Is Your Child Ready for Piano Lessons?

As a kid, I thought pianos were so cool. Every time I happened to wander into a room with a piano, I had to go touch it. I remember walking around department stores and "playing" a set of jeans hangers on a low-lying rack, pretending they made up a set of piano keys. My parents noticed this interest in me, and eventually bought me one of those light-up Casio keyboards. When I heard music in a television commercial that I liked, I quickly learned how to jab around on the keys until I was able to duplicate the melody. Shortly thereafter, I was enrolled in piano lessons.

What is an appropriate age to begin lessons?

The honest answer is that it depends on the child. I start with students as young as age 6. On the student's part, a productive piano lesson requires some basic literacy, fine motor skills, and a decent attention span.

Here are 5 things to ask yourself when considering piano lessons for your child:

---

1. Does my child show an interest in playing the piano/music in general?

My parents noticed I was drawn to pianos and that I had a knack for picking up melodies by ear. Does your child seem curious about the piano? Does he/she enjoy playing around with toy pianos, xylophones, or the big piano at Grandpa and Grandma's? If your child shows a general attraction toward the piano or creating music in general, he/she will likely be more inclined to practice.

2. What is my child's attention span like?

Can your child sit still for a decent period of time? Typical beginning piano lessons are 30 minutes long. I like to supplement my lessons with fun activities to get kids off the bench, but learning new songs still requires some focus at the piano. If your child can't seem to sit still for more than 10 minutes, private lessons will be a challenge, and home practice will be exceptionally difficult.

3. Does my child know how to read and write letters & numbers?

Learning music is much easier when you can recognize letters and numbers. Beginning piano technique requires the knowledge of at least letters A-G (notes on the staff) and numbers 1-5 (finger numbers). Many primer level songs also include song lyrics which, when able to read, can make learning them that much more fun!

4. Is my child clear about the concepts of left/right , up/down , and high/low?

Spatial awareness is critical for a successful piano lesson. Young students need to know the difference between their left and right hands in order to place their fingers on the correct keys. Different piano sounds are recognized as "high" and "low." Consecutive notes on the staff are read as "going up" or "going down." If your child displays a good sense of physical direction, he/she is in good shape for beginning lessons.

5. Do I have a piano at home?

This is huge. You don't have to have a grand piano, or even an acoustic piano for that matter. But you do need to have some sort of real piano in your house. Although they are beautiful and they truly display how a piano should feel and sound, I don't require my students to have an acoustic piano at home- they can get expensive, and some living situations just don't allow for it. I think it's okay to start out with a basic keyboard, and then transition to something more permanent as time and interest develop.

Not sure what to look for in a keyboard? Here's a quick checklist:

1. 88 weighted keys

2. Touch sensitivity (for playing loud/soft)

3. A sustain pedal

4. A stand

5. A bench/chair

6. An attachable music stand to place books on

If you don't yet have a piano and are looking for a deal, try looking on Craigslist, the used section of a music store, or your local Facebook buy/sell/trade groups. Just make sure to give it a good inspection before you make the purchase.

---

That's it! Although this list isn't exhaustive, it highlights the 5 main things I look for when accepting new students into my studio. Feel free to share your thoughts, comments, and questions below!