Piano lesson

[Busymom]

Personally, I feel it is alright to start off playing with a keyboard if you are unsure whether you child’s interest in learning piano could be sustained beyond a few months, especially if your child is still young. Mine was 3+ was she first started with Yamaha under group lesson. Even though I have an upright piano at home, I didn’t let her play on it as I didn’t think her fingers were strong enough to play on piano at that age. I happened to have a 54-key electronic keyboard that I got for about $50 from a sale and just let her used it. Till today (2 years later), she is still playing the keyboard and occasionally on the upright piano. Maybe I should have let her start using the piano say about half a year ago, but to be honest, she continues to be able to cope well in her class (as in I do not see her being at all disadvantaged compared to others in terms of her playing). Another plus point, is that I do not have to worry about the keyboard being off tune, unlike the piano.


Getting a 2nd-hand piano is a good suggestion as well.

[pinkgorilla]

concern:

Hi,


My girl starts her 1-1 piano lesson when she is 5. Can someone tell me normally how long it takes before she can sit for her grade 1 exam?

Thanks.

How long it takes will depend on her progress. Let the teacher decides. I personally believe in going the through train approach if the teacher think it's suitable for the child - meaning skip some grades. Exam is very stressful for the kid, she practices the same 3 pieces for many months until she gets so sick of it. It's not necessary to take every single exam.

Some kids do even grades, 2,4,6,8 and some do odd, 1,3,5,7,8 . Do start on theory early. Grade 1 can skip, very easy. If kid is P2 and know some fraction, can do grade 2 theory straight away. The problem with theory is that there are alot of musical terms to memorise and she must have good memory. You need grade5 theory in order to do grade 6 practical. So coordinate with teacher, school work stress level and ability.

Skipping grade allow her to have time to do repertoire and fun pieces for her enjoyment. She can also have time to learn all kinds of musical styles. It's the same reason why secondary school kids take Integrated Program to skip 'o' levels so that they have more time to do enrichment activities.

Hope this helps

[Mandy-Alex]

Dear All,


You may go to this website of the new Musical School in Singapore.

This is the website : http://www.musicalartstudio.com.sg

Regards!

[jce]

I teach individual classes as well as group classes and I use flash cards and games for both classes to help them learn. It’s important for teachers to be creative and be able to cater to the individual needs of the student. Every child learns differently so the method of teaching should accommodate to this.


The younger child would probably benefit from group classes, like music appreciation, but at age 4+ or 5, a one-to-one would generally be quite suitable. Just make sure you find a teacher to suit your child. One who can build a good teaching relationship with the child.