Taking Piano Lessons
The first step to learning any musical instrument is setting up lessons with a professional who can teach you everything that you need to know. There are many people who teach piano lessons from their homes as well as from studios and school band rooms. You just need to find someone with whom you are comfortable and make a commitment not only to them but to yourself to do the best you can.
Learning a new skill is often daunting and frustrating, so you need plenty of encouragement – from your family and friends, from yourself, and most importantly from your teacher. Even when you feel that you did a horrible job, you need to remain positive and accept the encouragement from your piano instructor. They will provide you with constructive criticism because while they want you to stay positive, they also want to correct any mistakes that could be habitual.
While you will be anxious to learn everything as fast as you can, you need to pace yourself. Your teacher will challenge you just enough to keep you interested without overwhelming you to the point of quitting. If you think that you are up for more of a challenge, let your teacher know so that they can keep you on the right path to success. In addition, the teacher should make you challenged enough and keep you motivated enough to practice so that your improvement continues at a steady pace.
All of these factors for taking piano lessons apply to your child or children as well. They need to feel comfortable with their piano instructor, receive much encouragement (without nagging), and be able to proceed at a pace that is comfortable to them – not to you. If they tell you that it’s too hard, then you need to follow up with the teacher and make sure that they are challenging your child/children at the pace that is right for them.
Some people say that the benefits of taking piano lessons do not outweigh the costs involved. It is true – the cost of learning to play the piano is rather steep for some. Piano lessons cost money – not only for the teacher’s fee, but for books, notebooks, practice materials such as a metronome, etc. And if you don’t already have a piano in the family, that cost can be very great to purchase.
Another “cost” involved is time – time for lessons, time for practice, time for recitals. And this is not just the student’s time we are talking about. The parent’s time driving to and from lessons, listening to practices, recitals, etc. needs to be factored in as well.
But overall, if the student (whether it’s you or your child) is committed, then taking lessons will pay off in the end and a successful pianist will emerge. |
