WHAT TO EXPECT: OUR APPROACH TO PIANO LESSONS

Playing the piano is a skill that can provide joy and enrichment for a lifetime. One of the most enjoyable parts of learning to play the piano is the opportunity to interact with other musicians. From jazz improvisation sessions to recitals to playing along to favorite tunes in the living room, a pianist is always in demand when people want to make music together.

Example Lesson Progression

In the first lesson, an MTN piano teacher will ask questions and start with exercises that help gauge the student's interests, musical capabilities, and goals for piano lessons. With adults and older children this can be done primarily by asking questions, whereas with younger students it might take the form of playing "copycat" games, where the teacher plays short patterns and asks the student to imitate. For students of any age, learning by imitation will be emphasized at first. The student will be assigned exercises that build skills like finger dexterity, identification of the fingers by number (one through five starting with the thumb), rhythm, legato (connecting one note to the next), and correct hand position. With these skills the student will be ready to learn simple melodies by ear. Note reading comes next, starting with identifying notes by letter on a page, and then learning to identify the same notes on the keyboard. Five-note scales may be introduced at this point, first with the hands separately and then together.

How the Piano is Unique

As the student advances and is ready to start working on pieces, or repertoire, the structure of lessons will begin to vary depending on the student's musical preferences. A student wishing to learn popular music, for instance, might begin learning to read chord charts and learning chord progressions rather than focusing on reading sheet music. For classical piano, scales and arpeggios along with music theory will be important tools for learning repertoire. Jazz lessons will incorporate some improvisation exercises. Both jazz and classical music have a "standard" repertoire, and students will often start out with pieces their teacher chooses for them, beginning to choose their own repertoire later. In a lesson, the teacher will listen for correct notes and expression, and help the student learn to adjust their hand position or fingering so that the notes flow easily without straining the hands or wrists. No matter the style or level, an MTN teacher will encourage the student to listen to recordings and attend live performances. Especially for jazz, where improvisation plays a large part, attending performances and listening to great recordings will be important for the student's growth. Listening can help in every aspect of learning, from learning notes to enhancing expression to developing musical taste.

Get Started!

Piano lessons can be started at almost any age, and how quickly the student progresses will depend on age and previous musical experience. Very young students might stay at a "beginner" level for several years, as the physical coordination and cognitive skills required to play the piano are still developing. For an older child or adult, most of the basic skills needed have developed already and simply need to be trained, so progress will happen more quickly. It might take a year or so for a student with no previous musical experience to become comfortable with note or chord-chart-reading, playing with the hands together, and playing chords in addition to melodies. Don't be discouraged if progress seems slow at first. It may take two to three years to advance to the intermediate level, but once there, a student will be comfortable enough with the keyboard and with chords and melodies, to enjoy playing almost any popular song and many classical pieces. Moving from intermediate to advanced level, a student of classical or jazz piano will begin learning more theory and music history in addition to more advanced repertoire. A student learning popular music might start to make the left hand chord progressions they have learned more complicated by adding in arpeggios and rhythmic variations. They might also begin arranging songs or writing some of their own. In jazz lessons, improvisation will become more complex and the student might begin attending jam sessions, just watching at first, and eventually joining in with the other musicians. In classical music, one can learn to accompany other instrumentalists and singers, or begin learning chamber music (quartets and trios with string instruments). No matter the style or level, there is always something new to discover!