Because my child is still young, I probably don't need a very experienced teacher.
Actually, the opposite is true. The early stages of development are extremely important. It is the time when good or bad habits are formed and the time when a child's ear is the most receptive. Using a great teacher at a young age will help ensure your child has a good start for their musical education.

We just want our child to have fun and enjoy music, is that okay?
That would depend on what you mean by 'just have fun'. Every student is different and one student might have fun doing something whilst another not. For example, some students love performing and playing in concerts and competitions and this is very exhilerating for them. Another student might find audiences overwhelming and much prefer the more quiet achievement of attaining a good grade for an exam. There are also those that simply enjoy playing their favourite pieces at home alone or to their family and friends.

One trait is common: there are not many students who really enjoy the task of practice, but practice is the cornerstone to the wonderful examples mentioned above. Without sufficient practice, the student doesn't progress, their pieces are either learnt very slowly or not at all and they simply don't enjoy the benefits of the playing. This is a very frustrating situation for everyone. For most students it is the playing that is fun and the more pieces you play, the more fun it is. However, as previously mentioned, practice is a task, or put more plainly, it is WORK and as with any kind of work it will probably require some discipline. However, always remember that the sense of achievement, each step along the way, makes it very worthwhile.

Does the parent need to have any musical knowledge?
Although a parent does not need to have any prior musical knowledge, a child will generally progress much faster if help is available at home. Therefore, at least in the early stages, we encourage parents to attend lessons so the correct guidance can be given at home during practice.

Shouldn't my child be able to practice alone?
It never ceases to amaze me how so many parents think they should be able to leave a five year old to dilligently practice by themselves every day. The truth is that learning to play the piano is a very complex activity that even many teenagers and adults find challenging. It requires personal characteristics that most young children don't possess, such as patience, diligence, self-discipline, good comprehension and a clear head. Most children are not renowned for these charateristics and so a parent must fill the gap and help the young child regularly at home. This means the parent should not only be keeping a constant eye and ear on the practice but also sit next to their child and guide them on a 'micro' level, just like they would with school homework. For example, they might read the lesson notebook to the child, guide them in what kind of practice to do, help keep them focused on the task at hand, and if experience is anything to go by, have a few arguments about practice!

Now, I don't want to sound like it's all just hard work because it's not. It should be fun, enjoyable and even relaxing at times and lets face it, if the student isn't enjoying playing the piano there isn't much point to learning.

How much practice is needed?
Every week we set a minimum amount of practice to be completed by the student depending on the following:

• The age of the student
• The goals that have been previously set by the teacher, parent and student
• Difficulty of weekly tasks
• Events that are nearing, such as exams, competitions and concerts

As a basic guide for an average student we expect:

• Young Beginner (4-5yrs): 15 minutes per day
• Beginner to grade one: 30 minutes per day
• Grade two: 45 minutes per day
• Grade three or greater: 60-120 minutes per day

What age is best to start?
We use special teaching methods and materials to teach young children. These include the well- known solfa (fixed-doh) singing system and Kodaly rhythm syllables used in many schools, flash cards including our own Treviano Studio Rhythm Cards, games and a variety of instruments. All these tools enable us to teach at a much younger age than the more traditional style of teacher. However, a great deal depends on the childs character, attention span, maturity level and coordination skills and this could only be determined through an individual assessment. We find that some children are ready to begin from the age of four, especially girls who often mature earlier than boys in the required mental areas.

Do I need a piano or will a keyboard be okay?
Yes, you do need a piano. In our opinion the only similarities between a piano and a keyboard are that they both have black and white keys! The sound and feel of a piano is entirely different to a digital keyboard and even the best touch-sensitive keyboards simply don't come close to producing the tonal nuances that an acoustic piano can. In the past we have taught students that practised on a keyboard and we noticed a significant disadvantage to their progress, both musically and technically.