When should my child begin his/her piano lessons?
The average age from my experience is about five years old. But the age can be younger depending on the interest of the child. At these age, a child normally has the attention span to sit for ten to fifteen minutes and simple rhythmic and melodic patterns can be taught. Depending on the teacher, various methods may be used to provide the child with a positive attitude experience during their initial piano lessons.
How long should my child practice?
There is no set time for practicing, however, it is important that a child spends quality time with his/her piano rather than quantity. It is also very important to have concentrated and focused practice session on a daily basis.
How do I know if my child has talent?
Talent or gift is something that a child is born with. You probably heard this phrase said many times, "oh, that child is so talented", this simply means that the child is very natural at what he/she is able to do. Playing the piano maybe very natural and easy to that child. He/she may learn a piece of music in few days rather than few weeks, memorizing a piece of music is easy and not a struggle. Performing in front of the public is fun and exciting. And most of all, the child wants to play the piano and simply enjoys making music.
My child is not reading the notes, but rather plays by ear. How can I help him/her?
In the beginning, it is easier to play by ear than to actually read the notes on the page. Depending on the piano teacher and how early the child begins his/her lessons, a rote learning maybe used. A rote learning simply means that the child will imitate what the teacher is playing. Once the rote learning is enforced, a transition from rote to reading notes must be done in a very careful way. Many of the times, a child will memorize the notes quickly so that he/she doesn't have to look up at the book. If this happens too often, a child's ability to read notes will improve very slowly. In order to avoid this kind of situation, the child must practice reading notes before playing the new piece. Learn the patterns of moving notes and use flashcards to practice note reading. And writing notes of the pace they are playing will certainly help.
My child has difficult time memorizing his/her music, how can I help?
Memorization means retaining information in one's mind. How do you memorize music? by playing the music over and over again? This type of memorization is called finger memory and it will work for beginners. However, as the child progresses and plays more demanding pieces, finger memory is unreliable. The child must memorize by studying the piece's structure, form, harmonic and melodic aspects of music. If these theoretical works are studied very carefully, the child should be able to retain many pieces of music in his/her memory
Am I too old to learn how to play the piano?
People of many different ages find themselves asking the question: am I too old to learn piano? No matter your age, playing the piano is a wonderful skill to have for a variety of reasons.
Studies have shown that playing music reduces stress and improves the memory. Playing an instrument in a group also leads to lifelong friendships, while refining communication and social skills.