What’s the first step to starting piano lessons?
Well, it’s kinda obvious to every single piano teacher ever. Sometimes it’s not quite so obvious to parents.
Here it is:
GET A PIANO
This may or may not seem like a no-brainer. In case it’s not, let me explain. Your child will not make progress without a piano at home on which they can practice between lessons. So until you have a piano don’t bother. Unless your goal is to pay for really expensive babysitting.
(Actually, I’m not interested in really expensive babysitting, so you can’t start lessons with our studio without a piano at home.)
See if we like It
Sometimes parents ask “Can we just try it first before we buy a piano?” The answer is no, and here’s why:
Starting lessons without a piano at home is like a self-fulfilling prophecy. The idea of trying to “see if we like it” is destined to fail.
Why? Because learning an instrument is hard work. It takes practice and dedication. It takes the willpower to keep going even you want to quit. It takes grit.
How can you put in the hard work without an instrument to practice on?
Taking piano lessons without a piano at home is like learning to play tennis without a racket, learning how to skate while wearing tennis shoes, or learning how to dribble a basketball without a basketball in your hand. It just doesn’t work out.
Starting Lessons Without A Piano
What happens when Little Susie comes to piano lessons each week when she doesn’t have a piano at home to practice on? How many new songs can she learn if she still hasn’t mastered the previous one or can’t find which key is C? How does she feel when she struggles with the same concepts week after week? What does she think when she’s not pleased with the sounds she’s making at the piano? She thinks she’s not good at piano – and that’s not true at all. The truth is she never really had a chance to be successful because she couldn’t practice between her lessons.
Conclusion
Trust the piano teaching community when we say the first step to starting piano lessons is 1. Get a piano!
