Finding Great Kids Piano Lessons
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Kids piano lessons are a great thing to give your child. I can't say how many times I've had people say to me, "I wish I'd learned to play the piano when I was young." It's shocking! |
If your child wants to learn the piano or if you would like them to
learn it's necessary to find great piano lessons.
Benefits of Piano Lessons For Children
Kids piano lessons have a really beneficial outcome - possibly for the
rest of the child's life. For example:
- dramatic increase of spatial reasoning skills (34% above other
children)*
- increase in complex reasoning skills*
- increase in abstract reasoning skills necessary for math and science*
- ability in math, science and engineering higher than average students*
-
stress relief and healthy outlet for emotions
- increased creativity
- they can play the piano (of course!)
* Based on the studies of psychologists
Dr. Gordon Shaw and
Dr. Frances Rauscher from UC Irvine
How to Find Great Kids Piano Lessons
The first route I would go to find great kids lessons is to ask around. Talk to
parents who have kids in piano lessons. Get a referral.
Second, look online
for teachers in your area. Chances are if a teacher is online, they are
successful and have quite a number of student's coming to them. You
want this.
Third, keep your eyes open for flyers
and posters at the beginning of the school year. That is
the time when most teachers advertise - because usually that's when
everyone starts lessons again.
Questions to ask a potential
piano teacher
Once you find someone, here are some questions to ask:
1. How long have you
been teaching?
You may run into a high school student who is just starting. This is
not bad though. I started with my teacher when she was 17 and never
changed teachers. She was great!
2. What is your
schedule like?
You need to find out how easy it will be for you and this teacher to
coordinate a time that suites you both.
3. What is your level
or grade in piano? How long have you been playing?
(In Canada, the teacher needs to have a minimum of grade 8 piano in
order to teach.)
4. What books or
materials do you teach from?
(I recommend Piano
Adventures for kids.)
5. Do you have a
specialty?
If they do, chances are you've found a real professional player. This
doesn't mean that they are a good teacher but it does mean that they
know their stuff.
The Role of Parents in Kids Piano Lessons
The one thing kids really need to do in the beginning is practice! It's amazing the difference it makes.
If a child practices, they may get through 2-4 beginner books in a year as opposed to 1. To help make practicing easier, knowing what notes they are playing is critical
I have found in my teaching experience that kids who are left to practice when they want to, just don't. It is really helpful to create a structure around learning that kids follow and parents gently enforce. (You don't want it to become a negative experience but it does require some discipline.)
I can't tell you the number of times I've gone over the same material with students for weeks in a row. It is such a waste of time and money. Not for me, but for them.
What About An Online Course?
For kids, I wouldn't recommend learning online. Kids lessons and piano books are structured differently than adult books. Kids need more time to learn certain concepts.
Every online course I have found that focuses on kids has gone out of business. For that reason alone, I no longer recommend any.
If you have any more questions about kids piano lessons, feel free to contact me. For me, piano lessons was one of the greatest and long-lasting parts of childhood. I'd recommend them to anyone!
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