Have you always wanted to learn to play the piano? Or is your child excited about music and you want to encourage that excitement? You have come to the right place!

CHILDREN: I usually recommend that children start piano lessons no sooner than their 7th birthday, but decide on a case-by-case basis after talking with you and getting to know your child’s personality. In general, there is no difference between students who start earlier and those who wait until they are 8-10 years old. This is primarily due to two facts about child development:

1) By age 8-10, a child’s reading ability helps them track across the musical page, which makes lessons more enjoyable and makes learning music easier;

2) the fine motor muscles in their hands are strong enough to play the keys correctly without tiring or discouraging them;

3) The explosion of new neurons in the brain that happens somewhere between 8 and 10 years of age means that children who study music at that age develop more neuron connections within the brain and between halves of the brain (part of what is often referred to as “the Mozart effect”).

If you want your younger child to just experience music-making without learning to play the piano or an instrument, I can recommend a Kindermusic teacher.

BUDDY LESSONS: With buddy lessons, if there are two children it is best if the students are no more than 3 years apart in age, with the possible youngest being 8 years old. (The reason: in general, in a group with students more than 3 years apart, after 8-10 lessons the older students begin to pull ahead of the younger students and become bored if they have to slow down for the younger ones.) I find that parent/grandparent/adult+child lessons work very well!

ADULTS: Adults who have always wanted to play the piano should have no fear at taking piano lessons! You have all the tools necessary to succeed, no matter what you may have been told as a child. And as an adult, you have the maturity to be able to practice mindfully and with patience toward yourself in order to play with childlike joy. Come try piano!

FOR ALL STUDENTS: I am not a fan of one-size-fits-all lesson books, but spend time getting to know each student and finding out what it is you really want to play, and see that you are playing music that you enjoy right away! We do have ‘off the bench’ learning as well–singing scales and melodic patterns to train the brain, playing rhythm and theory games, and many other fun things!