5 Things to Consider Before and After Starting Piano Lessons

Are you considering piano lessons for your child?

Learning a new skill or hobby can be exciting but can also be daunting.

Here are 5 things which you should consider doing before and after your child starts to learn the piano:

1. Invest in a piano and a bench

Whether you are planning to purchase a digital or acoustic piano, having one in your home is essential prior to starting lessons.

If you are living in an apartment, rented house or an accomodation where you need to be more sound conscious, or if you just prefer the versatility of a digital piano (e.g various sounds to choose from which adds fun and creativity to the learning and playing process), there are several features to look out for when purchasing a digital piano:

A. Number of Keys

An acoustic piano has 88 keys.

In contrast, a digital piano can have less keys (61 or 76 keys) or have equivalent keys to an acoustic piano.

If you are keen to purchase a digital piano, investing in an 88-key digital piano is recommended especially if you envision your child learning and playing the piano in the long run.

Having a full-sized digital piano removes any limitations to pieces which may require students to play notes which are pretty high up or low down the piano. Playing these high or low notes in such pieces wouldn't be possible if the keys are already missing to start off with!

B.Graded/Progressive Hammer Action

Without going into the technicalities of the instrument, graded/progressive hammer action means more resistance on the piano keys. This requires students to apply more pressure and strength when playing on the piano keys.

Digital pianos with weighted keys also offer more resistance on their keys compared to semi-weighted or non-weighted options.

However, graded/progressive hammer action pianos mimic the feel and touch of an acoustic piano more accurately than weighted key pianos because they are designed in a way where the lower keys of the piano are heavier to the touch whereas the higher keys are lighter to the touch (as how acoustic piano keys are like).

If you're considering to purchase a digital piano, I recommend that you opt for one with hammer action.

The resistance element of the keys is essential to helping students develop their musical skills, such as developing finger strength and playing with dynamics and articulation.

C. Quality of Sound

The sound and tone produced by a digital piano should mimic the sound and tone of an acoustic piano.

I will recommend that when you are at the music shop, do try out playing on the keys of several different digital pianos. You will realise that there will be a difference in the tone and sound produced for each digital piano.

Ultimately, what sounds better for you and your child is subjective and there is no right or wrong answer to this!

Essentially, you would want to pick a digital piano which produces a sound that is pleasant and has that 'wow, it sounds like an acoustic piano!' factor for you and your child.

D. Metronome Function

The metronome is used to help students keep a consistent speed/tempo in their playing and prevent them from inadvertently slowing down or speeding up when they play their pieces.

It is also recommended to enquire with the salesperson whom you purchase your digital piano from as to how to use the metronome function for the particular piano model you're intending to purchase as this can vary slightly depending on the manufacturer, brand and model of the digital piano.

Just like how a violin comes with a fiddle, a piano will also need its equivalent of a violin's fiddle, i.e a proper piano bench.

I will recommend a piano bench which can be adjusted to suit your child's height (which continually changes as your child grows).

An adjustable piano bench is important to ensure that your child practises and plays the piano with proper posture, as poor posture can lead to strain and in more serious cases, injury.

2. Placement of Piano

After you've chosen the ideal digital or acoustic piano for your home, now you have to consider where to place your piano (aka the "piano practice area").

Ideally, it will be good to place the piano in an area of your home with lots of natural light and away from "e-distractions" (e.g television, video game consoles, etc.).

If you've purchased a digital piano, you'll need to have it close to a power port as digital pianos require electricity for power.

I believe decorating the piano practice area and making it an inviting and comfortable place which your child would enjoy being in is also important as the environment in which your child practises can affect their morale and motivation to practice.

3. Knowing Their ABCs (and EFGs!)

Piano notes consist of 7 different alphabet letters being A-B-C-D-E-F-G.

If your child can already confidently remember the first 7 letters of the alphabet, it will be good if they are able to recite them from back to front (i.e G-F-E-D-C-B-A).

This will help in their lessons, especiallly when they start having to play different notes which moves up or down in steps and skips.

4. Show Interest & Be Involved

Back when I was still taking piano lessons (ah.. the good old days), my parents never had the opportunity to learn music themselves.

However, they would still make the effort to show interest in my playing, e.g telling me that I played well, asking me the details of a particular piece I played, or even telling me what their favourite pieces were which encouraged me to play it more often for them.

Showing interest and being involved in your child's musical journey is crucial to their interest, passion and development in the craft.

Some ways which you can show interest and be involved in your child's musical journey are:

- Asking them what their favourite pieces are;

- Asking them to teach you little parts of their favourite pieces;

- Complimenting their playing; and

- Providing them with positive encouragement during their piano practice.

5. Music Outside Lessons

This is something that I strongly encourage my current students to engage in.

I have students who tell me that they don't listen to much music in general which presumably will mean that the most time they have with music is when they're either:

a) practising at home; or

b) playing their pieces during their piano lessons with me.

Arguably, this only serves to limit their musical growth as they will only know music to be the songs which they learn during their piano lessons (i.e only 30 mins in a week).

In my personal and respectful opinion, encouraging your child to listen to music outside of lessons and just in their day-to-day life is quite important in fostering their interest and passion in music.

Inevitably, your child will come across songs which they will take a liking too or even label as their favourite(s).

When that happens, you can always check in with their piano teacher as to whether teaching your child their favourite songs is a possible option.

This will make piano lessons more relatable and enjoyable for your child and also help foster their interest and passion in music.