FAQ

1. Is my child old enough to start lessons?

As a rough general rule, I take on new students from age six upwards.  However, every child is different and the following guidelines will help determine if your child is ready to start lessons with me, whatever their age.  If you think that they are ready for lessons then please contact me to arrange an initial lesson.

Can they…

• Read numbers, count to 10 and do simple adding up (eg 2+2=4) ?
• Read the letters of the alphabet and short sentences?
• Physically sit still for 30 minutes?
• Focus on having fun at the piano for 10-15 minutes?
• Hold a pen or pencil easily to write with?

If so then they are probably ready to make the most of having lessons.  If not, give them lots of musical stimulation at home and go about arranging lessons for them when they are able to do all of these things.

2. Does my child need a piano to begin lessons?

It is important that you have an instrument at home to practise on as soon as you start having piano lessons.  Here are a few details of the main options available.

• Brand new acoustic piano

  You can buy a brand new acoustic piano from around £1800 for a starter-piano, and upwards from there…  If you are considering investing in a brand new piano I would advise you to spend as much as you can possibly afford, as pianos are not always easy to trade-in, and you wouldn’t trade them in as often as you would do a car!  Most new upright pianos now have a third ‘practice pedal’ that considerably quietens the sound so that you can practice with the minimal disturbance to others.  If you are not certain about whether you want to commit to a long-term investment, many shops offer rent-to-buy schemes; you can rent a piano for a few months and then at the end of the agreed period you can either return the piano or purchase it with the rental costs you have already paid deducted from the price.

• Second-hand acoustic piano

  You should be able to buy a decent second-hand piano from a dealer or piano restorer from around £500-700.  The advantage of buying this way is that you know it will be playable, you will probably have a choice of instruments and you may get a year’s warranty.   Some dealers will also offer the option to buy-back if you want to trade up to a better instrument after a period of time.  Of course, if you buy privately you can expect to pay less, but I would advise taking a trusted piano tuner with you to view the piano so that they can advise on the value of the instrument, any likely repair costs and whether or not the piano will withstand regular tuning.

• Digital piano

  You should expect to pay around £500 upwards for a decent digital piano.
  It should have 88 full-size weighted keys and an integral damper pedal, in order to capture as much of the sound of an acoustic piano as possible.
  I would not recommend buying a second-hand digital piano as it is unlikely you will benefit from a manufacturer’s warranty and like most electronic equipment, digital pianos are not easy or cheap to repair if they malfunction.

• Keyboard

  If initially you are unsure or your or your child’s commitment to learning the piano, or simply don’t want to spend a lot of money, then a small inexpensive keyboard will suffice for a few months.  It should have full size keys, and please be aware that toy keyboards or keyboards with fewer than 36 keys are not appropriate for learning the piano with if you are having lessons.

3. Do you travel to students’ homes to conduct lessons?

Yes, as long as there is a piano at your home.