We don’t have a piano/our keyboard doesn’t have 88 keys. What should we do? 76 keys is good enough, right?

Every person who is taking piano lessons with me is required to have a full-size piano or digital piano with weighted keys. Full size means 88 keys. You wouldn’t drive a car with only three tires, right? It needs to have pedals. I prefer acoustic pianos, but the quality of digital pianos has improved over the past decade and I understand that having a piano in your home is a significant investment (both financially and taking up space), so a digital piano is a more reasonable option for most families. The reason it must be full-sized is that middle C is an important landmark note for beginning players, and it is in a different location on smaller-sized keyboards. That will confuse students when they move to a full-size keyboard, at my house for a lesson or at a recital. Weighted keys allow for proper playing technique, controlling loud and soft sounds with the fingers. I cannot stress the quality of a good instrument enough.

What age do you start students? Is my child ready for piano lessons?

Your child is ready to start lessons when they can sit mostly still and follow directions from a teacher for a reasonable amount of time (20+ minutes). Piano lessons are 30 minutes long and I will keep younger children very busy during that time! Some 3-year-olds are ready. Some children aren’t ready until they’re 5. You know your child best.

Do you teach adults?

Yes! Adults make great piano students. They are self-motivated and will make the time for the things that are important for them.

I’m not musical and neither is my spouse. How will my child learn to play the piano?

You will be learning alongside your child! Show curiosity in what they are doing. Have them teach you the names of the notes on the piano. It’s never too late for you to learn a new skill, too! The Piano Adventures app is a good tool for families who can use technology as a learning aid, and many of the books (My 1st Piano Adventures) come with a CD or online music libraries. Occasionally I will send home audio recordings or videos from a child’s lesson demonstrating a particular technique, or simply me playing the piece. I believe that music can be learned like any language - it’s innate to humans and we all speak it!

How often should my child practice and for how long?

Practice every day that you eat! I would rather see your child play the piano every day for a short period of time than cram everything in on the day before (or worse, the day of) their lesson. Consistency is key.

There is an epic battle every time I announce it’s time to practice. Help me. I want to give up. It’s just not worth it.

Anything worth doing in life is hard, and it’s worth it. Stay strong. Kids will fight you. They will test you. They will whine, cry, stamp their feet, and declare “IT’S TOO HARD.” Be calm. Tell them you’ll sit with them. Tell them Mrs. Fischer will help them. If their pieces are a struggle, have them sit down at the piano and noodle around on the black keys and improvise. It’s better than nothing. Call me. Text me. Email me. We’ll figure out a solution. We’ll try a different book. Bribe them. I have no issue with bribery, but then again I have four children, so sometimes I get desperate. Candy, stickers, extra screen time, whatever works. Don’t make it a battle. It’s just what we do - we play the piano. Every day. We make time for the important things in life, and when you show them that this is a priority, they’ll get it.