Tag: starting piano lessons
Buying A Piano: Is It Conditional?
Sarasota Piano Lessons
Buying A Piano Is Contingent On What?
So, you’re considering buying a piano if “little Suzy of Johnny” is serious about those piano lessons. However, it seems like a bit of a “catch 22″… you’re not sure if you should get your child involved with piano lessons because you don’t know if his/her enthusiasm and sense of commitment warrants your making such a large investment.
This is not an uncommon predicament that so many parents are faced with. However, within this dilemma can often be found the most important determining factor as to whether or not you are in for a successful experience: The commitment has become conditional right from the very beginning.
Sure, like many things, a piano can cost a pretty penny. If your investment is going put strain on the expectations of your child’s mind set, practice habits, and commitment, you will find yourself enduring the same predicament that so many other parents fall victim to. If it is made known to your child that your decision to spend that substantial amount of money on an instrument will be considered to be a “good one” or a “bad one” based on his/her conduct, you just might be dealing with an uphill battle. This approach immediately places a possible stressful scenario on those little shoulders, which really is not warranted at all. Furthermore, if that youngster is always measuring his/her performance up against your conditions, it’s very possible it will have a negative impact on the enjoyment and benefits that might otherwise be reaped if the entire situation was unconditional.
One might consider an alternative approach, one that almost guarantees a rewarding experience in the long run. If you have a television in home, how much thought went into your making the decision that it would be an integral part of your household? In this day and age, it’s pretty much a given that a television is a “necessity.” Interestingly enough, it was the invention and marketing of the television that led to the diminishing of player piano as a source of family entertainment. Prior to that, a lot more homes were complimented with a piano in the living room.
Chances are great that, from the time that you knew you were alive, a television was something you knew to be available. It was a source of entertainment that was pretty much taken for granted. A television was always a must (with few exceptions). Imagine if the same were true of the piano. If a child is born into a family and, while growing up, was always exposed to the that musical piece of furniture being available, would you say the chances exist that this youngster will at least know that having music in his/her life to some degree is always an option? Would it be necessary for that piano to be the primary focus of that child in order for his/her life to be enhanced with music, to whatever extent? One does not have to be a professional piano player any more than one has to be a professional TV watcher in order to enjoy some of the benefits it has to offer.
Piano lessons ought to be offered in the same unconditional fashion. If you have made the decision to have a piano in your home, the burden of responsibility is not on the child’s shoulders. Rather, the experience with music can be enhanced simply by allowing the youngster to become engaged with the guidance of a teacher who can nurture the child’s curiosity, interest in music, and sense of self-appreciation.
Is it possible to connect with a teacher who doesn’t have what it takes to lay the foundation so that the experience is nothing short of positive? It sure is. If that’s the case, you have options. Never base your decision on one experience with one teacher… or two… or three… find the teacher who has the desire and intuitiveness to understand your child’s personality and learning patterns. That person does exist.
Make it unconditional. The learning process does not need to be (nor should it be) a “pass or fail” experience. If your child, prior to lessons, had some curiosity and desire, then it’s up to the teacher to nurture that. Communication between the student, teacher, and parent is most conducive to the entire experience being a positive one. It’s a communicative triangle that you want to establish and allow to strengthen.
If you have enlisted a piano teacher who makes it mandatory that the student practice for at least an hour a day, for example, and your child resists that, then it’s something to talk about. If this particular student/teacher relationship isn’t going to result in your child maintaining a desire to continue having fun with music, then it might be time to move on.
There are variety of other examples that could apply and a number of variables to consider. However, if you maintain the one constant that your child will unconditionally enjoy the learning process and that music will be a part of his/her life, to whatever degree, you’ll do what it takes to make it an enjoyable scenario, one that is conducive to a lifetime enhanced with music.
Getting Started With Piano Lessons: Are Excuses In The Way?
Sarasota Piano Lessons
What’s Your Reason For Not Getting Started With Piano Lessons?
Learn to play the piano with lessons that have the flexibility to fit your lifestyle and you will discover a side of you that has been screaming to make itself known. You see, it is my conviction that every single person on the face of this earth has the innate desire and ability to express himself or herself musically.
If you are wondering if learning piano is worth your time, there’s no reason to keep wondering. Erase any reservations! The benefits that go along with both playing piano and the piano learning process itself are astounding.
Am I biased? Of course I am! I’ve played piano since the age of seven and I encourage you beyond any shadow of a doubt to get involved! Yes, learn to play the piano – you will never regret it.
The rewards that will come to you during your piano learning adventure are numerous. But if I had to equate it with one idea, hmmmmmm, how could I put it?
Well… have you ever experienced a birthday party (yours) where the presents just kept coming at you? One surprise after another, increased curiosity, good cheer, feelings of appreciation for yourself and others around you, the joy of being in the spotlight… can you relate to any of this?
Well, if you never had a birthday quite like that one, allow me to light the candles for you, and let the party begin! Seriously, if you’ve even mildly entertained the idea of learning to play piano, allow me to slice the cake – the first piece is yours.
It just might help you to make this decision to learn to play the piano even faster if we put a few myths to rest once and for all… (continued)
To The Beginning Piano Student: A Little Food For Thought
Sarasota Piano Lessons: Getting Started
Is This Preventing You From Starting Piano Lessons?
Are you a soon to be a beginning piano student who is reluctant to take that first step because you’ve allowed certain reservations to get in your way? Though this doesn’t apply to every person out there, it does ring true with so many people that it warrants being acknowledged…
Often times, the individual thinking of starting learning the piano is confronted with mental images of tedious work that must be endured in order to enjoy the benefits. Thoughts of having to learn and play endless scales and exercises congest the imagination to the point of causing the ambition to face an impasse even before the new hobby has a chance to even breath.
So, is it really true? Do you have to put up with the drudgery of all those painstaking exercises before even being able to enjoy the benefits of having fun playing a favorite song? Do you need to learn how to read all those notes before you can start having fun on that piano or keyboard of yours? Should you really think twice before getting started with those lessons due to the fact that the demands at the beginning will be great enough to discourage someone who simply wants to have fun making music at those keys?
No.
Although it may be true that certain traditional piano instructors have an agenda they expect their students to follow, these are often the same teachers who are quick to witness some of those students quitting after a few short weeks (if they last that long). It doesn’t have to be that way. There is no legitimate reason that the fun shouldn’t start from the very beginning.
The right teacher for you will make your time invested in lessons an experience that’s nothing short of fun. Let’s face it… if you’re not enjoying yourself, your incentive to continue is likely to fade pretty quickly. The truth is that it isn’t any more necessary to learn all those fundamentals before you can have fun making some music than it was necessary that you learned your entire alphabet and learned how to spell a certain number of words before you exclaimed as a child that you were hungry. Seriously, your first words were spoken well before you knew how to spell what you were saying. But that didn’t stop you from getting your message across, did it? Now you are starting to get the picture.
If you have even the slightest bit of enthusiasm for exploring your musical potential, even if it’s something you want to pursue as a hobby (a terrific reason!) without placing heavy demands on yourself, then go for it. As long as you have your expectations in perspective and are able to commit to have fun with your adventure regardless of the circumstances, hooking up with a piano teacher who can respect that attitude and is willing to show you how to enjoy the learning experience can undoubtedly lead you to making a decision you’ll be happy about.
To get started with piano lessons in Sarasota or to simply learn more, visit Pianocadabra…
Don’t put it off any longer. Have fun making music!
Beginning Piano Students: How To Gain Quick, Satisfactory Results
Sarasota Piano Lessons
Beginner Piano Students: You Can Fun Immediately
At That Piano Or Keyboard Of Yours
Have Fun With Piano Chords
So, you’re a beginning piano student or your considering the idea of getting involved with piano lessons. Maybe you have some questions swirling around your mind like:
“Is this going to be an uphill battle?”
“Is it really going to be all work at the beginning and no play?”
“Will I be able to do what this teacher is asking of me?”
Well, as far as that last question, if you have the right piano teacher, that won’t really be a concern at all. A qualified instructor will know how to adapt to your personality and specific needs. But what about those other questions? Are you having reservations because you think it’s going to take months to even start having fun at that piano or keyboard of yours?
Actually, your piano teacher will have a lot to do with that, too. Whether those lessons are for you as an adult student or your child, it’s a teacher’s role to make it an interesting journey. Sure, you will likely want to enjoy a well-balanced diet of “musical nutrition,” which will include learning how to read music, interpret it, acquire a certain amount of technique, and learn some theory that is conducive to a better understanding of music. However, if you have a piano instructor with a diversified background, you can be introduced to certain musical concepts along with enough technical guidance so that you can be expressing yourself in a musical fashion before very long at all.
Learning a few chords on the piano, complimented with gaining minimal technical competency, can lead to your having a ball at those keys. You want a piano teacher who is creative in this regard (if you’re going to be taught to do nothing but become a reading and playing “robot,” then you might be in for a disappointing experience, depending on your threshold for discipline). But, when you’re connected with a teacher with a strong chordal and improvisational background in music, your entire journey can be a joy ride. Isn’t that the way it ought to be, after all?
Once you become acquainted with some chords and what to do with them, you just might find yourself having a difficult time staying away from that piano keyboard (that’s a nice problem to have!). The interesting thing here? Reading music does not have to be a part of the equation. Again, yes, you’ll want to take advantage of a nice, comprehensive piano education (most likely), but you don’t have to read in order to enjoy some pretty quick results. Just think back to when you were a young child. Did you learn to read and write what you were expressing vocally first? Or, rather, did you learn to express yourself first and then learn to read and write later? Right. You get the idea. It can be the same way with music.
This is good food for thought when it comes to questioning that prospective teacher of yours (or your child’s). How fun is it really going to be? Remember, the emotions that are attached to those early experiences can and probably will have a huge impact on whether or not things are a go for the future. Connecting with a piano teacher with a diversified understanding of various musical styles will make a big difference and will most likely keep your interest going, not only in those beginning stages, but for weeks, months, and years to come.
Sarasota Piano Lessons