Why Beginners Can’t Skip the Fundamentals (What Running Taught Me About Piano)
One of my students came to me this week with…
One of my students came to me this week with…
Many pianists taught to read music letter-by-letter progress slowly through scores, silently naming each note: E, G, B, D, F. They can decipher any piece eventually, but fluent sight-reading remains elusive.
One of the most common requests from piano students is to skip ahead. “Can we learn this piece instead?” “I don’t need scales; can we just work on repertoire?” “Why do we have to learn this before moving on?” The impulse is understandable.
Every piano parent has been there. Your child sits down at the bench, plays through their piece once (maybe), then announces they are done. You know the recital is in three weeks. You know what their teacher assigned.
One of the most common questions I get from parents in the Clearwater area is: Is my child old enough to start piano? It’s a great question, and after years of teaching students of all ages, I have some honest thoughts on the matter.
Every professional musician was once a beginner. The only difference between them and you is that they started. Your time is now.