Piano Lessons
Piano is a perfect instrument to start learning either as a beginner or for anyone coming from a different instrument looking to get a more rounded understanding of music theory.
I teach kids and adults piano and will go through some FAQ's about books and instruments and practice scheduling here.
Kids Piano lessons for ages 5 and up
What book series to get?
For students aged 5-9, I find the Piano Adventures series by Nancy Faber is fantastic. It introduces a strong foundation of finger technique, finger positioning, finding notes on the keyboard and also rhythm before getting into reading notes on the staff which many kids tend to struggle with if it's introduced too quickly. For kids with musical experience already on other instruments, they may like to try the "Accelerated" Piano adventures series. I also encourage students to learn songs outside of the books for fun!
John Thompsons Easiest Piano Course and the Progressive Piano Method for Young beginners are also excellent choices and I can recommend them as well. They are just a bit faster paced than the Piano Adventures series and would suit students beginning from at least 8 years old
Frequently asked questions
What type of keyboard or piano should I get?
Starting from the best and most expensive - A real piano is generally the best to learn on, however not everyone has the budget or space required.
Second best is a digital piano - Ideally you would want full size, weighted keys, a pedal with "half-pedalling" capabilities and 88 keys. 73 keys are okay too for 90% of songs, however there will likely be moments where the full 88 keys are required. The Kawai ES110 is perhaps the best bang for buck digital piano out there at the moment.
Lastly, I've had many students fare well by starting with cheaper keyboards in the $100-$300 range which would be fine for the first year or two of learning. Models like the Casio LK136 is great for kids and a good way to get them started before committing to something more expensive.
Should I enrol in AMEB exams and do you teach them?
I do teach AMEB and can help students through their grades. AMEB is great for teaching classical technique and also helps to set clear goals and deadlines for your learning.
Teenager and adult piano lessons
Where to start?
Starting with a piano book is always a great way to introduce notes on the staff, music theory concepts and playing technique. I can recommend the "Accelerated Piano Adventures" book 1 by Nancy and Randall Faber for older beginners. I usually start off by going through some songs in this book as they are laid out with great pacing and incremental difficulty. From there, we can start to venture into learning songs of your own choosing.
What do the lessons involve?
During the lessons, I'll usually start off with some warm up exercises, scales or sight reading exercises. From there I usually have my students working on at least 2-3 songs at a time, so we'll go through those and find any areas that need extra attention and work through them together. I'll also include a little bit of theory throughout working on the songs, so we can eventually learn how and why the songs sound the way they do.
I just want to be able to sit at a piano and play anything
If you are more interested in eventually playing with a group or composing your own songs for fun, then I'd suggest just learning a few songs you like and digging deeper into the theory behind them and practice improvising over some set chords. I can also help with analysing chords, harmonic progressions and scales so you can implement them into your own playing.
For any further enquiries, please write a message here, or find my contact details on the home page.