F.A.Q.s

– Who can learn to play the piano?

Young children who can read ABC and numbers can start regardless of the age. It is possible to learn piano even if one is tone deaf as piano have definite pitch.  Teens and adults will learn very fast but technique is a problem.  Most lesson time will be spend on technique. In a nutshell, anybody at any age can learn to play the piano, as long as you have the self discipline to practise.

– What is the average starting age for my child to start learning the piano? Is my child ready for piano lessons?

Typically, the average starting age for a child to learn piano is around 7 to 9 years old. Of course they can start younger, but it is usually at the age of 8 to 9 that most children are able to understand the teacher’s instructions fully and can progress more steadily.

Here are some indicators as to whether your child is ready for piano lessons:

• Is your child interested in piano or music in general? Does he respond positively when listening to music (eg: clapping, humming, singing, swaying to music?)
• Does your child have a good attention span? Will your child be able to concentrate and sit by the piano for at least a 30 to 45-min lesson? This is important because if your child has a very short attention span, you would probably end up paying a 45-min fee for a 10-min lesson. For children with short attention span, it is best for the parent to sit in during lessons so that he/she would be able to go through with the child again at home what the teacher has taught.
• How good is your child academically? Does he have a fast/slow learning curve? It is better for a child with a slower learning curve to start slightly later, at the age of around 9. However, you can start stimulating their interest by letting them listen to music more often, attend concerts/recitals, and by getting them to participate in musical activities.
• Can your child practise regularly? It is recommended for beginners to practise the piano for about half an hour a day in order to progress well. The half-hour practice regime need not be done at one shot, if the child cannot concentrate for that stated duration. Two sessions of 15-min practice work just as well.

– Am I too old to learn? Or is my child too young to learn?

As long as you have the desire and the interest to learn, nobody is too old to learn. However, you would require a certain amount of discipline to learn the piano as you are required to practise regularly in order to progress.

The youngest age for a child to start learning the piano would be about 3 to 4 years old. However, not all children would be ready to learn at this age, and would depend on the factors being discussed in the above two questions. However, it would be beneficial to start exposing them to musical activities / group music appreciation classes, etc.

– How do I know if my child has the talent to do music?

Every child has the potential to do well in music if properly nurtured. As said by Thomas Edison, “Genius is 1% inspiration, and 99% perspiration”. With the right kind of teaching, a hardworking child without any ‘talent’ in music would do better than a talented child who does not put in effort.

– How fast will my child progress?

There are several indicators as to how fast your child will progress:

• Age: Older children usually progress faster than younger children. Students with the fastest learning curves are usually from the Upper Primary School level to teenagers.
• IQ: Children who are better academically usually progress faster. However, there are some exceptions whereby students who are not academically-inclined do better. Usually, these students have alot of interest in music, have good motor skills, and they tend to do better in Practical than in Theory.
• Interest: Children with interest in music would be more motivated to practise, and thus would progress faster.
• A good piano: This is an important but often neglected aspect. Many parents are reluctant to buy a piano until they think that their child is interested, but often children would not stay interested if they do not have a piano to practise on. There are also parents who buy poor quality pianos; pianos that can just produce a sound and not music when being played on. A good piano is essential to your child’s progress, because even a beginner can differentiate between a piano with a good tone and a bad tone and your child would be able to appreciate the music made by a good piano more when he/she practises on one.
• Parental involvement: Parents who are supportive and who are actively involved in their child’s practice will accelerate their progress. Again, this is a very important but neglected aspect.
• Learning attitude: I have taught students who are considered slow learners who have achieved merits and distinctions in their exams, and also those who are supposed to be ‘talented’ but made no progress because they insist on playing their own way and refused to listen and cooperate. As earlier mentioned, one does not require talent to succeed in learning the piano, but a good attitude and hard work.
• Exposure to musical activities: Children who have had a large exposure to musical activities (these include attending music concerts/recitals, music and movement activities, etc) will generally progress faster.

– If I take piano lessons, do I need a piano? How about an electronic keyboard?

If you intend to take exams, it would be advisable to have an acoustic piano at home to practise on. Otherwise, you would need at least a touch-sensitive digital piano if you are taking the classical syllabus for good. An electronic keyboard would be fairly ok for beginners or pop piano.

– What is the difference between Acoustic Piano, Digital Piano, Digital Keyboard, Pop Piano, Classical Piano?

They are different types of instruments and playing styles. The words, “Acoustic” and “Digital” refer to different types of instruments. An acoustic piano is a real piano that does not require electricity to work, whereas a digital piano and a keyboard are instruments in which the sound is produced digitally. The main difference between a digital piano and a keyboard is that most digital pianos have touch-sensitive and heavy-weighted keys and have more realistic piano sounds than keyboards.

The words, “Classical”, “Pop”, “Jazz”, etc. refer to different types of playing styles.

Generally, classical piano emphasizes on playing techniques such as touch, tone and articulation. Thus, it is better to learn classical piano on an acoustic piano as a good acoustic piano is sensitive enough to allow one to develop good classical techniques.

For pop and jazz piano, it doesn’t matter which type of instrument you learn on, as they emphasize more on chord-playing and improvisation. However if you want  to learn pop keyboard and the different functions that come with the keyboard, then it is better to use a digital keyboard.

– Will practising on a digital piano or keyboard affect my skills if I take the classical syllabus?

The difference between playing an acoustic piano and a digital piano is that when you play an acoustic piano, you are actually using the keys to move the hammers inside the piano to hit the strings, which will vibrate to produce the sound. When you play on a digital piano, you are only moving the keys to produce a pre-recorded sound. Although the differences may be subtle, or, as per the salesman, that digital pianos are so developed that the touch is ‘the same’ as acoustic pianos, digital pianos can never produce the same hammer-like touch as acoustic pianos (unless they really use real hammers!) even in the most high-end models. If you have any doubts, do check with another teacher, not with the salesman. (Remember, salesmen are there to promote and to SELL the product!)

So will practising on a digital piano/keyboard affect your skills? Not in the short term (1 to 2 years), but it is advisable to at least have some experience practising on an acoustic piano (weekly or monthly), especially if you are taking exams and you only have a digital piano at home. But then again, it depends on each individual. I have students who are not much affected after practising on a keyboard, and some who have developed a very light (and weak) touch after practising on a digital piano.

– I think I’m tone-deaf. Can I pick up the piano if so?

Certainly. You don’t need to have good hearing (although it helps to have one) in order to learn the piano. Unlike the violin or other instruments, a piano can produce definite pitches by itself just by pressing  any key. Thus, the emphasis on good piano-playing is on accurate playing, good rhythm, touch, tone and articulation. There are some piano-players who are tone-deaf but have obtained a Grade 8 in piano.

– I do not want to learn how to read notes or learn any techniques. I just want to learn to play songs.

If that is your goal in learning piano, there are plenty of ‘teach-yourself’ piano books available in the market and alot of free videos in YouTube that teach you to play songs. I only take in students who are serious about learning music, even if they do not want to take exams. And I would rather take in a student who has no talent, but is willing to learn.

– Do you register your students for exams?

Yes, but I only send my students for exams when I think that they are ready for exams. Registrations for the exam can be done either by the teacher, the parent, or the mature student. I will notify parents and students when to register and how to register, when the time comes.

– Do you allow skipping of grades for your students?

Often, parents come to me asking if I can skip grades for their child because he/she has been learning the piano for quite some time and the previous teacher has not prepared them for exams yet. There are only two reasons why your child is still not ready for exams. Firstly, it could be because the previous teaching is not effective or suitable for your child and has marred his/her progress. A good, effective teacher would be able to rectify the problem. Secondly, it could be because your child has a really slow learning curve, and thus would take a much longer time to learn and progress. Lots of patience would be needed here for the child, teacher and parent.

 And yes, I do allow skipping of grades, but with certain conditions, such as:

• The student has a reasonable amount of music background.
• The student has a fast learning curve, good memory, and good motor skills and coordination.
• The student is an older/adult beginner who can learn at a faster pace.
• For students who have taken exams before, he/she should have obtained at least a good merit for the previous grade.
• Maturity in musical awareness and willingness to practise very hard for students wishing to skip higher grades.
• Most importantly, a good learning attitude and willingness to practise hard for exams.

*It is also important to ensure that your supporting tests (scales, sight-reading, aural tests) are up to the same standard as your pieces when you skip grades, because students will usually lag behind in supporting tests (especially sight-reading) when they skip grades. Unfortunately, your level of sight-reading often tells you which grade you are really at because it determines how fast you can learn a new piece with the same amount of practice.

*Please also take note that in order to sit for the ABRSM Grade 6, 7 and 8 practical exams (ABRSM being the main examination board that I register my students for exams), you must have already passed the ABRSM Grade 5 in Theory of Music.