Piano Lessons in Grants Pass
Piano Lesson Options
The piano is hands down the most popular first instrument. There is good reason for this! When you look at the piano keyboard with its patterns of two and three black keys, you are seeing major clues as to how music works - what musicians all "Music Theory." No other instrument makes it so easy and, in fact, many times teachers of other instruments will show students a picture of the piano to explain the patterns that all musician must learn. Students who start their musical journey with piano lessons find every other instrument easier to understand than they would have otherwise.
Piano or Keyboard? The English word piano is a shortened form of the Italian pianoforte (in English "soft-loud"). Variations in volume are produced in response to the pianist's touch. The piano was Invented in the 1700s, the first instrument of its kind to allow gradations of volume and tone according to how forcefully or softly the player presses or strikes the keys. The piano is a complex mechanical device capable of fulfilling the player’s every musical wish. With each development since its invention, the piano has increasingly been able to provide infinite nuance of expression, volume, and duration of tone.
These days, a piano student is just as likely to own a digital piano or keyboard. The best digital instrument for a piano student is an acoustic piano, a digital piano, or a keyboard with touch sensitive and weighted keys, which recreate the dynamic range and feel of an acoustic piano.
The Best First Instrument. The piano is often recommended as the best musical instrument to learn first. There is a reason for this. The structure of the piano, with scale patterns made obvious by the white and black keys, make understanding the building blocks of music easier than other instruments. Even if your child would like to learn to play a different instrument later, a year or two on the piano will be an excellent preparation and will give them a deeper understanding of music.
Learning Piano is Good For You! If you research the lives of the most successful people, you’ll find many accomplished pianists. Albert Einstein was an expert violinist and pianist. Former Secretary of State Condolezza Rice and 33rd President of the United States Harry Truman were both very talented pianists. Perhaps this is because of the extra-musical benefits of studying the piano which has been found to sharpen the mind, improve hand-eye coordination and motor-skills (ability to move fingers with intended precision and accuracy), train the ear to hear the tiniest details, and improve reading and comprehension.
What Your Child Will Learn in Piano Lessons. Playing the piano is personally very rewarding. Right from the beginning, piano students enjoy learning simple versions of songs they know and new ones as well. In addition to playing songs, early on your young musician will embark on a journey of developing foundational music skills by playing scales, chords, and other patterns that build the muscle memory required to master many different styles and genres of music.
Your child will also have weekly written assignments in music theory. Learning music theory - the structure of music - prepares them to play more advanced piano pieces and also enables them to play in musical styles that require improvisation and flowing with other musicians, such as in a rock band or on a church worship team.
As they explore the different types of piano music and gain the skills needed to play them well, your child's lessons will continue to focus more and more on the music and the styles they love and will be excited to master!
Begin the journey today!
Frequently Asked Questions
What do you recommend for children younger than 7 years of age who want to learn piano?
We recommend that children younger than seven years of age start in our Kindermusik program. There are several reasons for this:
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In Kindermusik your child will learn to read the music for over a dozen songs and play them on the glockenspiel - a pre-keyboard instrument that prepares students for learning the piano.
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Kindermusik graduates have learned to read and write music notation. With this background, your child will be able to focus on the physical process of playing the piano. Learning piano will be more fun, more successful, and much less stressful because they can focus their full attention on what their fingers are doing and not try to figure our how to read music at the same time.
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Finger dexterity and coordination is often not completely developed in young children, making learning to play the piano very challenging. Children this age are usually much more successful with the glockenspiel, an instrument that uses large motor movement to play melodies.
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Sitting quietly on a piano bench and focusing for 30 minutes in a private lesson is often difficult for young children. Kindermusik is an active learning experience that teaches music reading and instrument play through the power of music games, creative movement, and musical story telling. This fosters a love for music that your child will carry with them as they continue their journey into a life of music making.
Do we need to have a piano at home? If so, what do I need to look for when I purchase a piano?
Because progressing in piano lessons requires daily practice, our piano students are required to have an acoustic piano, digital piano, or full size high quality keyboard at home.
Features that are important to include when purchasing a digital piano or keyboard.
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88 keys (full size piano keyboard)
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touch sensitive keys
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weighted keys
If you purchase a keyboard rather than a digital piano, you will also need to buy:
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a sustain pedal
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an adjustable keyboard stand
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a seat that can be adjusted to the correct height for the size of the student.
Used acoustic pianos are also an option. When buying a used acoustic piano, we recommend that you have it looked at by a piano tuner before purchasing it to be sure that it is in good condition and can be brought up to pitch when tuned.
Our Piano Teachers
Heidi Sundin
Heidi is an accomplished professional pianist and an experienced teacher. She is devoted to her students and loves to help cultivate a love and appreciation of music for all ages.
Deborah Pratt
Deborah is an experienced piano teacher who has served as keyboardist on church worship teams for many years. She loves helping her students learn to play their favorite music.