Young and Old Learners
Mature Learners
Learning to play the piano in one’s ‘Golden Years’ can be an extremely rewarding experience and can provide amazing benefits.
Young Learners Free Assessment Lesson
For children aged under 7, this session provides an opportunity to explore a younger learner’s interest in lessons and is a crucial step in evaluating their readiness – also providing parents with insights into Elizabeth’s teaching approach.
Musical Exploration
During the 20 to 30 minute free assessment session, introductory musical elements will be explored using simple, fun and interactive activities, to gauge your child’s interest and aptitude for piano lessons.
See below.
Visual Awareness & Keyboard Navigation
recognising the patterns of black notes, and all the C keys
Right and Left Distinction & Fine Motor Control
playing pairs and groups of 3 black keys with the respective amount of fingers, using both hands
Aural, Listening & Processing Skills
perception of high/low, short/long, soft/loud, same/different with the ability to understand and follow instructions
Basic Reading & Numeracy Skills
recognising musical notation, counting note lengths, finger numbers and beats
Attention & Stamina
level of engagement level during session
Beat, Rhythm & Tempo Perception
matching different metronome beats, clapping a simple rhythm, clapping on the strongest beat
Next Steps
Detailed feedback is given and recommendations are discussed, providing a clear understanding of your child’s readiness for lessons.
Pointers for Parents
Is My Child Ready For Piano Lessons?
Perhaps your child is showing an interest in playing the piano?
At what developmental point are they ready to move forward and start taking lessons?
Has your child developed basic fine motor control?
A child must have the ability to control their fingers independently of each other. Can your child hold a pencil properly and use a pair of scissors? Perhaps they have had success playing the recorder? If so, they should have the necessary dexterity.
Has your child acquired some reading and number skills?
Learning to read music is an important component in all music teaching. To be able to understand basic musical notation children need to be reading at around the First Level (Scotland) or late KS1 stage (England) and also have mastered some basic maths skills (counting, simple division and pattern recognition).
Is your child’s processing, patience and attention span developed enough?
If your child can understand and follow instructions, and generally remain engaged and focused with tasks, they could be ready for lessons.
Although the piano is far less demanding than other instruments to learn and more rewarding in the short term, a younger learner will still need a certain amount of patience for lessons to be successful.
Attention span is also important outside the lesson, during daily practicing. A child should be able to complete a short 5-10 minute practice session each day, with some guidance from a parent.
Can your child tell the difference between sounds?
Aural discrimination is a skill which develops and improves with age. Your child will experience greater success with lessons if they can hear the difference between pitches (high & low), lengths of notes and dynamics (soft & loud).
Are you willing to take things slowly?
Skills in playing an instrument are developed slowly, over time – this is especially relevant to how young the child is. Although the child themself may not have any expectations regarding progression speed, their parents may.
The younger the child, the longer it will take to learn effectively.
If money is a consideration, it would be a better investment to wait until your child is between 7 and 9 years old. They won’t miss out – older children grasp concepts and skills more quickly, learning in a few months what a younger child would in a year or more.
Do you feel your child might be ready for piano lessons?
Benefits for Older Adults
Learning to play the piano or keyboard later in life is empowering in many ways and greatly enhances a person’s quality of life.
An engaging, meaningful and purposeful activity, boosting mental, physical and cognitive health and improving overall well-being.
Mental health benefits
Increases self-confidence and esteem. Releases ‘happy hormones’ – reducing depression, anxiety, stress and feelings of loneliness.
Physical advantages
Improves motor dexterity and strength, eye-hand coordination, balance and posture. Alleviates arthritic symptoms.
A healthy brain
Improves alertness, memory, processing speed and visual scanning all of which would naturally decline in old age
Playing the piano keeps a person young
Studies show piano playing has the physiological benefit of increasing the Human Growth Hormone levels in older adults – sometimes by as much as 90% – which slows the adverse effects of aging.
Those who play the piano experience less falls to those that don’t play.
It is also proven to reduce heart and respiratory rates, cardiac issues, lowers blood pressure and increases immune response.