Frequently Asked Questions
In general any age is a great age to start, as long as you find a program that is suited to that age group. Some students can begin private piano lessons at age 4, however we find that group piano lessons are best for young beginners 4-5. These programs lay a strong foundation of ear training, pitch, and rhythm and introduce the piano in an engaging and stimulating group dynamic. After completing a group piano program, students are well prepared for private lessons in piano or another instrument. Students can begin guitar, drums, and violin at age 5. Voice students can begin at age 6 for an introductory program, with more formal vocal training starting at age 8. We teach harp students starting at age 7, and brass and woodwind instruments such as flute, saxophone, and trumpet at age 9.
Students need an instrument at home to practice on in between lessons, otherwise their progress will be extremely slow. That being said, some schools offer rental, rent-to-own, or trial programs to help new students get started before buying an instrument. For example, The Piano Studio offers a Six Lesson Trial Package which includes lessons and an instrument rental. But you should start these programs with the understanding that an instrument will need to be purchased or rented for the long-term.
To learn what? If you want to learn to play the keyboard, then a keyboard is perfect. If you want to learn to play the piano, then you need a piano. Trying to learn to play the piano on a keyboard is like trying to learn to golf with a hockey stick. You can hit the ball around and have some fun for a day or two, but you will never learn proper skills or technique, you will never improve much as a golfer, will become frustrated pretty quickly, and be pretty embarrassed the first time you go for a round with some actual golfers. In the same way, a keyboard is better than nothing, but should never be more than a very temporary solution (no more than 3 months) while you find a proper piano. Please note though that a digital piano is very different from a keyboard (see the Piano Questions FAQ section for a discussion on the differences).
In general, the best instrument to start learning is the one that you are most passionate about! Music is meant to be enjoyed and provide an outlet for our creative passions. For young beginners, there are some additional considerations. The piano can be a great instrument to start on because the student doesn’t have to hold and balance the instrument (like they do for a guitar or violin) so they can focus on the music. Also the piano doesn’t need to be tuned every time you play it, and the tune is not affected by the player’s technique meaning that even beginners can get a good sound out of the instrument. The piano is also very visual because all of the notes are laid out in easy to recognize patterns which facilitates note-reading. Lastly, the piano uses both bass and treble clefs so it is great as a jumping off-point to any other tonal instrument. For these reasons if the student does not have a strong passion for any particular instrument or for young beginners we often recommend starting on the piano. However, passion is very important and we have had beginners start successfully on every instrument.
At The Piano Studio we simply ask for two weeks notice to withdraw from the program at any time. However it is important to maintain a healthy dialogue with the teacher and front desk staff as soon as any issues arise. Often difficulties can be overcome and students motivated to continue if problems are diagnosed early.
Our firm belief is that everyone can learn to play an instrument well. It just takes proper instruction and lots of practice! We won’t all become professional musicians but all of us can learn to play music and enjoy the benefits that go with it. In our experience most people who say they are “tone-deaf” have been misinformed or incorrectly self-diagnosed.
You can just play by ear, but you will severely limit yourself. In our experience, the best “by ear” players have a solid foundation of note reading. True musicianship includes both the ability to read music and play by ear. For that reason we recommend that all of our students learn to read music. Reading music opens up new worlds of possibility that remain closed to ear-only players. Reading music is much easier to learn than you think and we’ve never encountered a musician who regretted learning it, while there are many ear players who recognize its limitations.
It depends on the age and level of the player. The most important thing is consistency – by that we mean that practicing a small amount every day is better than only one or two longer sessions. In general, for young beginners practicing ten minutes a day, five days a week is a great start. This will increase to fifteen minutes a day after a year, and then up to thirty minutes a day after a few years. Students wanting to pursue the higher grades of the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) program will need to increase to an hour a day and more.
The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) is a Canadian organization that develops music curriculum and administers exams. Many music schools teach RCM curriculum and prepare students for exams. It is a fantastic program that is widely recognized and used across Canada by universities for entrance requirements. It largely consists of classical music so it is not necessarily for everyone. If it is something you are interested in, please speak with your teacher or someone at our front desk. You can also read up on the program on the RCM’s website.
Yes! We believe music is awesome when shared! Students have the opportunity to perform twice a year at our Christmas and Spring Recitals. Our recitals are fun and well organized and are a highlight of the year for many families. Performance is not mandatory, but strongly encouraged. We have a separate recital once a year for adult students, plus a special night for our Rock Bands. We can also prepare students to participate and compete in local music festivals.
Both acoustic and digital pianos are great, for different reasons. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Ideally everyone would own one of each, but since most of us can’t afford both the question is: which is the better instrument for your family right now? The advantage of an acoustic piano is that it is the original and so still has a slight advantage in sound an action. The disadvantages are that they are heavy, expensive to move, require regular tuning and maintenance, are sensitive to changes in humidity and temperature, and are difficult to record. The disadvantages of a digital piano are that you may give up a little bit on sound and action (how much you give up depends on the quality of the digital piano). The advantages are that they never require tuning, are maintenance-free, much easier to move, more flexible on where they can be placed in your home, are easy to record, and can include many additional features such as iPad connectivity, learning exercises, interactive lessons, and much more. We are finding that for more and more of our customers, a digital piano makes the best choice.
To learn what? If you want to learn to play the keyboard, then a keyboard is perfect. If you want to learn to play the piano, then you need a piano. Trying to learn to play the piano on a keyboard is like trying to learn to golf with a hockey stick. You can hit the ball around and have some fun for a day or two, but you will never learn proper skills or technique, you will never improve much as a golfer, will become frustrated pretty quickly, and be pretty embarrassed the first time you go for a round with some actual golfers. In the same way, a keyboard is better than nothing, but should never be more than a very temporary solution (no more than 3 months) while you find a proper piano. Please note though that a digital piano is very different from a keyboard (see the next question).
Shopping for a piano can be confusing because different people use different terminology. At The Piano Studio, we use the term keyboard to refer to any electronic instrument that has less than 88 keys and/or does not have a weighted action. We use digital piano to refer to an electronic instrument that has 88 keys and a proper weighted action that feels, responds, and plays like an acoustic piano.
The simple answer is you should buy the best digital piano that you can afford. To get an entry-level digital piano that is good enough to learn on you will need to spend at least $1,000-$1,500. Mid-range are $2,500-$3,000 and professional quality are $4,000 and up. A question to ask yourself is whether you want to buy one piano now that will last as you develop as a player or if you want to start small and then upgrade in the future when you outgrow it?
Digital pianos never require tuning! How long they last depends partly on how much you play it, since everything eventually wears out with use. Good quality digital pianos come with a 5-year warranty and will last for many years beyond that without requiring any maintenance. After around 10 years you may need to have the key contacts cleaned or replaced, and then it can last many years after that. Some digital pianos last 20 years and more.
There are many things to think about. Who will be playing the piano, and what skill level are they? How quickly will they improve in skill level, and how far do they want to advance? Do you want to buy one piano that will last or upgrade as the player develops? Where in the house is the piano going? What type of music does the player enjoy? Do you use a tablet and other interactive technology?
There are several factors which contribute to the cost of a digital piano. The five main categories are the sound, action, speaker system, digital features, and cabinetry. Of these, the most important are the sound and action. The sound of a piano is quite complex and reproducing it accurately involves a combination of sampling (recording an acoustic piano) and modeling (using software to enhance the sound). Better quality pianos use a higher number of samples and more sophisticated modeling software which increases the cost. Similarly, building an action that is more sensitive and feels more like an acoustic piano costs more and results in a more expensive piano. More expensive digital pianos also have speakers that are better quality, larger, more powerful, and also may have a higher number of speakers, and a more complex system of delivering the sound to the speakers. As you go up in price you also get more electronic features such as additional sounds (such as organs, strings, etc), rhythms and accompaniment, built-in lessons, digital sheet music readers, and connectivity to tablet apps. Lastly, cabinetry does affect the price as well. A nicer, more traditional-looking cabinet will cost more. In addition, the type and colour of the finish can affect the price. For example, polished finishes are usually the most expensive.
