1. At what age can a
child start music lessons?
Children
as young as 18 months can benefit from the exposure to music. Our
curriculum starts at age 4. We hold off on 'reading music' until the child's
language skills are developed (Around Age 6)
2. Must I have a
piano at home for my child and is an electric keyboard OK to use for these
lessons?
Students
MUST have consistent access to an instrument outside of our studios, and
Yes, Many keyboards made today are excellent for this purpose for around
$200. We prefer Yamaha's such as the PSR273
or PSR292, or something like a Casio
CTK691. The following minimum features are what we suggest:
- 61
or more FULL SIZE weighted, touch sensitive keys
- Onboard
speakers and headphone jack
- General
Midi (GM) capable
- Sustain
pedal
If
you have a higher budget, Costco carries the Yamaha
DGX500 which is what I would've outfitted our lab with had we more
space for larger 88 key instruments. Around $600.
3. I took piano
lessons as a child. Is it too late to start again?
NO!
It is never to late to add music to your life. Those childhood
experiences will contribute to your learning as an adult, and we teach
all styles to all ages!
4. How often are
lessons/classes?
Once
weekly.
5. How often must
we practice and for how long?
"If
you miss one day of practice, only your teacher notices. If you miss two
days, you will notice. If you miss three days, your mother will notice
and if you miss four days, everyone will notice". Therefore
we recommend practicing everyday!
How
long to practice? You will progress equal to the amount of effort
applied to your study. Children under 11 should spend 20 to 30 minutes
daily while 30 to 45 minutes once or twice daily is appropriate for
older aspiring musicians.
6. What styles do
you teach?
Popular,
Rock, Classical and my personal passion: Traditional and contemporary
Jazz.
7. Will we learn
to play by ear, and what is that?
Playing
by ear entails playing an instrument from intuitive note choices rather
than following a predetermined sequence of written notes. BOTH
are extremely important and YES you will learn to play by ear and
improvise.
8. Are group
lessons better than private lessons?
That's
a complicated answer, but there are many compelling reasons to study in
a group setting.
Typically, private
lessons for beginners are Conservatory based programs and concentrate on
working through the primers and learning to read notation. Technique and
repertoire are the main ingredients. Examinations quickly become the
main focus of the lessons. 89% of the teachers surveyed entered students
for exams as quickly as possible and their lessons consequently became
centered on scales, theory, studies, exam pieces and bits of sight
reading (Gibb, 1993).
Emphasis on
technical work and notation during instrumental lessons inhibits the
growth of a student's musicianship and creativity. In terms of brain
usage, technical skills and note reading are based largely in the left
hemisphere. Students who are taught this way never learn to listen
properly to themselves and are unable to play with feeling. Once these
students learn to rely on notation for their music, it becomes
increasingly difficult to explore musical avenues that do not have a
notational basis. (Evans, 1985, Priest, 1989.) Most teachers surveyed
rated the following components as low priority: only 63% covered
playing-by-ear; only 54% included improvisation; only 49% taught
composition. (Odam, 1195, Gibbs, 1993, Thompson, 1984 and Jorgenson,
1986)
Before 1850
pianists routinely learned not only to interpret but also to improvise
and compose on the piano. After this date piano performance was
gradually transformed into a reproductive art. The accomplishments of
all round musicians were lost as interpretation and technical prowess
took priority. (Gellrich and Parncutt, 1998)
The dominance of
notation in verbally oriented and teacher-led lessons leads to hours of
fruitless practicing where the body is fully occupied but the brain is
not engaged at all. Traditional tutor books encourage students to listen
"a note at a time"; their physical movements and coordination
are shaped for life by that kind of listening. Most traditional
instrument lessons are teacher-centered rather than student-centered.
Telling children to do their best to please their teacher causes
nervousness and anxiety which leads to muscular and emotional tension.
The focus on technique has also been shown to be responsible for
unnecessary physical tension leading to injuries. Tension also results
when children have no clear mental perception of the music in and of
itself. (Chappell, 2001)
Summary:
We feel group is usually the better route to go. Additional reasons
include:
-
Research has shown that students involved in an ensemble experience
develop a higher level of musical perception - becoming more aware of
melody, rhythm, tone color and dynamics.
-
A group lesson is usually one hour of instruction versus the 30 minute
private lesson, thus more musical concepts and content can be covered.
-
Group
teachers must have carefully planned lessons - providing layered
development of curriculum. Such concepts are seldom prepared ahead in a
private setting.
-
Music is more enjoyable when shared with others. Students learn and
develop teamwork and social skills.
-
Because of ensemble performance in the group - students can be exposed
to a much wider playing and reading range relatively early in their
studies.
-
Sharing ideas fosters creativity.
-
Fear of performing in front of others is diminished. Students take turns
sharing their music performance each week with a supportive group of
peers.
-
In a group setting - students realize that others have the same learning
problems they experience. In a private setting, the only comparison is
with the teacher. This often becomes very daunting to a new beginner.
-
Repetition of skills and concepts can be varied and reinforced more
easily in the group setting.
-
Students learn to become critical listeners and to give their classmates
helpful ideas and encouragement.
-
Group Learning encourages students to reach higher goals. Even a slower
student can play one hand of a harder selection and by hearing the
context of the music in the group, keep working to reach that skill
level.
-
Current technology make group lessons efficient and fun. All the
instruments are in tune with each other and a variety of sounds keeps
learning more exciting.
-
And
last but not least: How many of our Doctors took PRIVATE lessons for their training??
9. Music has been
dropped from our school due to budget cuts, can you make up the difference?
Well,
we are working hard to advocate keeping music in our schools of course! That
said, everything we do in our classes and in private lessons work towards
having the student meet the "National Standards for Music Education"
published by MENC.
These
standards are:
1.
Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
2.
Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of
music.
3.
Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments.
4.
Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.
5.
Reading and notating music.
6.
Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
7.
Evaluating music and music performances.
8.
Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines
outside the arts.
9.
Understanding music in relation to history and culture.
