piano lessons for a child who taught himself to play?

amother

Wed, Aug 14 2013, 12:19 pm

my 9 yr old son has taught himself to play piano using an electronic keyboard that instructs you on how to play songs.

he can play more than 20 songs, possibly much more I havent counted, and he just started teaching himself at the beginning of the summer.
it takes him about an hour to learn a new song.
is this considered very good/ talented?
should I give him piano lessons? maybe just a couple? they are really expensive so I hesitate to spend money on something that he doesn't really need.

I have been debating back and forth whether giving him lessons would be worthwhile if he already knows how to play. I got him a book from the library that teaches how to read notes. he can play with both hands. I'm not sure what else he still needs to learn.
obviously the more he practices the better and smoother his playing will sound, but lessons dont help with that.
he watched some piano lesson tutorials on youtube and learned from it.

I have no clue what else he's missing. my dh and I are both not musically inclined, so this is new territory for me.

tobytob

Wed, Sep 25 2013, 2:15 pm

Hi, I'm a classically trained piano teacher. I think it's really great that your son picked up on teaching himself songs..and yes, an hour or so to learn a new song is pretty good! I'm not sure what level the songs are at that he's been playing, but he should def continue. So, the problem is with people learning on their own is that they miss a lot of the important details. It also depends whether you see him foregoing the piano playing in the future or whether this is just temporary fun. In any which way, you can feel free to PM and I'd be able to give you any info you'd need...be it whether you decide to pursue lessons or not Smile

imasinger

Wed, Sep 25 2013, 2:31 pm

I also teach piano, and I second everything tobytob said. Your post would be comparable to someone saying,

"Hi, my DS is very bright, and taught himself the alef-beis, and can even say about 20 parts of the davening. Is he talented? Should I send him to someone to learn more, or is it not necessary, since he can watch some rabbeim onyoutube if he wants, and he knows so much already?"

little_mage

Wed, Sep 25 2013, 3:12 pm

He needs to be able to read music. Right now he sounds like he's mainly doing things by rote which will only take so far. The other advantage to a teacher, especially since you say neither you nor DH are musically inclined, is that they can catch mistakes. While it drove me nuts at the time, in retrospect, the fact that my mother's perfect pitch allowed her to yell corrections when I hit a wrong note probably forced me to become a better player because I had to go back and correct it. I probably wouldn't have done so otherwise.

I don't teach piano, but I took lessons for several years, also in flute. I was gradually forced to admit that while I enjoy music, I have no real talent for making it, and no dedication to practice. One of the best things though is to have someone who can accurately evaluate what you're doing. You don't want mistakes to become ingrained.

BusyBeeMommy

Wed, Sep 25 2013, 3:53 pm

Another classically trained piano teacher here.

Agree with everything the above posters said.

A few additional thoughts:
What is it that you want to get out of the lessons? Do you want him to learn how to play only Jewish-type songs on a keyboard? Some people want to do that for a boy, especially as it is a skill in the Jewish world that has earning potential. In that case look for a keyboardist who can teach him how to operate a keyboard and teach him some basic note-reading and music theory. If he has a good ear for music it should take him a short while to learn basic keyboard operations and how to put together a song (think 1-2 years). Do you want him to play classical music, contemporary or Jazz? If so, it will take a lot longer (think 5-10 years) for him to master that and he needs to be disciplined enough to practice at least 30-60 minutes per day. If he isn't willing to do that, it would be a waste of your money to give him piano lessons for this reason.

Many children find the process of having a piano lessons very enjoyable and positive, so even if your child doesn't "gain" anything from it, it would not be a waste of your money. Try it out for about 6 months and then re-evaluate his progress to see if you'd like to continue.

amother

Wed, Sep 25 2013, 4:23 pm

That's great! He has the patience and memory and determination. It is not just about the memory of music, though. He needs to learn proper position, use of which fingers and how, reading. There is so much. If he is so interested definitely he should pursue it.

If money is issue, search Andrew Furmanczyk. He has his own site and a series of learn to play and theory videos with homework on his Youtube channel. His motto is money shouldn't hold people back from music. His lessons are excellent.

amother

Sat, Sep 28 2013, 8:53 pm

Thanks so much for all of your responses.
Im not sure if he wants to get serious about music or if he's just having fun. If he is talented I want to encourage him to continue but how can I know for sure if he is one of those who have a gift for music?
Funny you should recomend andrew on youtube. Those are the videos I mentioned in my first post that I let him watch. Do you think if he follows those youtube videos through the whole series he will get a basic foundation for music?
Also what is music theory as opposed to learning to play music?

imasinger

Sat, Sep 28 2013, 9:02 pm

Music theory, in a nutshell, is understanding which notes will sound right when played together at the same time (knowing what chords or harmonies will work best with a melody), and understanding how music is constructed. Among other things, it is useful when listening to a song that you want to play, so that you can figure out the sounds more quickly, and when you desire to compose some new song.

Compare it to learning about food staples, so that you can figure out whether you want to follow a recipe exactly, or think about adapting it, or even coming up with something new. You could still cook if you didn't understand why cornstarch and confectioner's sugar are not interchangeable, but you'd be much more limited.

Musical gifts are much more common than one might think. If a kid enjoys making music, that IS a gift, and, IMO,should be encouraged.

Anyone is going to learn more from a live teacher, who will notice how they are playing, than from a video, which can't see and correct mistakes before they become ingrained.

My suggestion is that you see if you can have him try lessons with a real teacher for a few months, and then decide if you want to continue.

Ashrei

Sat, Sep 28 2013, 10:56 pm

I received piano lessons from about 2nd grade for a few years. I didn't continue on piano, but used the musical knowledge to learn clarinet and flute in the upper grades - I picked them up quickly. I feel my musical experienced really enhanced my childhood, and as an adult, I still appreciate having this knowledge.

I think this skill will build a lot of character and confidence in your child. You should absolutely go for it, as long as he enjoys it, it's totally worth it. I plan to give my kids music lessons when they're old enough because based on my experience, I just can't imagine not.

Of course he won't know now if he's 'serious' about it - he may not know even in 10 years - but the skill could at least be a fall back for him if ever needed.

Happy Go Lucky

Sat, Sep 28 2013, 11:26 pm

I didn't read all the previous posts, I hope that I am not repeating anything. My son taught himself keyboard - sounds very similar to your son. he could hear a song and play it. He wanted to get lessons to learn how to read notes and learn some techniques. Since he is so talented (also neither my husband nor I have any music talents), he picked up the notes and skills very quickly, he didn't need many lessons. I had a college student teach him. (who charged $25 an hour- but rates vary)
Not sure if it's going to be his future, but it opens doors for him and gives him a healthy outlet. He even played at the community simchas beis hashoeva, which was very special!! Everyone commented how beautifully he plays!!
I would encourage a few lessons.