Mikes Music Room – Music Articles

It used to be not too long ago that the only way to receive lessons for playing the piano were through a music studio or private lessons through an instructor or music tutor. That has all changed thanks to the Internet and the processing speed of the home computer.

Piano lessons in general were a fright for most kids growing up. Instead of being outside playing with their friends, they were stuck inside practicing their notes on the piano. Luckily this was only once a week as these private lessons were expensive. After some time, the tutoring stopped as the piano was never really grasped by the student due to disinterest. Now that these kids are grown up, they long to be able to play and wish they had practiced more. Still, private lessons from a qualified instructor are expensive, so where do they turn to when they wish to learn the piano but can’t afford private lessons?

An online course is much cheaper than a private lesson. If a private lesson costs 30 or 40 dollars per week, just think about how quickly that adds up. You can take an entire online course in piano for a fraction of the costs that you would acquire taking weeks of private lessons. Also, private lessons are only usually one hour per week. If you have questions during the rest of the week, or if you forget something that your teacher said, you will have to wait for your next lesson to continue your learning. However online piano courses are quite different.

With an online piano course, you can work at your own pace. As long as you have a computer to access the internet, and speakers to listen to the lessons, you can learn as much or as little as you’d like. You can also take as many lessons per week as you’d want, or go back and listen to your last lesson if you have forgotten anything. Most adults who want to learn how to play piano enjoy being able to go back and listen to their previous lessons. It can give you a good idea of what you were doing right, what you were doing wrong, and what you should be doing before the next lesson.

Of course, if you need someone to sit beside you and offer you instant feedback as you are playing, you might not benefit from an online piano course. Most people find, however, especially adult learners, that they are able to tell when they are playing something right and when it is wrong, so they don’t really need an actual instructor to sit next to them. The lessons online can be viewed at any time, or as often as you’d like, which means that you can get your own type of feedback from an online piano course. If you have the money for a private instructor, you might not choose to go with internet courses. However, most people will say that they benefit from the online courses.

Trying to find an accredited or worthy online virtual piano course might prove difficult if you don’t know what to look for. Call around to companies that sell or service pianos; they are sure to have the information you need. Some also operate the online sites and are more than happy to get you online and more importantly into their stores.

For more valuable information about piano lessons check out online piano lessons

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Terje_Brooks_Ellingsen

I’m a manufacturer of piano methods, so although what I say may seem self-serving, it also bears the weight of a lot of experience.

I’m not going to refer to any specific products, but rather examine some of the things you may wonder about along the way to your purchase.

1. What does the site offer you in terms of samples? By this I mean an actual view of what you will receive. There needs to be a simple explanation with drawings or photos that lets you imagine exactly how this product will be used. I say this because there are many products out there that offer miracles and quick learning, but just as many sites do not show ANYTHING describing exactly how their product will achieve these miracles. Frankly, I wouldn’t buy any educational product such as this if I can’t actually try it online, for example, with an online virtual piano.
2. What sort of contact will they offer you? You may need help or want to return the product. Look for a prominently displayed 800 number. You shouldn’t have to search for it. Send an email, ask a simple question and see how long it takes them to reply. You want a company that is small enough to serve you personally, but not so big that they do not offer real customer service.
3. What is their return policy? Is it readily displayed? If there is none, you can safely avoid that company.
4. What age group is this product appropriate for? This is a little harder to answer, because the answer varies widely according to the product and the age of the child you’re shopping for. If it’s, say, a piano method using colored marks to delineate the notes, is this method perhaps more appropriate for a very young child who cannot even find numbers or letters? If the method uses letters, make sure your child understands how to find the symbols for the letters. If the method uses numbers, does your child have facility with lower numbers such as 1-10?
5. Is there a link between the “starter method” and the real task of reading music? For example, let’s say there’s a piano method that uses dinosaurs to delineate the keys (Sticker with Brontosaurus is Middle C, sticker with Tyranosaurus is the next key, etc.,) That may be a good method hypothetically, but once you discard the “dinosaur” method for reading music, what good has the “dinosaur” done the child? Theoretically, it would seem none, but there are hidden benefits to almost any starter method at the piano: if it succeeds, it has introduced the child to the instrument happily, with no frustration and an added sense of self esteem for playing fun songs everyone knows.
6. Does the method involve fingering? Fingering is the means whereby the five fingers of each hand are numbered for easy reference. The truth is that very young kids, even up to age eight or so, have trouble coordinating their fingers, and, while they must someday address the issue, to thrust it on them in the very beginning is often a recipe for disaster. Look for a method that is simple, and the younger the child, the simpler and more transparent the method should be. Better to go slowly in the beginning and make the child feel a success than to rush into complexity and confuse and frustrate the child.
7. Does the method or product involve computer software? Some starter methods nowadays involve the usage either partially or exclusively, of computer based systems or software. While these things may seem attractive at first, you should be aware that in my experience children find computer learning software for piano and music profoundly boring. That’s right, boring. They’ll use it a few times and then quit. There is really no substitute for the old fashioned method of trying to play music on a musical instrument. For one thing, the piano requires a type of dexterity unrelated to keystrokes and mouse-handling. It’s not that musical concepts can’t be communicated through software, but rather that there is something more satisfying about the feeling of sitting at an instrument instead of a computer monitor.
8. What are the educational credentials of the creator of the method? Music is a very technical art, and thus the method you select should ideally be created by someone with an accredited track record in terms of education, teaching and performance. See if this is posted anywhere on the offering piano method site.
9. Is there any way to have your child try it online before you buy it? This will give you a good idea of what their reaction is going to be. You’d be surprised how many methods keep you in the dark so you are forced to buy it to try it. Look for the sample pages and try online.
10. What is the slant of the method, and does it fit the personality of your child? Some methods are marketed to appeal to you as a parent, offering conventional values such as achievement and excellence. Others suggest that you have fun with the piano, and not worry so much about recitals and traditional educational values. My advice is to err on the side of fun: better to have a piano method be fun and have your child learn less than have the piano method be rigorous and not child-friendly.
11. What about group lessons? While not strictly within this discussion, it is an important point. If you want simply MUSIC activity for preschoolers, groups would be a good outlet. I have several preschool music groups that I lead, and you need a group for general musical fun. But I have also taught group piano lessons, and would have to say that they are not as good a choice for children for several reasons. First, piano lessons require nothing but personal attention from the teacher, and that’s all but impossible with a group. Second, piano lessons, even fun piano lessons, require concentration, and no matter how well organized, there are many distractions in a group environment.

Take the time to comparison shop, and above all, use email and phone to ask questions. Piano teaching is a complex field, and you’ll need to be well-informed to make a good choice.

By John Aschenbrenner Copyright 2000 Walden Pond Press. Visit http://www.pianoiseasy.com to see the PIANO BY NUMBER method.

John Aschenbrenner is a leading children’s music educator and book publisher, and the author of numerous piano method books in the series PIANO BY NUMBER.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Aschenbrenner

There are many factors you should consider as you design a musical education for your children or yourself.

The major question to answer is the location of the lesson. Will your kids be taught at home by a traveling instructor or will you travel to the piano teacher’s studio?

LESSONS AT HOME

If you want to find a traveling instructor in your local area, try the local paper or local print media ads. Many piano teachers advertise in newspapers as well as online. Most piano teachers do not travel because of the major added expenditure on transport.

It is more convenient for the piano teacher to teach at their studio, but it is more convenient for the piano student to be taught at home. In the end, the decision may be left up to which types of teachers are available in your area. If you are in a very remote area, your only choice may be to purchase a piano method via mail and the internet.

There are many benefits to hiring a traveling instructor and having your lessons at home. First of, having lessons at home is far more convenient, as well as being conducive to learning because the child is in a comfortable, familiar environment.

Next, you will be able to see the lesson and observe how the teacher teaches and how your child will react. You can bet that the teacher is eager to do a good job because you are present, if not in the same room, at least in the house and able to monitor your child’s experience from afar.

Kids feel more comfortable at the home piano, and can glide from their own activities to the lesson and back again, all in the comfort of home.

Piano teachers who come to your home are more expensive, necessarily, but in my opinion, assuming you have a good teacher, you get what you pay for. That is, home lessons are a better buy because the learning environment is better and more secure. You may also want to make the point that many families want to have their children playing music in the home as a cultural value they support.

Having the lessons at home set that example for the children, but perhaps even more valuable is the fact that you may show praise for their efforts, however humble, more easily in your home.

LESSONS AT THE TEACHER’S STUDIO

Perhaps the prime virtue is that they are cheaper, and since most piano instructors teach only out of their home, there is a greater selection.

Some teach in their own home, or a studio attached to it. Others teach at music schools, exalted and famous, or in a storefront type of operation. In any case, you’ll need to travel to the piano lesson and then either sit in on the lesson, or spend a half hour or so doing something else. And if you have other children to attend to, this can become difficult to organize and pull off happily.

One virtue of the studio teacher is that they usually have a larger library of music than a traveling piano teacher would ordinarily carry with them. This probably would not make a difference to the average child starting out, as they would usually have a single text assigned to them at first. But for an adult or more accomplished child, it could be a benefit.

As a general rule, I would try not to sit in on the lesson at a teacher’s studio too often, as long as you feel comfortable with the teacher and child. The reason for this is simply concentration: your child will concentrate better if they are not trying to please you at the same time as following the piano instructor’s directions.

At home it is different. There you can hear the progress of the piano lesson all through your home, at your leisure.

But your choice of piano instruction may come down to what is available in your area.

In other cases, such as a rural location, you may not be able to find a teacher at all, or a teacher may prove too expensive.

In this case, I would suggest trying to find what I would call a “starter method,” that is, a method that is organized simply enough that you can do it yourself at home. There are many available, from large manufacturers to individuals who market their products online.

I would suggest that you compare all the piano products, and ask for samples if necessary. Some piano methods allow you to try them out online, using a virtual piano that uses your computer’s mouse so you can get the idea of how that piano method works.

Regardless of which piano method you use, exploration of the piano whether in lessons or on your own can be a rewarding experience. Go very slowly and this is most important, learn at your own pace.

The piano is truly the grandest of all musical instruments and the benefits are life-long.

by John Aschenbrenner Copyright 2000 Walden Pond Press. Visit http://www.pianoiseasy.com to see the PIANO BY NUMBER method.

John Aschenbrenner is a leading children’s music educator and book publisher, and the author of numerous piano method books in the series PIANO BY NUMBER.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Aschenbrenner