Piano lessons are available for interested students age 6 and older. Please contact me if you have a younger child who is ready to start piano, and remember---it's never too late to begin the piano, especially if the student is motivated, frequently asks for lessons or often goes to the keyboard on their own to "play around".
Weekly piano lessons not only expose children to the art of music, but can help them develop skills that transfer to language arts, science and math.
Learning to read music is similar to acquiring a new language. Music has it's own vocabulary, with sets of organized figures (notes) that represent different pitches. Other shapes and designs designate rhythmic differences. Reading music is like reading a map of an instrument...but this map represents sounds.
A child's vocabulary grows steadily while they are learning the piano, and many Latin based words (mostly in Italian) are used to describe music. In addition, students are exposed to a higher-level English vocabulary, because music requires abstract thinking and can often only be understood through analogy or comparison.
Counting is incredibly important in learning music. Counting rhythms while playing is essential and fractions are introduced in a simple way at the very beginning of lessons. Pattern recognition skills develop as the complexity of the music increases.
Music history also is taught alongside of piano lessons. Students learn about the time periods that their music was written in, as well as the composer. And, it's almost impossible to separate the piano's history from the lesson. Children are fascinated by how pianos work: the hammers that strike the strings, the pedals that allow the sound to ring and the soft pedal that moves the hammers closer to the sound board.
There are many research studies that indicate that students who study music do much better in math, science and language arts than students who do not study music. So not only does your child benefit from learning a musical skill but other school work will improve. Households that qualify can even get a tax credit for their child's lesson costs. As a member of MMTA all my lessons for school age students are eligble.
