Piano music articles by Attila Fias

Everything You Need to Know About Piano Lessons - part 2
By Attila Fias

There are a number of options out there for piano study, and depending on their availability in your community, it's worth taking the time and effort to find the one that will work the best for you.

To start, you have to analyze the potential student (whether it is your child, or yourself) honestly and thoroughly. Think in terms of their inherent interest or lack of interest in music, their work habits, their discipline or lack of discipline, their ability to work alone, their personality type (extroverted or introverted), their inclinations towards learning and many other factors.

Once you've established a pretty clear and objective analysis, you can decide how to couple that with the right learning situation.

Here are some examples of different piano lesson structures:

Old-fashioned, strict, one-on-one piano lessons

I have often heard people complain about this teaching method, a strictly by-the-book style, which takes a student through preset grade levels very academically, systematically and rigidly. This does not work for most kids these days, as it can be discouraging, can eat away at an enthusiasm for music and piano, and eventually make students want to quit. However, there are personality types that it does work for. Some people want to be told exactly what to do, how to do it, and have a very clear set of rules they can follow. In fact, to become a serious pianist, it can even be useful to have this kind of lesson situation at least for a while. However, for most people, especially beginners, this isn't ideal, because the level of commitment and discipline expected of them is just not there and they do not see tangible results quickly. They get frustrated, bored, and often give up and never try again, a great shame. I have never met any adult person who took piano lessons in the past, then quit - and is happy about it! In fact they always regret it years later, and wish they had continued. Actually, it is never too late to start again!

Group Piano Lessons

This is a group of 3-8 children or more, who have their piano lessons together as a class. They should all sit at their own piano (usually an electronic instrument in order to fit them all in one classroom) and they go through songs together, and perform in front of each other. There are pros and cons to this setting, so it's very important to select wisely. Personally, I have come to believe, having taught group lessons, that this learning situation is very good for smaller children (6 years and younger), or for some complete beginners, or for children that have shorter attention spans. The competitiveness of a group setting helps to hook the student in, makes them enjoy the lessons, and makes them want to practice in order to excel in front of the others. They inspire and motivate each other, which can be a very useful phenomenon to harness. The students feel that it's more of a social activity and they come to regard music as a fun thing they can share with their friends. However, I believe this is only good for a few years, and then having served its purpose, it is important to move the student out into private lessons, where they can get the undivided attention of the teacher, and not be distracted by their classmates. In fact the disadvantage with group lessons is that kids do indeed distract each other, and it's hard for any teacher to keep that completely in check. Also all the kids are kept at a uniform level of progress, and that slows down the students that are ready for a faster pace.

For kids that are hard-working, studious, shy, or show an above average propensity for music, private, one-on-one lessons can be more beneficial than group lessons, even right from the beginning.

Modern, flexible one-on-one lessons

This is the way to go with many kids that are just starting. Particularly at the beginning, to get the child/adult interested and keep them interested, it is most important to find a teacher that has a flexible approach, where the lessons are tailored for the character of each student. Interest and enthusiasm are absolutely key, and without these, the child will most likely want to quit, maybe even grow to resent piano lessons in general.

The teacher must have a relaxed, comfortable way with the children, must be able to understand their personalities, and listen to their suggestions and desires. This kind of teaching is most difficult, but most rewarding, as the teacher must change their tactic with every different child, depending on what that child requires. He/she must be well-rounded, and let the children learn music from many different sources, including popular music, playing games, and any other valid source in addition to the basic piano course material from the grade level the child is in.

The potential negative side of this situation can arise if the student has no discipline in their life, if the parents are completely non-involved, and if the child has no focus, no real interests, no passion for anything. In these cases, a stricter, more regimented situation can be considered.

Length of lesson times

Most children get a 30 minute private lesson to start with. This is plenty for beginners, and especially for young children with shorter attention spans. Later, 45 minute and 60 minute sessions become the norm as the student advances. Group lessons will usually run a full hour, and that is required, as less time is spent focusing on each child.

For some reason, with adult students, I have found at least 45 minutes to be best, even at the start.

About the author:
Attila Fias is a pianist, composer, teacher and recording artist. If you would like to find beautiful piano music recordings, original midi music files or ideas about music production,
visit http://www.attilafias-piano.com

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