All About Choosing Piano Schools And Teachers

[Imami]

On accelerated learning and \"unorthodox\" teaching methods - how would non-musical parents know if these are suitable? For me, I don't even know what's the normal speed of learning So how would I know if the teacher has indeed accelerate or not this is especially if my kid is not going for grading. At least if the child is going for grading, based on the time taken to clear grade 1, we can gauge reasonably if the progress is fast or normal (note: this is purely referring to the speed, nothing said about the quality of the passing of exam).


Of cos, one way is to see if the kid thrive under such arrangement.

After 4 months of learning, actually I still can't determine if my kid is serious about learning piano. But I do know he enjoys his lessons, likes to know more about music and accepts that learning to play a piano involves much practicing (his idea of regular practice is once or twice a week but kudos to him, he turn up at the piano willingly and punctually after being told the time we would start our practice). For now, I am very happy with his progress.

[fifiyeo]

Teacher wants to know if DS has time to practice often like everyday.

DS is agreeable to daily practice of 30mins or more. I taught him the basic scale the day the piano arrived and he has been at it everyday since. His first lesson will start in Dec. I think I am the one who is feeling the stress because I don’t want to do anymore extra ‘homework’. DS looks pretty excited and happy!

[cherrygal]

Hi parents


Can I know what age is best to begin 1-to-1 piano lessons? My elder boy tried it at 5yo but lost interest in less than a month. Refused to touch it anymore. Now girl is interested but I am not sure if I should let her do it so early. Also, do recommend a kid-friendly piano class if you can. Preferably at a music school or the CC coz I dun intend to invest in a proper piano yet. I am not that particular about hitting any graded milestones. Just to develop her interest. Appreciate any advice. Thank you.

[Imami]

cherrygal:

Hi parents


Can I know what age is best to begin 1-to-1 piano lessons? My elder boy tried it at 5yo but lost interest in less than a month. Refused to touch it anymore. Now girl is interested but I am not sure if I should let her do it so early. Also, do recommend a kid-friendly piano class if you can. Preferably at a music school or the CC coz I dun intend to invest in a proper piano yet. I am not that particular about hitting any graded milestones. Just to develop her interest. Appreciate any advice. Thank you.

Hello cherrygal,

I think it's child dependent. Mine starts at 5yo, straight from the start he is having 1 to 1 lesson. Never even been to any appreciation classes too.

Have you thought of why your elder one lost interest?

[cherrygal]

We went to a music school (not Yamaha) but he said the teacher (20yo part timer) was boring… just taught the basics, never played any song. Guess he was too anxious to start playing real songs. Bought all the books and materials and felt it was such a waste of $$ when he gave up but I didn’t want to force him. Tried asking him about it even now but the experience seems to have made him swear off piano or instruments requiring the knowledge of musical notes. Guess the theoretical part was really boring to him. And maybe the young teacher was inexperienced…


Is it necessary to sit with the kid to practise every day? I am impressed with your dedication Imami but will it be OK to send the kid for weekly lessons without in-between practices at home?

[Dreamaurora]

Imami:

On accelerated learning and \"unorthodox\" teaching methods - how would non-musical parents know if these are suitable? For me, I don't even know what's the normal speed of learning So how would I know if the teacher has indeed accelerate or not this is especially if my kid is not going for grading. At least if the child is going for grading, based on the time taken to clear grade 1, we can gauge reasonably if the progress is fast or normal (note: this is purely referring to the speed, nothing said about the quality of the passing of exam).


Of cos, one way is to see if the kid thrive under such arrangement.

After 4 months of learning, actually I still can't determine if my kid is serious about learning piano. But I do know he enjoys his lessons, likes to know more about music and accepts that learning to play a piano involves much practicing (his idea of regular practice is once or twice a week but kudos to him, he turn up at the piano willingly and punctually after being told the time we would start our practice). For now, I am very happy with his progress.

Whether to accelerate the child or not will depend on the child's own motivation level and desire to improve. Being accelerated require a higher level of commitment and discipline from the child, and forcing a child against his/her will to be accelerated is definitely counterproductive and can be traumatic.

Normally I will observe a student if he/she is disciplined enough to practice independently with little or no prompting from parents. If a child can do this, then I will discuss with the parents if they are okay with the child being accelerated. But if not, then the child will progress normally i.e. one grade per year. Even if a child appears to be talented or very capable in playing, without the prerequisite self-motivation, I will generally not recommend accelerating the child.

[Dreamaurora]

cherrygal:

We went to a music school (not Yamaha) but he said the teacher (20yo part timer) was boring... just taught the basics, never played any song. Guess he was too anxious to start playing real songs. Bought all the books and materials and felt it was such a waste of $$ when he gave up but I didn't want to force him. Tried asking him about it even now but the experience seems to have made him swear off piano or instruments requiring the knowledge of musical notes. Guess the theoretical part was really boring to him. And maybe the young teacher was inexperienced...


Is it necessary to sit with the kid to practise every day? I am impressed with your dedication Imami but will it be OK to send the kid for weekly lessons without in-between practices at home?

The young teacher was probably trained under a teacher who insist on strong foundation before being allowed to practice any piece. This kind of approach may not work with all students.

For the very young ones (4-7) it is advisable to sit together to observe and help correct technique if necessary. But as soon as the child is self-aware of his/her own mistakes and able to organise his/her own practice, I ask the parents to leave the kids alone to practice. This generally happens approximately one or two years after the first lesson. Parents can then occasionally check the progress by asking the kids to perform their pieces. For older kids and teenagers it is generally advisable not to interfere with their practice sessions.

[Dreamaurora]

cherrygal:

Hi parents


Can I know what age is best to begin 1-to-1 piano lessons? My elder boy tried it at 5yo but lost interest in less than a month. Refused to touch it anymore. Now girl is interested but I am not sure if I should let her do it so early. Also, do recommend a kid-friendly piano class if you can. Preferably at a music school or the CC coz I dun intend to invest in a proper piano yet. I am not that particular about hitting any graded milestones. Just to develop her interest. Appreciate any advice. Thank you.

For young starters, as long can sit still for at least half an hour and parents are willing to assist practice at home, I would not mind taking them in. I had kids who started as young as 4 with me, but I have also encountered older kids around 6-7 who do not have enough mental maturity yet. So really, it depends.

You would probably want to source for a teacher who can relate well with the kids. This kind of teacher is more animated in lesson and able to stimulate learning by stirring the imagination of the kids e.g. make up a story to accompany the piece. Does not matter whether you are looking for a private, music school, or CC, always request for a trial and observe the way the teacher conduct the lesson first before committing long term.

Even if you don't intend to invest in a proper piano yet, I would recommend at least getting a properly weighted digital piano. 2nd hand ones are pretty cheap and you can get one below $500.

[Dreamaurora]

Imami:

waiyean:

My daughter took about 1.5 years from the time she first touch the piano to her grade 1 exam/quote]

:yikes: wah..... IF my son is going for grading, then we need to wait three years then! :faint:

1.5 years/18 months is actually the recommended duration of study by ABRSM to attempt grade 1 from beginner. Longer than that, the child may feel that he/she is progressing too slowly and may lose morale. Hitting milestones is an important source of motivations, especially at higher grades where the pieces pose great challenges. Getting to appreciate music is equally important, but no students like to remain stagnant.

[Imami]

cherrygal:

Is it necessary to sit with the kid to practise every day? I am impressed with your dedication Imami but will it be OK to send the kid for weekly lessons without in-between practices at home?

I believe it is necessary to practice daily in order to progress faster. However, my kid doesn't do that. We don't sit at the piano everyday to practice but I can tell my son think about playing the piano everyday. I would catch him moving his fingers like playing an imaginary piano in the lift, while waiting for lift, shower time, waiting for meals etc. Strange, he doesn't automatically walk himself to the piano to do it

We usually make an appointment. Say I would tell him piano practice at 7.30pm. He would turn up at the piano at 7.30pm and we would go through what the teacher has set as homework. I would add on stuff that the teacher has taught before, mainly the basic finger works.

I don't have much dedication in this aspect. Honest. I serve as a guiding light and mainly observe my son's attitude towards playing piano. I do not insist on daily practice because it is not practical for him. Besides, there are days when he wants time for doodling (yes, this kid also likes to doodle) so I will indulge him.

The only possible thing I do that may set me apart from most parents would be I often bring my kid to watch orchestra performances, I buy CDs for us all to listen and watch YouTube (eg ellen degeneres has a series of guests: kid's who plays musical instruments very well/ talented, or clips of accomplished pianists/violinists eg yujia Wang, the piano guys or mozArt group) regularly.

We started off without a piano. I could see the teacher and my kid struggling. The teacher needed to spend time going thru the stuff she had taught before and my kid struggling to recall what he had learnt. Things got much better (even the teacher commented) after we got him a piano. And with a piano, we can work on the basic stuff like curling fingers, straight back, elevated wrists etc. Without a piano, u can't do all these properly.