Answering Your Most Frequently Asked Questions
Shouldn’t children be able to read & understand math before starting music lessons?
Have other questions not listed here and/or ready to sign up for lessons? Contact us here.
No. It is not a requirement for learning music. In fact studies have shown that children can learn music best if they begin at a very young age. Very young children because they are developing language have very active ears and have the opportunity to learn music as a language.
Aren’t private lessons better than group?
No. Private lessons get very lonely very quickly and 80% of all children who begin them drop out before the end of one year. Children actually progress at a faster rate in group lessons and tend to continue their music lesson over a longer period of time because:
1) they have an hour instead of a half hour with the teacher;
2) they are in a mildly competitive situation and want to keep up;
3) they enjoy their lesson and learn quickly and easily;
and 4) if they miss a lesson they have to catch up rather than do the same lesson over.
Do the children need to practice? How long?
Yes. The children need to practice. Children’s attention span is about one minute for each year they are old, so we recommend 5-10 minutes maximum every day.
Wouldn’t it be better just to have a teacher some to our home? (It sure would be easier on me).
No. Having a teacher come to the home is one of the least successful ways to learn music. There are many distractions in the average home: dogs barking, siblings interrupting, telephones ringing, etc. Additionally, children do not take the music lesson as seriously when it is in the home.
Learning Solfege vs. Alphabet?
Piano instruction to children 9 yrs and younger begins with Solfege (DO, RE, Mi...). Why Solfege? The music alphabet begins with the letter "C", children learn the alphabet in school beginning with "A". Confusing! Solfege is singable, consonant/vowel combination (how language is developed), and is the official music language taught in all countries except the continental US. The alphabet is difficult to hear and distinguish sounds for ear training because almost every letter ends with an "strong E" sound. B, C, D, E, G - all end with an "E" sound. Your child will learn letters as soon as they are at an appropriate age and playing level.
