Readiness - Margaret Denton Piano

Readiness for Piano Lessons

By the age of seven, nearly all children are ready to start private piano lessons. I teach ages six and up, and I recommend that younger students start either with group piano classes (ages four and five) or more general movement based classes (all ages). Children who start too young or with an instrument that is not appropriate risk becoming frustrated and losing interest in music altogether.

For beginners younger than six, here are a few questions to consider before enrolling in lessons:

Mental readiness

Can he or she say the alphabet?
Can he or she count to 20?
Can he or she sit still and concentrate on a specific task for at least ten minutes at a time?
Does he or she know left hand from right most of the time?
Is he or she able to play games with rules and follow directions fairly well?

Physical readiness

Does the hand measure at least two inches across the width of the large knuckles?
Can he or she use scissors?
Can he or she hold a pencil or crayon properly?
Does he or she color fairly well “within the lines”?

Emotional readiness

Has he or she asked for lessons?
Does he or she react positively when you suggest lessons?
Does he or she respond to music by dancing or moving to it?
If you already have a piano, does he or she show a curiosity toward the instrument?

Parent readiness

In addition to the answers to most of these questions being “yes”, parents should also be ready to attend all lessons for young beginners as well as sit with them to practice. Students will need a full-sized 88-key weighted digital keyboard or an acoustic piano.

Fun Facts

♫ The term “piano” is the Italian word for “soft,” so named because the piano, unlike its predecessor the harpsichord, could produce a louder or softer tone depending on how hard the performer struck the key. In fact, the piano‘s full name is actually “piano-forte,” or “soft-loud.

♫ Piano strings are pulled to an average tension of around 200 pounds. Each piano has over 200 strings; thus, the total string tension of the average piano is around 40,000 pounds, or 20 tons.

♫ It was in America, not Europe, that piano building first advanced from being a slow handcraft to being an industry that was the standard and envy of the world.

♫ In the year 2000, John Lennon’s (of The Beatles) Steinway vertical piano sold for over $2 million dollars to pop star George Michael. This is the piano on which John composed the song “Imagine”.

♫ When the famous cellist Pablo Casals (then age 93) was asked why he continued to practice three hours a day, he replied, “I’m beginning to notice some improvement.”

♫ Although the piano has strings, it is considered to be a percussion instrument, producing its sound by striking a hammer against a string.

♫ In 1900 the retail price of a Steinway Model D (8’11” concert size) was $1,400. In 2013, the price was $132,085.

♫ There are 12,116 individual parts that make up a Steinway grand piano. The action for just 1 key is made up of over 57 individual parts (so for 88 keys that’s ~4,500 parts)