FAQs

Here are some of the questions I frequently get from new students.

Is learning to play the piano difficult?

I wouldn’t say the piano is difficult to learn, but it is defintely challenging for most new students. You will have to practice regularly in order to train your mind and hands to produce music with the piano. It’s also important to develop the habit of practicing every day to ensure that you brain is receptive to the new material you are constantly presenting during practice. Once good practice habits have been established, each concept discussed during your piano lessons gets easier as the practice week goes on.

What kind of commitment do I need to learn the piano?

To be satisfied with your progress in playing the piano, you will need to schedule weekly piano lessons and commit to practicing for a certain amount of time each day. For example, an adult student who is just starting would be expected to practice at least thirty minutes a day, five or six days a week. Without this regular practice, a student won’t make progress and will lose skills he or she learned in earlier lessons.

In addition to regular practice, beginning students should be willing to commit at least two years of study in order to acquire basic skills necessary to achieve success in playing the piano.

I am an adult with no piano experience. Can I succeed?

Yes you can! I have many students who are professionals, already successful in their own occupations, who are taking lessons for the first time in their lives. Some of my best students are adults with no previous experience who quickly mastered the foundations of music and started studying the easier classics within their first or second year of study. So, if you are committed to practice and study, you will learn and enjoy the piano.

Do you work with children?

I love working with kids and it’s one of the few things I miss after moving to an online piano teaching business. But while online piano lessons work great for adults and even late teens, children still need a piano teacher sitting next to them as they start their own piano journeys.

What about seniors?

It’s been my pleasure to work with seniors for my entire teaching career. Now that I am a senior myself, I certainly appreciate how much fun learning the piano can be for students in their sixties, seventies, and eighties. And there is a growing body of research that suggests that music study can help delay the onset of age-related cognitive decline. I can’t offer scientific evidence to that fact, but my senior students believe that it helps them deal with the challenges of old age and are making music every day that gives them a great deal of satisfaction.

What are learning styles?

Learning styles are the ways each of us perceive and process information. When we learn, we generally prefer one way of taking in information over other ways. For example, some piano students learn better by reading, while others learn better by ear. The goal of a teacher is to provide information in the way best suited to the student’s preferred way of perceiving and processing information.

I will generally start a new piano student with their preferred style in order to lay a foundation for the material to be mastered. Then, I will introduce other learning skills to widen the student’s versatility. For example, for a student that learns best by reading, I will start with that approach, but then sprinkle in ear-training once the student feels comfortable with the basics. The choice of which teaching method to use will also depend on the student’s goals in studying the piano.

What kind of piano do I need to take lessons?

You should have a piano that stays in tune, has a mechanism to change volume by varying the pressure on the keys, and has an appropriate touch that will allow you to develop your technique. Your piano will also need to have at least one pedal (damper pedal). These requirements can be achieved with a good quality acoustic or digital piano. However, if you plan to study the piano intensely and develop advanced techniques, you might consider investing in a quality acoustic piano.

How well do online piano lessons work?

They work amazingly well! I have used online learning for students who have second homes, or travel on business, for over fifteen years. At first, we only used audio through our telephones, but then moved over to FaceTime and Skype when they became popular. Now, my students and I use upgraded technology that almost eliminates dropouts and technical difficulties presented while using FaceTime and Skype.

The online piano system is simple. A few minutes before your scheduled time, you’ll sign on to your laptop or tablet to connect with me using the Zoom app. We will then check audio and video quality to make sure everything is working properly. Then, it’s on with the week’s piano lesson.

Are there disadvantages to online piano lessons?

I wouldn’t call them disadvantages, but online piano lessons are a different experience for those who have taken in person piano lessons. The biggest difference is that I am not sitting next to you at the piano while you take your lesson. I can’t point at your score on your piano the way I did when I taught in-person. However, I have innovated and now I can put up a copy of your score on the screen and annotate it while you are playing.

I also can’t play an example at your piano. But I can play it on mine while you watch the camera that is on my hands. This is an advantage because you can watch my hands at the same octave as you play the same passage. No switching chairs the way you do with your teacher in-person.

Finally, I won’t be making lots of scribbles on your music the way my teachers did all over my music. However, many learning theories support the concept that writing in your own notes makes them easier to understand and remember. I also email you notes, explanations, resources, and thoughts regarding your lesson after each lesson. In-person lesson notes are usually limited to those written during the lesson.

Are you taking new students?

Yes, but I have only a few openings. Like all experienced teachers, I generally have more students wanting to take lessons than I have open positions. I would like to take more students, but teaching is physically and mentally demanding and I want to make sure I give every student my personal best. The students I accept are those who demonstrate a commitment to the piano and the desire to learn this amazing musical instrument. If you are interested in piano lessons, I urge you to contact me to tell me about yourself.

I’m ready to start lessons. What happens next?

I am delighted that you want to start piano lessons. The next step is for you to contact me using the web form on my Contact page. I will review your information and if it appears that I can help you reach your piano goals, I will contact you to arrange a meeting on Zoom to talk about lessons. If I feel I don’t have the right set of skills to teach you, I will also respond with suggestions or piano resources you can consider.