Q: What kind of instrument do I need to take lessons?
A:
Piano – While the best case is a piano in excellent condition, for various reasons it may be impractical to have a piano. Any piano worth having is often expensive, requires regular maintenance, and requires adequate space. For this reason, for most people, an electronic keyboard or digital piano is the way to go. They are available for all different budgets, but in general one that has at least 61 keys and is touch sensitive will cover the needs of a beginner. It is important that the keyboard has a “touch” (or touch sensitive) response, so that when a finger strikes the key softly it produces a soft sound, and when a finger strikes the key with more force it will produce a louder sound. These go for upwards of $150 dollars, but it’s easy to find them used as well.
Higher end digital pianos these days can approximate upright and even grand pianos with ever more starling accuracy, and Yamaha even makes Hybrid pianos.
Guitar and Bass – Different options are available depending on the size of the student. A very young student won’t be able to play a full size instrument and will need a 3/4 size instrument, or even a bass ukulele. In the beginning, it is important that the guitar is relatively easy to play. Some older instruments have a neck that is warped, so the strings are very far from the fretboard. This can make the instrument even more difficult to play, on top of the normal challenges that come with learning a new instrument. It is also important that the instrument will stay in tune. Parents can expect to spend about $100 to $150 dollars on a decent beginner instrument. Used instruments are also an option. It is worth it to wait a month or two to start lessons, and then use the money that would have be spent on lessons to get a decent instrument.
Q: How long will it be until my child will be able to get a handle on the instrument?
A: It depends. The variability in this department is high. A lot of factors can influence the way a student advances. The important thing is for them to have a routine, to follow their practice goals, and to enjoy the journey. That said, younger students may be able to play very simple songs within a month. In six months they most likely will be able to play slightly longer tunes. In two years (with regular practice) the student should be able to play some recognizable songs, know their major scales and chords, and have a basic understanding of music theory.
Q: How involved should I be in my child’s lessons, as a parent?
A: Quite a bit. You have known your child his or her entire life, whereas I have not. Together we can come up with an approach that’s most effective. Sure, as students advance they become more and more independent. But there will be many general areas where you can help even if you don’t have any musical background.
It helps me to know, for example, if next week your child has five soccer matches and a math tournament, and the in-laws are visiting and sleeping in the piano room. Also, most students benefit if their parents and their teacher are in communication and on the same page in terms of practice expectations and giving out praise and rewards for the right amount of effort on the part of the student. At the same time, the child needs space to grow and to work on concepts and techniques at his or her own pace. The journey matters more than the end result, whatever that may be. A well-meaning parent that is overly involved will often create anxiety for the student. A balance is needed.
Some other areas where parental assistance is crucial: Time management, following and checking off goals, and letting go of excess tension during practice and playing.
Large corporations invest tons of money into time management seminars to get their employees working up to their potential. If highly qualified adults need to take a workshop to learn to manage their time, why would a child be any different? Perhaps most of all, they need your help in establishing a routine. In the very beginning, the routine may be very modest (three days a week, for 10 minutes), while older more advanced students may easily practice an hour or two per day. Students who enjoy maintaining a ten minutes, three- days-a-week routine at age five will probably have an easier time maintaining a one hour a day, every day routine at age fifteen. Please note that these time frames are just examples. Actually recommended practice time will vary based upon what works the best. But once student can play music that they consider beautiful, it isn’t as hard to get them to invest more time. I can still vividly recall how my father made me practice, and how I would protest. But he would say, “Michael, one day I won’t need to remind you to practice, because you’ll make music that’s so beautiful that you’ll want to practice. The sound you make will be motivation enough”. Of course, he was right. Every path has its difficulties, and learning an instrument is definitely no exception, but it is well worth the effort.
Also excess physical tension is to be avoided at all costs, and as a parent you will be able to see if your child is slouching, tensing muscles that aren’t being used, or gripping excessively. A certain amount of exertion is necessary to play an instrument, but it is a mistake to try to play too fast or too loud at the expense of developing bad technique and excess tension.
Q: Why all this emphasis on practice goals? Isn’t that a bit restrictive?
A: Not at all. Practicing is a tool to remove obstacles that can take many different forms. For example, when learning to count, students often protest that “it’s easier” for them to play without counting. It’s easier because their rhythmic mistakes are going undetected. Counting shows the student what’s rhythmically wrong with the piece, and that can be unpleasant. But it’s better to be aware of a tricky area so you can fix it. And usually, it’s an easy fix.
Practice goals help the student remove some obstacles. It’s actually a disservice not to assign specific goals. For example, a student may be able to play 90 percent of a song without any hindrances. So, there might only be a few measures that are causing difficulty. In such a case I might assign goals to help the student get past these difficulties. Without an emphasis on meeting goals, the student can go home, play the entire song over and over again every day (reinforcing the incorrect section), and then come back to the lesson to be shocked that the piece hasn’t progressed. It’s because the part that needed attention got very little attention.
There are some wonderful short and funny stories by pianist, teacher, and writer Philip Johnson. You can see four very useful practice hints on his website. They are written for a piano but can be applied to all instruments. I highly recommend checking these out, as they show some pretty funny metaphors for certain practice habits that all students slip into at some point or another, and show how careful, specific practice can save a ton of time in the end.