• Do not be overbearing. If you are too strict on your child, you may foster a negative affiliation with learning the instrument. Forcing your child into doing something they themselves are not excited about is no way to create apositive atmosphere where the act of learning an instrument is enjoyable.
• Watch out for making lessons “too fun.” Without drills and time spent on the routine repetitions of practicing, progress will prove to be difficult to attain. Make sure that your child realizes that some degree of work must be put in to the instrument in order to get better; make sure that they practice as much as the instructor assigns.
• Try learning some piano yourself. Becoming directly involved with your child’s piano training will show them the learning process in fast forward. Discuss with your teacher what is best and communicate as much as possible with him/her. You are not the piano teacher, but rather have become an extension of this person as far as your child’s piano progression is concerned. Your child will trust you, so the more you know, the more you can teach.
• Encourage your child as much as possible. Praise effort and accomplishment. If your child works hard on learning, that deserves encouragement, even if the end result is not necessarily beautiful. Even if you are tired of hearing your child play the same song over and over again, it is something that you can bare through. These lessons are for your child, not you, so do not allow your emotions get in the way of the learning process.
• Avoid negative criticism. Telling your child that something was bad is an awful way to get them to play the piano more. Human beings respond better to thoughtful loving help then criticism and harsh judgements. The more love you show towards a child’s learning, the better the affiliation that child will have with the instrument. If you want to garner a long time appreciation for music, try your best to enjoy the education. Punishment will always be a short-term solution.
• Take music lessons seriously and make sure your child realizes this. Piano lessons should be treated just like they are another class in school. The more you seem interested and engaged in the subject matter, the more they will realize how important it is. Schedule practice times for every day of the week and keep a piano specific journal. When it comes to the piano, it goes like this: the more you talk about it, the more emphasis will be put on it, and the more seriously your child will take his/her lessons. This, in turn, will ensure a greater desire to practice in order to get better.
• Lastly, enrich the child’s pianistic learning with the culture that it consists of. Listen to piano music, go to concerts, and show them that the experience of listening to music exists without the pressure of having to play a song correctly. Somebody did play the song very well, though, so try and utilize a listening experience as an inspirational experience.

Enjoy the thrilling complexities of piano lessons with your child. The parent’s role is not over the second he/she pays for the lesson. Just like you would help your children with math homework, you can help them with piano lessons.

• The most talked about benefit children receive from piano lessons, aside from the obvious ability to play the piano, is that it also helps with their school lessons. Numerous studies available show children who play an instrument score higher on both standard and spatial cognitive development tests alike. There are also findings that show kids who play piano, in particular, scored higher in math, especially on problems dealing with ratios and fractions. This is because the piano forces a child to visually make a connection to the sounds being emitted from the instrument. Since the keys are laid out in front of the child and the sounds cannot be seen, the piano forces children to develop their “mind’s eye,” or rather their ability to visualize things that are not there.
• In one particular study conducted by Dr. Frances Rauscher and Gordon Shaw, a psychologist and physicist respectively, preschoolers who received piano instruction were tested. They found that preschoolers who received piano lessons scored 34% higher than their nonmusical counterparts in tests measuring spatial-temporal reasoning, which is the brain function used to understand math, science, and engineering.
• Learning the piano helps raise self esteem. While it is hard work that takes dedication, do not be discouraged. I encourage every person to stick with the instrument. Not only does each song mastered increase a child’s self-esteem, but showcasing their newly learned talents at piano recitals can boost their self esteem as much as winning an athletics competition. When facing difficult tasks like learning a new piece, kids learn how to keep a positive outlook. Once the student understands that mastering a new skill is a process that requires patience, it is only a matter of time before he/she finds new confidence to help them in other aspects of life.
• Piano lessons increase coordination. Pressing down the right note at the right time is a much more difficult task than people realize. So, since this requires skills to understand finger configuration, playing the piano will most certainly increase hand-eye coordination. Kids who play the piano have improved fine motor skills and, unlike other instruments, the piano requires both hands to work independently of each other, on moving fast while the other may be moving at a slower rate. All of these things help to increase a child’s overall dexterity and complex thought process. Convinced yet?

If you are having trouble convincing your child to practice, remember that music making is a recreational hobby. Making music is supposed to be a positive experience, so make it fun! If you’re having trouble making it fun, maybe you should consider piano summer camp. With a bounty of free time and one of the most enjoyable piano classes in the area, signing up for piano camp might be just the thing you’re looking for. The gifts of the piano continue to give well into a human’s latter days. So if you’re looking for a lifelong opportunity for your child, consider piano class.

• Recreational music making, at it’s core, involves spontaneous and impromptu music. Having to read music makes it less of an interactive experience, which is why I consider learning how to improvise very important when learning how to have fun with the piano! So, if you want to learn how to improvise, I’ve got some tips to help you build up a quality base of knowledge so you can find your own pianistic voice.
• The simplified definition of improvisation is performing without preparation. While the years of lessons that any improviser takes act as plenty of preparation, the idea is that it is music not previously rehearsed. Keith Jarrett used to play hour-and-a-half long concerts completely improvised. He would simply play whatever came to his mind.
• The first step to gaining the ability to improvise is to study a variety of music. Studying a vast array of different styles and techniques will help you improvise more naturally without imitating any one song or genre. The more music you learn, the more ideas you’ll have while making your own music.
• Study your scales. All your scales. Even starting on a black key will help you have a stronger hold of the keyboard. Do not just stop with major keys, either. If you want to play through different keys and moods, learning all your major and minor modes will allow you to play an extreme assortment of different music.
• Study chords. If you want to play competent harmonies, chord study is essential. I encourage you to learn the basic chord structures, but to even take it further as to create your own chord voicings. Start with triads and move your way up to quartals and eventually higher extensions and even altered notes.
• Start by playing diatonically. If you are just starting piano lessons, that word means to play “all in the same key.” So if you know your major scales, then you only need to play the notes in that scale. Have your left hand play the background chorus while your right hand plays melodically. Or, play a bass line with your left hand and a variety of chordal and melodic passages with your right.
• Play with other people. Whether you and your instructor have a call and response or whether you’re playing with a group of friends, you can find some great ideas for improv from other people. The majority of your improvisational practice involves trial and error. The way that I learned how to do it is to listen to a whole lot of music and pay close attention as I listen. Then, after aurally ingesting music, I’ll go to the piano and see what moods, melodies, and harmonies I can create. This is the art of improvisation and composition: using the tools you have learned to create something unique to you!

Since there are as many ways to improvise as there are people in the world, the art is about finding your specific voice. Take piano summer camp and have fun! There is a beautiful world of music out there.

• Remember to not take it so seriously. Learning music should pave the way for playing music. Music is supposed to be something that creates joy in people’s lives, which is why I tell people to not treat it so seriously. While it should be treated as an important part of your life and practice should never be skipped, do not expect to be an expert piano player after a few months of lessons. The truth of the matter is, most piano playing is done with recreational intentions. The desire for fame and wealth clouds and destroys the true meaning of music: aural euphoria. So, slow down and have fun! Stressing over lessons will not make you a better piano player.
• Take your time. Do not be in a rush to learn something, but do not procrastinate either. While you cannot cram piano practice, you cannot learn without it either. Make sure that you set up a practice schedule to put in effort everyday. Setting aside some time to ensure you chip away at your piano studies little by little will help you reach your goals more quickly than cramming three hours of practice in every sunday. Remember that learning how to play proficiently takes years of study and none of the best pianists reached their levels of playing without hours and hours of practice. The key to success is focus and determination.
• Do not become discouraged. Find encouragement in the smallest of victories because that is what you will be experiencing. Every measure that you learn is a step in the right direction and should be treated as such. To be hard on yourself will not create a positive affiliation with the learning process and you will only become less inspired to play or practice. Make sure that you find the right encouragement from the right people and keep your outlook positive.
• Take advantage of free time. Playing the piano during your free time is not only a surefire way to reduce stress levels through meditative focus, but it is also a much more fulfilling usage of time then other hobbies. Studying the piano not only makes you a better piano player, but it also helps you become a more focused person with superior memory. If you or your child has free time this summer, maybe you should think about piano summer camp. Perfect for any child who wants to have fun and learn the piano while school is not in session. Even for somebody who has been playing for awhile, continuing with your studies during summer break is essential to stay fresh on your playing.
• Listen to your teacher. Even if you think that scales, chords, and theory is boring, practice that stuff anyway. Every thing that your piano teacher tells you to do is with the intention of building a strong basis for continued learning on the instrument. Take baby steps and stay focused on the lesson plan. I assure you positive results in time.

So, what are you waiting for? Sign up for lessons and start reaping the rewards of music education.

• Time management starts with motivation. Before you can learn the piano, you have to be motivated to. Even if you simply wish to make music recreationally as a hobby, it is imperative that you learn your basics and practice, practice, practice. The trick to every form of music making is simply building up the inspiration to sit down and make it happen. So, if you are really serious about learning the piano, lessons aren’t enough. You are going to have to put in effort on your own time and study outside of lessons in order to gain a proficient style of playing and a competent grasp of the theory behind music.
• Also, making a practice schedule will really help you keep up with your studies. Practicing a little bit every day is much better than cramming a couple hours of practice into one day. The trick to learning how to play an instrument proficiently is slow, consistent repetition. Trying to cram a piece of music in will only result in stressful failure. If your life outside of the piano seems too demanding to be able to practice every day, try cutting something else out. If you were to ask yourself which is a better usage of your time, piano or television, what would your answer be? Playing the piano is an extremely beneficial and enjoyable activity that helps with a myriad of different facets of your life.
• Learning the piano helps you with your attention to detail. What is so remarkable about this instrument is the fact that it can engage one hundred percent of your attention so that you must have a strong attention to detail. The key to getting better at the piano is concentration. The demand of reading the staff of even simple music requires a determined and concentrated mind with a focus on the particulars that make up music.
• Learning the piano is also a great way to improve hand eye coordination. If you think of todays society, when people say “keyboard,” they are generally talking about a computer keyboard. While this may be the case, learning the piano actually requires more finger dexterity than typing on the computer. So, if you can play the piano, writing an email should be a breeze!
• The fact of the matter is, music is great for having a good time and stimulating the mind. Playing music isn’t just a form of recreation, but also a form of education. While there is much to be said for other recreational summer activities, few have the intellectual stimulus that studying music has. The theory and aural tenacity necessary for successful piano playing will stimulate other areas of you or your child’s life that you use every day. The ability to focus intently within a time constriction of music reading will not only bring a joyful sound to the world but it will also engage your mind in an irreplaceable activity.

So what are you waiting for? Sign up for summer piano camp now and reap the rewards!

• Music is a pleasurable experience for the listener, this is undeniable. Playing it fluidly is even more pleasurable. Music raises our serotonin and dopamine levels creating a near euphoric experience. When playing the piano, much of these pleasing effects are overshadowed by the intense focus and practice needed to play it. Yet, even piano lessons and practice can be enjoyable for both the teacher and student alike. Especially when working with kids, it is important to have them realize that learning the piano is not a chore, but rather a privilege. If you can make the act of learning the piano as fun as playing it, then the path can be just as special as the destination.
• “Practice” can sometimes imply grueling work. It is a word that has a negative connotation associated with it. Drills and exercises riddled with frustration: this is what kids think of when they think of "practice." While it may seem that all of the work you put in garners little reward, this is not the case. Practice will slowly but surely increases your ability to play the piano proficiently. At any rate, it is possible to make practice a more enjoyable experience. Remember that there is a difference between effort and intelligent effort.
• Remember that practice does not make “perfect” but rather “better.” People think that they will be able to play the most complicated things perfectly, but the struggle for perfection is not an enjoyable experience. The dread of having to practice begins before you even sit down at the keyboard. The first thing that you must overcome is procrastination. The easiest thing to do is to set a goal of playing incredibly focused and intently for only 5 minutes. You will undoubtedly become immersed in what you are learning and end up practicing for much longer.
• Patience is at the core of learning. Take each practice session seriously and take your time. You must learn a piece slowly before being able to play it at tempo. The more patience you have, the easier learning will be. Think of piano practice sessions as relaxing opportunities rather than difficult undertakings.
• Writing things down also helps. The physical act of writing what you’re learning will help you retain the information. Too often people try to play a piece multiple times and fail. This is because they play using “unfocused repetition.” Unless you tackle every mistake individually, you will get nowhere. Making the same mistake over and over again is insanity. Make sure you are taking short pauses now and then to make slight corrections, notes and other insights when repeating a section of music many times. Remember: it’s the quality, not the quantity, that matters when practicing the piano.
• Give yourself rewards and create fun games and challenges for yourself. Setting the learning routine up as a game show or opportunity for reward other than learning the piano will help foster a love for the instrument.

Note down and record your successes. Positive encouragement will get you very far in the piano world, so encourage your peers and they should do the same for you!

• Start your pieces slowly. If you are starting to play a piece of music, no matter how easy it may appear, make sure that you start at a humble pace. A quick tempo will only force you to have to pause multiple times while reading through the music. More important than moving your fingers quickly is consistency. Reading through a piece of music at a slow tempo will give you a consistent base to learn it on. After learning how to play it slowly, you can gradually increase your tempo to suit your aural desire. Even if you are playing a song you are familiar with, I think it is important to learn it at a slow tempo before trying to replicate the sounds you’re used to.
• Learn your scales. At the foundation of almost every piece of music in existence is the major scale. Utilizing this structure, it is easy to learn your major and minor modes from here. Pop music incorporates these scales and if you expect to play any jazz music at all, a complete understanding of the circle of fifths and its scales is essential. Even classical music, especially if written before the 20th century, utilizes these major scales. The chromatic scale is also important, which is simply every single note. Learning how to form these scales is one thing, but it requires hours of practice to train your fingers to be able to adequately play them quickly. Remember: start slow and don’t give up.
• Learn your chords. Every chord is constructed utilizing a set of intervals. Even if you are inverting your chords, knowing your scale degrees, whether major or minor, will help you form chords more easily. Knowing these chords will enable you to just sit down at the piano and jam with your friends. Also, knowing the visual appearance of chords can help you read chords on sheet music. Since the piano is special because of it’s ability to play multiple notes at once, learning chords is essential to learning the piano.
• When attempting to learn the piano, make sure that you have the proper encouragement. Getting support from your friends and family will ensure you a successful and loving learning environment. If you have a mean teacher who gets down on you when you cannot learn certain things, this negative impact will create a negative association with the piano. Be wary of these people and choose your teacher carefully. In my experience, though, most piano teachers are incredibly kind and understanding individuals.

Most importantly, you must practice. Whether you are a teenager, four year old, or an adult, the only way to get better at playing is to practice, practice, practice.

• First off, you must learn your major scales. There are twelve major keys total in music. On the piano, that means applying the same whole-step/half-step pattern to whichever note you start on. Learning the circle of fifths will definitely allow for a simple understanding of which keys have which notes. The accidentals (sharps and flats) will act as the black keys on the keyboard. After learning your major scales, try learning the relative minor keys. Minor keys start on the sixth scale degree of their relative majors. There are three minor scales per key: natural, harmonic, and melodic minor. After learning these scales, you can start to learn the blues scales, bebop scales, whole tone scales, octatonic scales, major/minor modes, and more. Piano scales lay the foundation for a pianist’s keyboard skills and understanding of music. Mastering the music scales on the piano will not only help you know your keyboard, but it will also provide you a knowledge base for learning piano music and even composing your own. When learning any piece of music, you will be playing scale segments and learning these different key signatures will definitely help you span the breadth of the instrument.
• The next thing you should learn are your major and minor triads. Triads are three note chords. Even if you just want to make music recreationally and play with your friends, a basic knowledge of simple chord formation is a must for fluid piano playing. Piano chords, along with the piano scales, are the basic building blocks of most piano music. Major triads involve the root (so in a C major scale, the root is C), a major third (a major third up from C is four half steps, which would be E), and a perfect fifth (seven half steps above the root, which would be G). The difference between a minor and major triad is the third. A minor third is one half step lower than a major third, so a minor third above C would be an Eb. A diminished triad has a flat five and a minor third while an augmented triad has a sharp five and a major third.
• After learning your basic scales and chords, you can start embellishing them. Arpeggios are chords played with separated notes. Seven chord are four note chords that add a new note above the fifth. After learning your root position chords, you can start to invert them. I would highly encourage you to learn all the chord inversions on your own time. In terms of scales, you can start to utilize different scales depending on what chords you support them with. The more theory you know, the more music you’ll be able to play.

Whether you are a child just learning or have been playing your whole life, it is never a bad idea to study your theory and learn the scales and chords that are important to music. Without the basics, the intricacies will always fall short.

• For starters, the piano summer camp sessions are fun. This is not a boring exercise that children dread to do, like homework. Rather, our ‘Way Cool’ Keyboarding program makes playing the piano a fun experience. Instead of piano lessons being a drag, this program sets up an interactive keyboard lesson that kids can get excited for. And even though the lessons are fun, this does not mean that they do not teach. The this program is designed so that it highlights rhythm, harmony, and melody, in different ways that do not conflict with one another. The concept of music as a whole is displayed to the students by playing it and engaging the musician. Even young children can clap their hands and experience the wonders of the piano.
• Learning the piano can help people with their confidence levels while also helping them handle the pressures of life. Piano students become proficient in handling stress as a natural part of learning. Recitals especially put a student in a position where they learn to deal with racing heartbeats, trembling fingers, loss of focus, and other anxieties. If you can deal with these pressures when playing an instrument, you can surely deal with them in less complicated areas of life. As you deal with these pressures, you will gain the confidence to take on the things that used to wear you out. The most resilient people are musicians as they had to show the determination necessary for learning their instruments.
• Learning the piano directly impacts a student’s ability with spatial reasoning. This is the same area of the brain that deals with mathematics and logic. It is where people visualize things without writing them down. This part of the mind can be considered “the mind’s eye” and is essential in dealing with most academic situations. On top of this academic benefit, the piano also helps deal with social situations.
• Especially when taking a piano class or going to a piano camp, music is a means for social communication and helps bring people together. If you or your child has problems interacting with other people, learning the piano will surely benefit you. The encouragement to do great things that comes along with learning the piano is irreplaceable. Even the ability to make music recreationally with your peers will help make any social situation easier to deal with.

If there is a doubt in your mind about the reasons to start piano lessons, allow me to dispel these doubts. Music education is a beautiful thing that few people have the privilege to experience. If you have the means to give this beautiful gift to yourself or your loved ones, I implore you take this opportunity.

• Piano scales lay the foundation for a pianist’s keyboard skills and understanding of music. Mastering the music scales of the piano will not only help you know your keyboard and understanding the half-step/whole step relationships of chord progressions start with scales, providing you a knowledge base for learning piano music and even composing your own. There are 12 major scales and 36 minor scales. Learning the correct fingering is important for every beginner, whether you are four years old, a teenager, or an adult. After learning these basics, you can move on to more complicated scales and the seven different modes as well.
• Chords are the other basic building blocks for most piano music. Learning the chords develops your keyboard awareness and enhances your understanding of the music you read, memorize, compose, or improvise. First, learn how to build your major and minor triads in root position. From here, you can start adding different seventh scale degrees and eventually find different ways to invert the chords. If you know these chords, you will find it easy to analyze piano pieces. Thus, the process of learning how to play the music (and memorize it) becomes much easier if you have a firm understanding and knowledge of chords. Even if you are just playing recreationally, knowing your chords can help you visualize piano music. This is the first step to developing a strong “keyboard image,” allowing you to see music in your head.
• Another important basic to playing the piano is learning how to read music. Reading music is a very difficult skill that requires years of practice to competently and fluidly execute. The first step is to learn the notes of the keyboard and staff. First, learn the arrangement of white and black keys. To the left of the two black notes is C. Two the left of the three black notes is F. The next step is to learn the notes of the staff. For the lines of the bass clef lines, I usually use the acronym “Good Boys Deserve Fudge Always” and for the bass clef spaces I say “All Cows Eat Grass.” Treble clef lines go “Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge,” while the treble clef spaces spell the word “F-A-C-E.”
• From hear, it is important to learn how to divide rhythms. Quarter notes are one beat while whole notes are four. Half notes are two and a dot, when placed after a note, adds 50% of that note’s value to it. While the division of rhythms at first may seem complicated, the more you work on it, the sooner you’ll realize that it is simple fraction work.
• The last most important thing to do in starting the piano is practice. The secret key to being able to play the piano is to practice it. I cannot stress this enough: practice. Set aside time to sit down, eliminate distractions, and practice.

The basics of piano are necessary for laying the foundation you need to play more complicated music. Every note you play should be another piece of encouragement to continue along the path of the piano.