Types of Music Lessons
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Frequently Asked Questions
What age do you take students?
Students are able to start learning at Wildflower Music from age three years and above. Lessons for preschool students look quite different to those of primary school children and are based on building the fundamental blocks of music in a fun and engaging way, to suit the active and energetic preschool students! A variety of fun materials are utilised in preschool piano lessons including suzuki and Piano Safari rote songs, kodaly based song and rhythm activities, rhythm instruments, soft toys and lots of games to ensure a fun, eclectic and balanced musical experience for your child.
The ages that students are ready to start private or partner lessons does vary from child to child, some are ready at 3, some are better to wait until they are 5. If you are unsure of your child's readiness please feel free to get in touch to discuss.
The ages that students are ready to start private or partner lessons does vary from child to child, some are ready at 3, some are better to wait until they are 5. If you are unsure of your child's readiness please feel free to get in touch to discuss.
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What is the best age to start?
There are many different schools of thought on the best age to start learning an instrument. Many musicians (especially in the suzuki philosophies) recommend starting at around the age of three. Where as many music educators (especially in scandinavian countries) recommend starting group general music/musicianship classes based in singing, movement and games at a young age and then starting formal instrumental lessons at age 6-7.
There are benefits to both approaches and I utilise both options. The option you pick will depend on your ability to access group music classes, if you child works well in a group setting, if you child has expressed a strong interest and preference for an instrument and if you as a family can support regular at home practice (learning an instrument at a young age requires a lot of parental input, where as group general music classes often do not).
The only wrong answer here is no music! Ample research has shown the benefits of starting musical learning and exposure young, so whichever path you choose the most important part is to include music in your child's life!
If you are unsure about what path you want to take for your child please feel free to get in touch to discuss furhter.
There are benefits to both approaches and I utilise both options. The option you pick will depend on your ability to access group music classes, if you child works well in a group setting, if you child has expressed a strong interest and preference for an instrument and if you as a family can support regular at home practice (learning an instrument at a young age requires a lot of parental input, where as group general music classes often do not).
The only wrong answer here is no music! Ample research has shown the benefits of starting musical learning and exposure young, so whichever path you choose the most important part is to include music in your child's life!
If you are unsure about what path you want to take for your child please feel free to get in touch to discuss furhter.
What time commitment is required to learn piano?
To get the most out of learning instrument a much greater time commitment than a once weekly lesson is needed! In addition to attending weekly lessons students should also expect to participate in a performance event once a term. These include fun, student only events such as the piano parties and piano concerts/performance dinners where friends and family are invited to attend. Students make the most progress and have enjoy lesson more when they are engaged and participating fully in all that music lessons can offer. To keep their place in the student students are expected to attend all lessons, group classes and performances unless illness/extenuating circumstances apply.
Students are also expected to practice at least five days a week at home. Home practice is a vital component to learning an instrument so it's important to consider if your child will have enough time to meet practice requirements so that they can progress and have an enjoyable learning experience! As a rough guide, minimum recommended practice times are:
Students are also expected to practice at least five days a week at home. Home practice is a vital component to learning an instrument so it's important to consider if your child will have enough time to meet practice requirements so that they can progress and have an enjoyable learning experience! As a rough guide, minimum recommended practice times are:
- Preschool students (age 3-5) : 5-10 minutes, 5 days a week
- 1st year of learning for students are 6-7 years: 15 minutes, 5 days a week
- 1st year of learning for students aged 8+: 20 minutes, 5 days a week
After this students wanting to play for fun/pleasure should aim to practice on 5 days a week for 20 - 60 minutes (depending on age and level). Students wanting to do music exams, competition, eisteddfods etc. may require more practice.
It is important to realise that even if the musical goal is to play for fun (which is a fabulous goals to have!) regular and dedicated practice is still needed. Students that practice 2 or 3 times a week do not make progress and you can not have fun at something you are not good at! Regular practice will ensure that your child's learning will have a long lasting impact and they will have the skills needed to allow them to enjoy playing the piano for years to come.
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Tuition Pricing
Tuition is paid in equal monthly installments based on an 11 month year (Feb - December). To make life easier a monthly automatic debit system is used so that there is no need to remember to pay on time each month. Tuition includes:
Tuition fees are set in accordance with the WA Music Teachers association minimum
recommended fees: http://www.musicteacherswa.org.au/index.php/about-wamta/teaching-fees
Piano Lab time is not charged for and is an additional bonus to aid student learning and engagement and to maximise the time available.
The 2020 Tuition Fee Schedule is:
- An individualised plan for each students course of study
- My training and experience, including on going study each year to make sure I provide your child with the best lessons they can have
- Access to hundreds of studio licensed pieces of music to ensure students have access to a huge range of fun and motivating music, to suit everyone's individual tastes and aspirations
- Printing of resources
- Music technology (ipad, apps etc.)
- My music lending library
- Games and incentive programs
- Insurance, taxation, superanuation
- Event costs (venue hire, set up costs, trophies and student prizes!
Tuition fees are set in accordance with the WA Music Teachers association minimum
recommended fees: http://www.musicteacherswa.org.au/index.php/about-wamta/teaching-fees
Piano Lab time is not charged for and is an additional bonus to aid student learning and engagement and to maximise the time available.
The 2020 Tuition Fee Schedule is:
- 45 minute partner lessons or 60 minute trio lesson : $146/month
- 60 minute collaborative lesson (30 minute private lesson + 30 minute piano lab) :
$163/month
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What sort of instrument do we need?
All students enrolled in piano lessons need a good quality acoustic or digital piano to practice on. It is essential to have an instrument ready before you commence lessons. to have one). The better quality your child's practice instrument, the better quality their practice will be and the faster their progress will be. A poor quality instrument can set students back significantly in their technical development and in many cases can lead to injury. Students also become very frustrated if their instrument lacks key features such as a pedal or the ability to play loud or soft! Beware of the kmart/adli cheap instruments as they are often not money well spent (but some of the music stands and adjustable stools are well priced student options!)
As a minimum student instruments must have:
Choosing between a digital and acoustic piano can be a complicated field to navigate. If well maintained acoustic pianos also hold their value much better than digitals. However, there are many great digital pianos out there now as well that can provide a more cost effective option for many families. Digitals are generally more portable and the ongoing maintenance is usually less (compared to acoustic pianos that must be tuned and maintained yearly). Many students also enjoy being able to play around with sound effects and head phones are a great option for early morning practicers! A keyboard is fine to start with as long as it meets the above requirements - beware that many keyboards don't and they are not sufficient for students to learn the piano on! I usually recommend that students progress from a digital/keyboard to an acoustic after 3-5 years of playing.
There are many quality music stores in Perth where you can purchase new or second hand instruments. Many music stores also offer rental or buy to rent options to take some of the stress out of making a decision. Some music stores I've used in the past are (in no particular order!)
Buying second hand can be a great option and there are plenty of great bargains out there. However there are also plenty of poorly maintained and bad quality instruments out there that will just end up costing you in the long run. Make sure you play an instrument before buying and if it's an acoustic check that all keys are present and well maintained and that it is in tune, and has been tuned yearly. For digitals check that all the keys are present and working, as a very rough guide if it's a digital that is more than 10 years it might not be worth buying.
As a minimum student instruments must have:
- 88 keys with weighed action
- Keys that are touch sensitive (i.e. you can play loud and soft depending on how fast you strike the key)
- It has at least one pedal (preferably three) and preferably attached to the case
- It has a sturdy case or frame, preferably made of wood (or similar) that holds it steady when they play
- Students will also need a piano bench, preferably an adjustable one so that the height can be adjusted to suit the students height
- Most primary school aged students will also need a foot stool so their feet can sit flatly on the ground (this doesn't have to be piano specific and there are plenty of non expensive options at places such as Ikea or Kmart).
- There are many brands of digital pianos available, but some quality ones to look at include: Kawai, Yamaha, Roland, Casio
Choosing between a digital and acoustic piano can be a complicated field to navigate. If well maintained acoustic pianos also hold their value much better than digitals. However, there are many great digital pianos out there now as well that can provide a more cost effective option for many families. Digitals are generally more portable and the ongoing maintenance is usually less (compared to acoustic pianos that must be tuned and maintained yearly). Many students also enjoy being able to play around with sound effects and head phones are a great option for early morning practicers! A keyboard is fine to start with as long as it meets the above requirements - beware that many keyboards don't and they are not sufficient for students to learn the piano on! I usually recommend that students progress from a digital/keyboard to an acoustic after 3-5 years of playing.
There are many quality music stores in Perth where you can purchase new or second hand instruments. Many music stores also offer rental or buy to rent options to take some of the stress out of making a decision. Some music stores I've used in the past are (in no particular order!)
- Zenith's Music
- Piano Magic
- WA Music
- Australian Piano Warehouse
- Sound Centre
Buying second hand can be a great option and there are plenty of great bargains out there. However there are also plenty of poorly maintained and bad quality instruments out there that will just end up costing you in the long run. Make sure you play an instrument before buying and if it's an acoustic check that all keys are present and well maintained and that it is in tune, and has been tuned yearly. For digitals check that all the keys are present and working, as a very rough guide if it's a digital that is more than 10 years it might not be worth buying.
Above: Some examples of digital pianos and keyboards that are suitable for beginning students. They have a full set of 88 keys, a stable frame, weighted and touch sensitive keys and at least one, fixed pedal.
Above: These are classified as 'toy' keyboards and are not suitable for beginning students to learn the piano. They do not have the full set of 88 keys, are not touch sensitive (won't play loudly or softly depending on how you press the key) and the keys are not weighted so students will not develop adequate finger strength to play the piano.
Do you do music exams? |
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The decision to undertake an exam in a personal one and depends a lot on the student and the support they have at home. There is never any pressure to undertake music exams. Many of my students do not sit for music exams and are motivated and well-rounded musicians! However, in the right circumstances, I am happy for students to work towards music exams. Some students find it very motivating to have an exam to work towards and like being able to have the achievement of a grade certificate (again others do not and there are plenty of alternative opportunities I have in place to motivate these students). I have put many students though exams and have had many students achieve outstanding results, with some placing in the top few students in Australia for their level!
I generally don’t recommend undertaking an exam in the first 5 years of learning as in these early stages it’s far more important to focus on achieving a repertoire rich musical experience, with lots of time spent on general musicianship skills (developing the musical ear and the ‘whole’ musician), rather than narrowing the focus to an exam syllabus. It is also important that exams aren’t the sole focus of lessons as an examination is exactly that – an exam. It shows the students ability to play a select few pieces and a selection of technical, aural and sight reading work. As the examination boards all make clear it is not a curriculum and students are expected to be working on other repertoire and developing other areas of their musical expertise.
In order to make sure that students taking exams still achieve a rich musical education there is a minimum lesson time of 45 minutes weekly (piano lab time is not included in this) for students taking exams from preliminary to grade 3 and a minimum lesson time of 60 minutes weekly (not including piano lab time) for students studying grade 4 and above.
In terms of what exams to sit there are many different types of examination out there including the traditional exams (covering scales, chords, technical work, pieces, sight reading, aural tests and general knowledge), performance exams (focusing solely on performance pieces), music theory exams, musicianship exams, piano for leisure exams/light classical exams etc. There are also multiple examination boards available such as the AMEB, ANZCA, Australian Guild of Music and ABRSM. The decision about which style of exam and which examination board will depend on the student, their areas of interest and time they want to commit to an exam and is decided on a case by case basis.
I generally don’t recommend undertaking an exam in the first 5 years of learning as in these early stages it’s far more important to focus on achieving a repertoire rich musical experience, with lots of time spent on general musicianship skills (developing the musical ear and the ‘whole’ musician), rather than narrowing the focus to an exam syllabus. It is also important that exams aren’t the sole focus of lessons as an examination is exactly that – an exam. It shows the students ability to play a select few pieces and a selection of technical, aural and sight reading work. As the examination boards all make clear it is not a curriculum and students are expected to be working on other repertoire and developing other areas of their musical expertise.
In order to make sure that students taking exams still achieve a rich musical education there is a minimum lesson time of 45 minutes weekly (piano lab time is not included in this) for students taking exams from preliminary to grade 3 and a minimum lesson time of 60 minutes weekly (not including piano lab time) for students studying grade 4 and above.
In terms of what exams to sit there are many different types of examination out there including the traditional exams (covering scales, chords, technical work, pieces, sight reading, aural tests and general knowledge), performance exams (focusing solely on performance pieces), music theory exams, musicianship exams, piano for leisure exams/light classical exams etc. There are also multiple examination boards available such as the AMEB, ANZCA, Australian Guild of Music and ABRSM. The decision about which style of exam and which examination board will depend on the student, their areas of interest and time they want to commit to an exam and is decided on a case by case basis.
Still have some questions?
Fill in the contact form to arrange a free meet and greet to see the studio and learn more about piano lessons at Wildflower Music Studio!
