In this post I will discuss what to expect on your first day.
When you walk through the door of the piano studio, if you are not excited to learn piano then you are probably a little nervous , timid or fearful. No need to be afraid. The piano is beautiful instrument and you are embarking on a quest. A quest which many have taken. A quest which many have given up too soon. Take heart though, there are those which have stayed the course. Those who have overcame the adversity which inevitably arises when learning this instrument. You too can overcome the tedium which many beginners face.
When you sit at the piano and have your first lesson, your brain will have to process a lot of information at once. The teacher will be introducing terminology, posture, notes, dynamics, form. Depending on the approach the teacher may present the information in a gradual way. It will still be a lot to process. Pressing the keys for the first time is exciting but can be trickier than expected because the fingers are not used to being used in that way.
Know that when you begin taking lessons, you are entering into (by virtue of the service offered) a special relationship called the student-teacher relationship. A good teacher will take the time to understand the student's abilities, likes and dislikes in order to teach to them. The student in turn will pick up on the way the teacher teaches, their quirks and so on. It is important to understand this student-teacher relationship because that will enable the student to learn the most effectively. A teacher who is teaching because it's easy money means they don't care about the student.
When you begin piano lessons it's important to realize that PRACTICE is an absolute must for any progress to be made. Check out the article on practice here. It is not fair to you or the teacher if you do not practice. There are some students who just keep coming to lessons who don't practice and they get nowhere for 3 months. They waste time and money. It can be as little as 20 minutes a day. The simple act of sitting at the piano and working on the assigned music for a short amount of time truly goes a long way. If the teacher is keen, they can discern immediately if the student practiced or is just having an off day. The point of practice isn't to please the teacher, parents, or self though those can be motivators, the point of practice is not even to get perfect. Bear with me now, I'm going to get deep...the point of practice is know yourself, to develop your soul, to participate in this thing called music. To be able to play music on a piano is a gift. This is why we focus on technique, timing, notes, scales, harmony etc. It's our gift. The piano teacher has developed this gift over the years and wants to impart it to you that you may impart it to others either by performing, for your own enjoyment, or teaching.
The beginning stages doesn't last long if you practice and persist. Think of lessons as a quest. Confucius the ancient Chinese philosopher said, the longest journey begins with a single step. There will be ups and downs as there are in life, but the persistence, the unwillingness to quit when the going gets tough, to overcome our weaknesses are the real aspects at work when taking lessons. Keep this in mind on your first day and you will go far!
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