As you can see the keyword here is “results” which, in my estimation, is what all parents truly want for their child, yet most of them will pick the teacher with the cheapest rate possible and they stop there. Not one in five will inquire further to find out more about the kind of results that they would expect from the teacher. At the end of the day you care about piano lessons that get results. You want to be able to match the kind of results that you want for your child and the results that the prospective teacher is able to produce. Specifically, you want to know the method by which the prospective teacher uses in order to produce such results, which leads to the next mistake that parents make.

Mistake #2: They choose the wrong method.

There are many piano learning methods, but they all can be grouped in one of two categories: traditional programs and non-traditional programs. Traditional programs can be subdivided into two programs: the reading based programs and the technique based programs. Non traditional programs include all playing based programs.

‘Reading-based’ programs

Reading based program requires that students first learn to read music as a means of learning how to play. This approach has been the default program for generations. Although it proves to work for some, for most people it is slow and frustrating. Requiring students learn to read first before they can play is akin to telling children that they need to learn how to read and spell first before they can learn how to talk. Seems absurd, doesn’t it? But that’s the way it’s been done for hundreds of years. As a result many people never acquire the ability to play the piano. In fact, many lose their desire to learn altogether.

Verdict

Program: Reading based, traditional

Examples: Alfred books, Sebastian method

What it is: Read first, play later

Who it is for: Select few who can endure the reading process

Who it is not for: The majority of population

Pros: Learning to read music from the beginning

Cons: Slow, difficult, frustrating and unnatural

‘Technique-based’ programs

Technique based programs are also considered traditional programs, but the focus is heavily on developing high level of precision in student’s ‘technique’ – the physical aspect of playing – posture, fingering, positioning, intonation, etc. Obviously, this kind of program requires teachers to have high level playing abilities and extensive formal training. By nature it is reserved for a select few who wish to pursue a career in concert level performance. For the majority of the population, however, it becomes an obstacle in creating a successful and highly positive experience.

Verdict

Program: technique based, traditional

Example: the Suzuki method

What it is: traditional programs that concentrate on technique

Who it is for: select few who wish to pursue a career in concert level performance

Who it is not for: the majority of the population

Pros: for the right person it can help you become a concert pianist

Cons: can be tedious and monotonous, takes years to perfect, negative learning experience

‘Playing-based’ programs

Playing-based programs are a complete departure from the reading-based and technique-based programs. Therefore, they are considered non-traditional. Students learn to play by immersing themselves in the actual process of playing, ‘learning by doing.’ Reading is temporarily delayed until students have acquired about 30 – 50 songs in different styles of music and therefore have established an intimate relationship with the keyboard. It is a much more natural process, similar to the way children learn how to talk years before they go to school to read and spell.

Verdict

Program: Playing-based

Example: Simply Music

What it is: Non-traditional, play first, read later, learning by doing

Who it is for: The majority of the population

Who it is not for: Select few who wish to pursue a career in concert piano performance

Pros: Easy-going, positive experience, natural, minimal practice time

Cons: not for those who wish to play only classical music

Mistake #3: They fail to see the long term effects of piano lessons.

We’ve come to the final mistake that most parents make and this is a big one!

Have you met someone who took piano lessons when they were a child, quit and now hate the piano? Do you wonder why? It’s not that they didn’t have what it took, or they lacked talent, musicality, etc. It’s the experience that they went through. Their experience of piano lessons was so intense, tedious and dreadful that they developed a distaste for the instrument.

Picture this scenario…

Mr. and Mrs. Smith had been thinking about piano lessons for their ten year old daughter, Sabrina. After enquiring a few teachers in the local area, they decided to go with the teacher who charged the least and taught the traditional method. Sabrina was excited and told all her friends about it. At her first lesson, Sabrina was eager to play, but her teacher, being a strict traditionalist, insisted that she learn to read notes first.

Sabrina learned how to read notes, but it was anything but a pleasurable experience. It was a tedious process for her to decode symbols on the page and onto her little fingers and make meaningful music out of it all.

Every week she met with her teacher for an hour lesson. Her teacher helped her dissect a piece of music one measure at a time, one note at a time, guiding her through the reading process and expecting her to do it all on her own.

One year later the teacher assigned scales and finger exercises to her practice routine. Sabrina still struggled with reading, but being a good sport that she was, she marched on… grudgingly. Soon she became dependent on the written note. She refused to play anything unless there’s a sheet of music in front of her.

Reality set in. She started hating reading music and dreaded hours upon hours practicing scales and drills over and over again. She memorized a few songs. The rest she relied on sheet music. Even so it took her time to learn a new piece. She could read music, but she was not a good sight reader. Soon she stopped practicing altogether and wanted to quit. Her parents refused to honor her request and told her to suck it up. Unbeknown to her parents Sabrina’s hatred for the piano was slowly but surely boiling inside her. She began to associate pain with her piano, and soon all pianos.

Now a young adult and no longer taking piano lessons, Sabrina looks back and cringes every time someone asks her about her relationship with the piano. The piano reminds her so much pain that she doesn’t even want to look at it anymore.

Sound out there? Yet it happens quite a lot. There are many Sabrinas out there.

There you have it, the three biggest mistakes most parents make when they look for piano lessons for their child. I hope this gives you a good guide for you to make the right decision. Given the state of music education nowadays, choosing the right teacher/method is critical not only to your health, but to your checkbook too. Your child will also appreciate it.

If you feel strongly there’s a concert pianist in your child, go with a traditional program. On the other hand, if you’re like most people who want music as a pleasurable activity and a companion in their life, then I urge you to explore a non traditional route. At For the Love of Piano Studio, we offer the Simply Music method to all our students. Simply Music is a non-traditional, playing based method originated from Australia that produces remarkable results. Simply Music students – children, teenagers, adults and seniors alike – are discovering that they have an ability to learn piano more easily and naturally than they thought possible.

For a FREE Introductory Session call For the Love of Piano Studio at (408) 641-9926. Also, for a limited time mention this report and receive 20% off your first month’s tuition. Call today!