How do you find a piano teacher? Also -- Suzuki piano?

[Janie Grace]

My ds6 is very interested in playing the piano. He plays by himself all the time, figuring out tunes and practicing songs his sister has taught him. I'm excited. His three older siblings haven't had sustained interest, but I think piano might just be his thing. He's got amazing dexterity and his brain is both mathy and creative.

 

So... how do I find a teacher? I have a couple of acquaintances who teach, but I have no idea if they are "good" teachers or not. I'm also not sure what to expect price-wise. How do you "try out" a piano teacher? Or do you have to commit without doing so?

 

Also -- there's a Suzuki piano place in town. Has anyone had experience with this approach? I am wondering if ds it too old, anyway (thinking Suzuki violin is 3-5yo). Thanks!

[magnificent_baby]

We have 4 years experience with Suzuki piano lessons. I would ask around to everyone you know for a teacher recommendation, traditional or Suzuki. I think word of mouth goes a long way!

 

I believe suzukiassociation dot org has a search feature to find those trained teachers in your area. There is also a wealth of information about the Suzuki theory on this website, for violin and piano, possibly more.

 

When you say Suzuki piano place, do you mean a lesson facility or a Suzuki piano dealer? Because those would be two different things.

 

In our experience, there is no contract. We pay each month, so when a student wants to quit they are free to do so. Other teachers may run things differently, I don't know. We love the method, and have had great success. No one is ever too young or old, that goes along with the theory that Mr. Suzuki came up with himself. He has written 2 books, they are a must read if you choose this method. You can order them from the above website or possibly find them on amazon/ebay.

 

Good luck!

[Janie Grace]

We have 4 years experience with Suzuki piano lessons. I would ask around to everyone you know for a teacher recommendation, traditional or Suzuki. I think word of mouth goes a long way!

 

I believe suzukiassociation dot org has a search feature to find those trained teachers in your area. There is also a wealth of information about the Suzuki theory on this website, for violin and piano, possibly more.

 

When you say Suzuki piano place, do you mean a lesson facility or a Suzuki piano dealer? Because those would be two different things.

 

In our experience, there is no contract. We pay each month, so when a student wants to quit they are free to do so. Other teachers may run things differently, I don't know. We love the method, and have had great success. No one is ever too young or old, that goes along with the theory that Mr. Suzuki came up with himself. He has written 2 books, they are a must read if you choose this method. You can order them from the above website or possibly find them on amazon/ebay.

 

Good luck!

 

Thanks for the info! The reason I asked about Suzuki was that last summer, my kids were in a theatre camp, and dh and I ended up chatting with the pianist who accompanied the production. Turns out he runs a Suzuki lesson facility in our town, and he was very enthusiastic about the approach.

[mom2att]

My son started Suzuki piano at 6.5. We went with Suzuki because I wanted to take advantage of the fact that he was expressing an interest, but I knew that he wasn't ready for jumping right in with learning to read music as traditional piano teaches. Suzuki trains the ear first, then moves to reading music. This has been a very good fit for my son. My other two have done traditional piano and lasted about a year. My Suzuki son is still playing, six years later.

[kubiac]

I just read Suzuki's Nurtured by Love book. Great read for me; worth checking to see if their education philosophy syncs with yours. (He was buddies with Einstein in Germany and they hung out and did little music concerts together at peoples' houses!)