Piano Lessons in Cedar Park, TX

Instruments: Piano Voice

What advice do you have about practicing effectively?
Humans are creatures of habit and our physical abilities are dependent on muscle memory. In order to practice effectively it needs to be part of a regular routine, not an appointment, special occasion, or chore. If we can practice 5 hours a week, we see significant progress in the first year. My advice is to find a time when you won't be rushed or distracted. The end of the school/work day, when all of your obligations are fulfilled is best. Some days 60 minutes will be enough time to make significant progress, sometimes 60 minutes won't allow you much advancement, but 60 minutes, 5 days in a row, will yield noticeable improvement. Muscle memory is more deeply programmed when we sleep, so returning to a failed task the following day will recently yield success. As we experience this success we are more inclined to practice each day. I highly recommend playing 1 hour a day, when the day is done, Monday through Friday.

How do I know if my child is ready to start lessons?
If a child has an obvious attachment to music, like singing constantly and sounding out tunes on an instrument, then it may be time to consider lessons. Children can learn as early as 5 years old, but its hard to get a genuine commitment out of a child younger than 8. If a child is agreeable, has shown a sustained interest and is the sort of kid who completes homework or enjoys sports practice, then there is a good bet that they'll practice enough to see results. In many cases piano is a great way to create good habit like discipline, commitment and project completion.

When will I start to see results?
That depends on a great many variables. Talent and commitment are the most important factors to seeing results. With a commitment of 5 hours a week a child or young adult can see significant results in 6-12 weeks. If one begins lessons early enough one can see seriously impressive results within 6 months. If one practices 5+ hours a week with regular lessons at the end of 2 years one can feel so comfortable on their instrument that they won't be able to remember a time when they couldn't play proficiently.

Why did you choose your primary instrument?
I learned to play on the 1954 Wurlitzer spinet that my Mother's Mother bought and played. My mother learned to play on that piano and I began playing on that piano when I was 5 years old. Piano was a form of discipline in my household, but I had a healthy appetite for music for as long as I can remember. At 13 I took up saxophone and later bass. At 18 I realized the superior utility of the keyboards. A saxophone is monophonic, a bass requires not hands to create a limited amount of notes, but piano is the only instrument played in chromatic half-steps, left to right, low to high, with 88 note polyphony, and rhythmic independence for each hand. No brainer.

Read More