starting piano lessons

[Anonymous]

DD who’s turning 5 next month has been asking for piano lessons. We have been recommended a teacher who’s been teaching through Zoom. She seems to be an accomplished musician who plays various instruments and is also an art teacher.
Do we start via distant learning or is it better to wait snd start in person?

[Anonymous]

I would talk with the teacher and get a recommendation based on your child’s age and interests, and I would talk with your kid — who I’m guessing has some familiarity with Zoom. I would then do a limited number of trial lessons and evaluate the situation with the teacher and your child.

I would tend to try it now as something new and fun to do — reasoning that trying it later will always be an option, but trying it again Now will not be. If it seems unwieldy, you can always stop and revisit when face to face is more advisable.

Do you have a piano? I’m guessing that a parent or family member will have to attend the Zoom lessons as well with a young beginner.

[Anonymous]

I would wait to be able to start in person. Even a motivated five-year old has a limited attention span. She needs to see the teacher's hands move on the piano in person, otherwise I am not sure you'd be getting value for money.

[Anonymous]

1. Each instrument is a specialty unto itself. A good teacher only teaches one instrument and has a career in that instrument.

2. It is infinitely better to learn an instrument (or anything, really) the correct way first, than to dabble and then find out you have to work a hundred times harder to rid oneself of bad habits. Please find a real expert. Otherwise there will be posture, fingering and other problems in your child's future.

3. I highly recommend you seek a piano teacher at Levine Music or another reputable music school. Teachers there will already be vetted, they will be professional, and are used to teaching online.

4. If your child is 5, consider a Suzuki program for piano (also offered at all the major music schools). The Suzuki method is geared for young children and starts by teaching the child by ear. You can also try the traditional, note-reading, method as well, of course, or find a teacher who does a bit of both.

[Anonymous]

OP, your child should start in person. There’s so much more to playing the piano than learning the notes. There’s not much benefit to private lessons through Zoom unless they’re some kind of masterclass for advanced learners.
Also please be aware that secondary piano is taught to all instrumentalists and just because someone can play a bit of piano does not qualify him/ her to teach it.
Why don’t you buy a LUMI keyboard and have your child play it matching pitches to the colors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, your child should start in person. There’s so much more to playing the piano than learning the notes. There’s not much benefit to private lessons through Zoom unless they’re some kind of masterclass for advanced learners.
Also please be aware that secondary piano is taught to all instrumentalists and just because someone can play a bit of piano does not qualify him/ her to teach it.
Why don’t you buy a LUMI keyboard and have your child play it matching pitches to the colors.

You can also look into MUSICO program. It’s very clear and kids of any age can just follow the lights to play the correct key in a much more efficient way than a teacher trying to do it via Zoom, FaceTime or another platform.

[Anonymous]

I'd note that 4 (or even 5) is pretty young to start formal music lessons. I've heard of teachers preferring that kids are reading fluently (maybe because of the parallels of reading music?). They also have to be motivated to pay attention and respond to correction. Given all that, and the lack of in-person lessons for now, I'd wait.

[Anonymous]

Piano lessons in my experience don't start immediately at the piano, so perhaps you could have your child learn theory and the basics virtually. However, I would wait to be in person to start actually playing on the piano.

[Anonymous]

According to music teachers at a specialized music school in Moscow, the most efficient way for online lessons is for the advanced students to record themselves playing and send it to their teachers, who will then listen, critique and send another recording back. For beginners or those who need help with reading score, this method or any method won’t really work. They will have to wait until in person instruction starts happening.
Hopefully things will improve soon so they your kiddo can start with regular piano lessons.

[Anonymous]

I am a new poster. Online piano is not working for my 7 year old nephew with ADHD child who loves to play. Unfortunately, his teacher is not offering in person classes yet.
Anyone know of a good teacher who has experience with younger kids and does piano lessons at home?

[Anonymous]

Beginner piano lessons do not work via Zoom, in my opinion. The teacher should be adjusting finger position and cannot do so via screen.

I would try to find a teacher willing to teach on a keyboard in a garage while student, teacher and parent (if present) wear masks.

[Anonymous]

Also if you want in person lessons, please do not have unreasonable expectations. The teacher cannot stay at least 6 ft. away from the student. A good teacher will correct posture and positioning of the shoulders, wrist, hands and fingers.
Don’t expect a contactless lesson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1. Each instrument is a specialty unto itself. A good teacher only teaches one instrument and has a career in that instrument.

2. It is infinitely better to learn an instrument (or anything, really) the correct way first, than to dabble and then find out you have to work a hundred times harder to rid oneself of bad habits. Please find a real expert. Otherwise there will be posture, fingering and other problems in your child's future.

3. I highly recommend you seek a piano teacher at Levine Music or another reputable music school. Teachers there will already be vetted, they will be professional, and are used to teaching online.

4. If your child is 5, consider a Suzuki program for piano (also offered at all the major music schools). The Suzuki method is geared for young children and starts by teaching the child by ear. You can also try the traditional, note-reading, method as well, of course, or find a teacher who does a bit of both.

Don't do Suzuki for piano. There's no point to it.

If your 5 year old is reading, then go forward with piano lessons. If she's not reading then wait or start on a different instrument.

Also, try to find an in-person teacher. There are some, more now than in the spring or early summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1. Each instrument is a specialty unto itself. A good teacher only teaches one instrument and has a career in that instrument.

2. It is infinitely better to learn an instrument (or anything, really) the correct way first, than to dabble and then find out you have to work a hundred times harder to rid oneself of bad habits. Please find a real expert. Otherwise there will be posture, fingering and other problems in your child's future.

3. I highly recommend you seek a piano teacher at Levine Music or another reputable music school. Teachers there will already be vetted, they will be professional, and are used to teaching online.

4. If your child is 5, consider a Suzuki program for piano (also offered at all the major music schools). The Suzuki method is geared for young children and starts by teaching the child by ear. You can also try the traditional, note-reading, method as well, of course, or find a teacher who does a bit of both.

Don't do Suzuki for piano. There's no point to it.

If your 5 year old is reading, then go forward with piano lessons. If she's not reading then wait or start on a different instrument.

Also, try to find an in-person teacher. There are some, more now than in the spring or early summer.

I agree that Suzuki isn't great. I took Suzuki piano lessons starting when I was 5 and ended up just having to re-learn everything when I was 8. It doesn't teach you to read music, which really limits your independence as a musician. A good teacher will incorporate ear training (the primary goal of Suzuki) into lessons, along with teaching the kid to read music.

[Anonymous]

We have a teacher from the Levine school of music for our 6 year old. He is excellent, but teaching young kids over the ipad is a struggle.

here are some things he demands:

-Since going virtual, he teaches by rote rather than by the book (he plays and my son repeats back and memorizes the song that way). It's kind of cool, i actually like the memorization requirement.

- i have to be there the whole time adjusting his fingers. I was also a piano player, so I'm basically the assistant teacher (in before times, i didn't have to be there at all, obviously!)

I was iffy about it, but since lockdown seems like a new reality, I didn't want to have a break of a year or two, and this is better than nothing. FWIW, he doesn't accept children younger than 6, and thinks it is too young for formal lessons.