The piano is one of the most iconic instruments out there. While it has fallen out of favor in modern pop music, it is the most popular instrument for people to play.
Yet, the number of people who can play the instrument is relatively small compared with the overall population. After all, how many people who took lessons with a piano teacher as kids keep playing into adulthood?
Yet, even if you never learned, it turns out that the benefits of piano lessons extend even to learning later in life. If you’re interested in piano lessons, though, how do you pick a good music instructor?
Keep reading for some tips on locking in a good music teacher.
Ask Around
Finding people who offer music lessons in general or piano lessons is relatively easy in this day and age. After all, you can post on social media and ask for recommendations for instructors in your area.
You should also reach out to your network. For example, some of your friends or nearby relatives may have kids in private lessons or be taking classes themselves.
Location
Don’t underestimate the importance of location. Making a long commute to lessons twice a week will get old quickly for you or your child.
Do an online search that specifies a location element, such as “piano lessons Rocklin.” This will narrow your search and let you refine for instructors close to your home.
Education
While playing piano isn’t all about technique, it’s easy for someone to learn bad techniques. You want piano lessons from people with at least some formal training in the instrument. That way, you know that you or your child will learn good techniques from the ground up.
It’s much easier to learn good techniques early than to correct bad ones you’ve practiced for years.
Experience
You also want someone with some piano teaching experience. Granted, every teacher was a first-time teacher for someone. Yet, working with an experienced teacher is often more productive and less painful for students.
Style
When most people think of piano lessons, they feel about learning classical piano. In fact, much piano music instruction focuses on classical piano pieces.
Yet, there are a lot of different styles out there. For example, jazz or boogie-woogie uses the same instrument but focuses on various aspects of playing. Knowing what you want to play can help you narrow down your choices.
Picking the Right Piano Teacher
You might consider the above factors as the rudimentary elements of picking the right piano teacher. They are, in many ways, the logistical hurdles you must overcome.
You should also weigh the interpersonal elements as well. If you go in for a trial lesson and discover you or your child intensely dislike the instructor, you or your kid probably won’t learn much.
Music Lab Rocklin offers piano lessons for both kids and adults. To give our approach a try, sign up for a free lesson.