All About Choosing Piano Schools And Teachers
-
If you have a room to house the piano then you may do so but bear in mind because the room is small, the reverb will be strong. If it’s in the living room, adults need to be “disciplined” to make sure that there are no distractions (eg having the tv switched on) while the child is practising. When the child has his/her lesson depends on your schedule and the teacher’s schedule. How long depends on age, younger ones may start with 30 mins per lesson, older ones 45 mins, and as the child progresses, length of the lesson can increase. The teacher can advice you on the length of the lesson. Lessons are conducted once a week though I know of some who attend twice or even three times a week. These are generally the ones who are in the competitive arena.
-
micollh:
thanks jce.. can i ask, as my child is still with JMC.. i will go for pte either home /school after the JMC. your child having pte lesson at home, where do u put the piano ? in a room our living room ? usually what's the timing that u guys have the lesson ? evening on weekdays or weekends ? how long? how frequent ?
As long the child can practice without distractions (TV, game consoles, etc), any well-lit spot will do. Best if can get a dedicated room for the piano. Lessons should ideally be scheduled when the child is rested well and have some practice earlier in the day. So putting the piano lesson right after a 1 hour gruelling maths tuition or ballet is probably not a good idea.
I think the norm is to have a 45 minute to 1 hour lesson per week, any days will do as long it's regularly once a week and the child has sufficient time to practice. -
jce:
No. Think about it, the child only goes to the school once a week, most of the time the child practices at home (or at least should be). So the child should ideally be practising on a proper piano so that he/she can get use to playing on a piano. Keyboard is very different.
I agree with you! Even playing at the school's piano during lesson differs so much from the usual practice from own home piano cos we're so used to it & thus need to 'familiarize' with the piano in school again for that 30 min... -
Hi,
Can any parents share with me the best way to encourage your child to practice the piano everyday? My 6yr dd sits at the piano for only 15 mins and claims she’s done. We always end up fighting as a result.
I have used carrots and cane. Sometimes it works but I cant be resorting to that all the time. She is taking ger G1 this year. Any advice is appreciated! -
Cluelessmum:
Get a tutor that is friendly and patient to your kids. She will start loving the piano. Get her to listen to more classical pieces, bring her to piano concert, get more musical exposure. This kindof things can be more psychological...and the results can be seen in the long run only!Hi,
Can any parents share with me the best way to encourage your child to practice the piano everyday? My 6yr dd sits at the piano for only 15 mins and claims she's done. We always end up fighting as a result.
I have used carrots and cane. Sometimes it works but I cant be resorting to that all the time. She is taking ger G1 this year. Any advice is appreciated! -
Cluelessmum:
I wrote an article about this not long agoHi,
Can any parents share with me the best way to encourage your child to practice the piano everyday? My 6yr dd sits at the piano for only 15 mins and claims she's done. We always end up fighting as a result.
I have used carrots and cane. Sometimes it works but I cant be resorting to that all the time. She is taking ger G1 this year. Any advice is appreciated!
http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=34122
Anyway, it's not the duration that determines a good practice. A well planned and focused 1 hour practice is much more fruitful as compared to a 3 hours of aimless practice. So like what I have written in the article, plan what to accomplish in the practice sessions. Then you can apply the carrot or cane accordingly. If 15 minutes per day are not sufficient to accomplish what is needed to be practiced, then you can also slowly increase the practice time by one minute every few days until your girl becomes more used to longer practice session. -
Thank you all for the advice
Dreamaurora, your article is very enlightening and just what I needed! Im making the exact mistakes u have listed.. Thanks! -
great article!
-
Dreamaurora , thanks i saved in phone to refer anytime… haa
-
Cluelessmum:
Glad you find it useful. Just something I wrote in my spare time (which seems to be getting lesser nowadays :sad: )Thank you all for the advice
Dreamaurora, your article is very enlightening and just what I needed! Im making the exact mistakes u have listed.. Thanks! -
jce:
If you have a room to house the piano then you may do so but bear in mind because the room is small, the reverb will be strong. If it's in the living room, adults need to be \"disciplined\" to make sure that there are no distractions (eg having the tv switched on) while the child is practising. When the child has his/her lesson depends on your schedule and the teacher's schedule. How long depends on age, younger ones may start with 30 mins per lesson, older ones 45 mins, and as the child progresses, length of the lesson can increase. The teacher can advice you on the length of the lesson. Lessons are conducted once a week though I know of some who attend twice or even three times a week. These are generally the ones who are in the competitive arena.
I do wish we had 1 or 2 spare rooms that we can use for \"Library/Study\" and \"Music/Family\". That would be so great. But we don't.
Our piano is in the living room, leh. Where got the luxury? ANd place quite small. So yes, we have other kids playing X-box, gaming, watching TV programmes and talking etc in the same area since the living/dining is together. Kitchen very nearby too.
And when the boys are trying to save time - eg. can't wait to finish their daily practice so they can both play something together, they've even practised their individual routines/songs together at the same time in the same room. I don't know how they ever concentrate!!!!! But they don't seem to get confused! -
piano seems to be a defaut/ must learn kind of instrument. Any parents thinking of having ur kids learning other instrument like guitar, ukulele, erhu, guzheng…??
-
sweetmommy123:
piano seems to be a defaut/ must learn kind of instrument. Any parents thinking of having ur kids learning other instrument like guitar, ukulele, erhu, guzheng....??
Is it? Hah - I have 2 boys who have never learnt piano at all. They play different string instruments. -
Dreamaurora:
Maybe you can consider putting all the articles you wrote in one single thread so easier to find?
Glad you find it useful. Just something I wrote in my spare time (which seems to be getting lesser nowadays :sad: )Cluelessmum:
Thank you all for the advice
Dreamaurora, your article is very enlightening and just what I needed! Im making the exact mistakes u have listed.. Thanks! -
sweetmommy123:
piano seems to be a defaut/ must learn kind of instrument. Any parents thinking of having ur kids learning other instrument like guitar, ukulele, erhu, guzheng....??
Maybe coz its easier to start other instruments after learning piano? I wish I can learn harp also, but I have been told it is not a good idea if I still want to play piano. -
sacredmusicals:
Actually I think that the piano might limit the child if that's the first instrument they learn. Bc they just need to press the correct keys whereas for string for example, they have to be very precise in pressing the strings for the exact tone. But then, that's only my opinion. Might not be the same for others.sweetmommy123:
piano seems to be a defaut/ must learn kind of instrument. Any parents thinking of having ur kids learning other instrument like guitar, ukulele, erhu, guzheng....??
Maybe coz its easier to start other instruments after learning piano? I wish I can learn harp also, but I have been told it is not a good idea if I still want to play piano. -
We are looking for a good individual piano teacher who teaches ABRSM Grade 8 or diploma. Any recommendations? We live at Jurong East.
Thank You. -
Hi,
i am thinking of letting my 4 yr old boy learn piano.
i have a few questions and hope someone can help to answer.
-should i send to a school or to have a teacher coming or going to her place to learn
-can we get a keyboard first and test water the child interest? cos i dont want to have a white elephant in the house.
-anyone has contact of teacher to recommend?i staying in the east. can email me at [email protected]
-do we go teacher's place or teacher come our place?
- what is the current rate?
Thank you -
germum:
If you wish to start individual lesson, I generally recommend getting a full time home-based piano teacher if you want a stable teacher. It is more expensive and troublesome, but definitely worth the trouble if you want the quality and stability. Most music school and travelling teachers often suffer from poor attrition rate. Music schools' teachers often change (unless study direct with owner) and travelling teachers may drop your son out anytime (yes, it happened to one of my current student because the teacher wanted to focus on her full time career).Hi,
i am thinking of letting my 4 yr old boy learn piano.
i have a few questions and hope someone can help to answer.
-should i send to a school or to have a teacher coming or going to her place to learn
-can we get a keyboard first and test water the child interest? cos i dont want to have a white elephant in the house.
-anyone has contact of teacher to recommend?i staying in the east. can email me at [email protected]
-do we go teacher's place or teacher come our place?
- what is the current rate?
Thank you
As a starter instrument, I recommend a minimum of properly weighted digital piano, which nowadays you can get from $800-2000. Best if you can invest in a better instrument from the start to show to your son that you are serious about piano. If you just want to test the water first, you can send your son for appreciation courses such as JMC. For this purpose, a keyboard will be sufficient.
Hope that helps, PMed you a contact for a teacher in the East. -
Hi,
I am looking for a female teacher to teach my 4 years old boy..
prefer to go teacher's plac/studio in the east as currently no piano at home.. planning to get a keyboard first.
Prefer a weekday night.
If anyone has any suitable teacher to recommend, please email me at [email protected]
Thanks in advance.