Tag: Adults

Practicing (Yikes!)

By Basics, ,

So…practicing.

That single word that so many people have come to dread, but which is so much a part of learning piano–or any instrument. You have to practice to to get better, but how much practice is reasonable?

We’ve all heard stories of professional musicians practicing two or more hours a day, but, unless you actually ARE a professional or semi-professional musician, that’s really not necessary at all. When your repertoire consists of multiple pieces over ten minutes in length, two hours can actually start to feel short!

But for the beginner pianist, there’s no point in practicing that long, nor is there for the very young pianist. Intermezzo’s very youngest students, in the Wunderkeys program, should be practicing their new skills for five minutes, three to five times per week. From there, beginner practice increases by skill level and age to 15 minutes per day, 5 days a week. More complex repertoire will eventually require more complex practice, and the details of this can be discussed when the time comes.

In the meantime, if you’re an adult or adult child beginner, try building up to 15 minutes per day, 5 days per week, and see just how fast you can progress!

Why YOU should take piano lessons this year

By Uncategorized,

Why YOU should take piano lessons in January

Yes, you, the adult reading this, not your kids or grandkids or nieces or nephews, you. You always wished you could play, right? Maybe, like me, your parents didn’t have the money for lessons. And now that you’re an adult, you don’t have the time. Sound familiar?

You’re not alone. Many adults wish they could play, and there’s a common misconception that it takes years and years to learn and hours a day of practice, time you simply don’t have around the rest of life.

However, if you have just 15 minutes a day to spare three to five days a week and time for one 30-minute weekly lesson, then you, too, can learn to play piano, and start playing recognizable melodies right away.

Why?

Because you’re an adult. With children, we have to start with building forearm strength in order to move the fingers, but if you can type, you’ve already got that ability. You know your left hand from your right, and you can read. These are all things young children have to learn when they are first starting out, but you will already be ahead.

So, this year, why not give yourself the gift of a skill you’ve always wanted?