 5 or 6-year-old can still learn the basics of the piano while developing social and mental skills that are important to develop at that age. Depending on the child, even younger students than 5 can learn and explore on the piano. Famously, Mozart started piano lessons when he was only 3 years old!
Look for a few things in your child before deciding piano lessons are a good idea. Are their hands big enough to place five fingers on five adjacent white keys? This will be necessary to learn the basics of the piano. Are they able to read (normal words) well enough? Students need to be able to read and write at least the first 7 letters of the alphabet.
Know That Practicing Is Necessary
Practicing is extremely important for anyone learning the piano, whether you’re 6 or 60. As a parent of a child taking piano lessons, you need to ensure that your child practices enough in between his or her piano lessons. As we mentioned in a previous blog post, the amount of practicing your child does is not as important as how they are practicing. Having your child sit down at the piano and practicing long 60-minute sessions every few days is a quick way to burn a new musician out. And, they don’t learn a whole lot! Practicing is much better done in more consistent, shorter periods. Here at Surf City Music School, we suggest practicing every day and at the same time if possible. This keeps a consistent schedule and is a good way to stick with practicing. For younger students, we suggest anywhere from 5-15 minutes each day of practicing. For older students, that can be 10-30 minutes.
Be Patient
Parents often enroll their children in piano lessons for different reasons. Some just want their kids to have a socializing activity and to meet new friends. Others want their children to have an important musical skill for the rest of their lives. Either way, parents need to have a considerable amount of patience with their new little musicians. Your child may not turn out to be a prodigy, but that doesn’t mean they or you should give it up. Mastering a craft takes a long time, and as long as your student is making forward progress, they will master it eventually. In the meantime, they are building critical social and mental skills that will help them grow into mature adults.
Should you get a piano or a digital piano?
Click here to see our detailed article on whether a piano or digital piano is better for you.
Parents often have questions about what kind of piano is best for piano lessons. While both have their benefits and drawbacks, we almost always suggest going with a digital keyboard. An acoustic piano is great but will require some maintenance, like getting it tuned regularly. An acoustic piano can also be a much more expensive option than a digital piano and might not be a good starting instrument for a young pianist.A digital piano is what we suggest to all of our new piano students because, in most ways, it can feel just like a real piano for a fraction of the price.
How Much Are Piano Lessons?
Piano lesson costs can vary wildly depending on the teacher and their experience. Lessons can be anywhere from $30 to more than $100 for just a half-hour lesson. There is also an additional cost of materials and books to supplement the lessons. At Surf City Music School, each student goes through one level of books every 6 months, and each set of books is under $30. At other music schools, this price can sometimes be much higher.
If you think that piano lessons are a good idea for you or your child, learn more about our lessons here!
