What Should Piano Lessons Include?
Looking For Piano Lessons
Although looking for piano lessons can be very difficult and so many choices of different teachers, there are some aspects of learning the piano that should be included with any piano teacher. We are going to be going over some of the most important things that you should be learning while in your piano lessons.
Music theory is one of the most important things that NEED to be included in your, or your child's, music lessons. Why you ask? Music theory teaches students how to read music, and more than that, how to understand and interpret music. If you've ever looked and an advanced piece of sheet music, you may wonder what all those symbols, letters and Italian words mean. Having a piano teacher that has a background in teaching music theory will make your piano lessons much more valuable and help you achieve a greater mastery on the piano.
If You Learn Your Scales And Your Arpeggios....
It is not just a cute song sung by cats. Learning your scales, arpeggios, chords and other techniques on the piano will help you become a stronger and more accurate player. There are many techniques that you should learn on the piano and you will be surprised how mastering those techniques will make learning music easier. Also it will strengthen your hands so that you will have the stamina to be playing longer and harder pieces of music. It is important that when you are learning your scales and other technique skills that you use the correct fingering otherwise it will defeat the point of learning them in the first place. And yes, there isn't a preference in how you do it, there is only one right way.
Although it may seem monotonous, playing all your techniques on a regular basis is a must. You don't want to lose any skills that you have worked so hard on learning and mastering.
Sight Reading VS Playing By Ear
A lot of students have asked me which is better? Is it more impressive to learn to play the piano by reading music or by playing by ear? There are teachers that teach their students to learn to play by ear first and others by reading notes. One of the biggest questions to ask yourself is, would you rather be able to pick up a piece of music and be able to play it on your own, or would you rather wait for someone to play it for you so that you can figure out how to play the piece? It is really cool to be able to play by ear.... but students should always start out playing the piano based on reading music.
Many students who have come to me after years of learning to play by ear, find it very frustrating starting at the beginning learning to read music when they feel they should be able to play more advanced pieces of music.
Finding A Qualified Piano Teacher
When calling around trying to find the right piano teacher in az, you should ask:
What do their lessons include?
Do they teach music theory?
Can they teach beginner - advanced piano lessons?
Do they teach technique?
Have they been formally trained?
Why Do You Want A Piano Teacher Who Has Formal Training?
Although some musicians are self-taught, and they become good, or famous. When you are taking piano lessons you want don't want to take from someone because they say they can play. You don't want to be missing any gaps in your music education if you are paying to receive a formal music education. Otherwise it will end up being a waste of your time and money. You'd rather spend those years receiving knowledge and skills that will help you become an excellent pianist.
As a side note, if you are looking to place young children in piano lessons, you should find someone with the experience and patience in teaching young children piano. Not all piano teachers work well with little children, as they learn at a different pace and sometimes different methods.
