5 Responses for "Do You Have a Piano?"

1. Cristina February 9th, 2009 at 8:40 am 1

   I’ve come across that as well. I also have had students who want to “start” learning by practicing on a keyboard they’ve got at home – because they don’t want to spend so much money on a piano until they know they like playing. But then they just never get around to buying a piano…

2. Concert Grand Pianos | concertgrandpianos.net February 9th, 2009 at 6:20 pm 2

   [...] Do You Have a Piano? » Piano Teacher’s Retreat [...]

3. Fiona February 10th, 2009 at 6:48 am 3

   I find this quite regularly and it is so frustrating! The expectation at the school where I teach is that you 1.book into piano lessons 2. buy a keyboard 3. buy a piano sometime down the track if your child “does well”. I would like to state when parents put their name down on the waiting list that owning a piano is compulsory, but I am not the only piano teacher and the other teacher desperately needs all the work she can get. Then I have the students who have been learning for years and the parents claim they “cannot fit a piano into their house.”!!!! So what have they been doing all these years??? Why didn’t they pick the flute?? LOL. “Could I recommend a SMALL piano?” (and surprise to hear they all pretty much have 88 keys!) Lately I have been reading this article http://www.serve.com/marbeth/consumer_QA.html#11 and am recommending to parents that they hire a piano for 6mths if possible to “try before they buy” rather than buy a keyboard. The other type of parent is the one who owns a piano, but it’s currently in another state/house (had one this week and she is not the first)and maybe they can get it transported in the near future. This latest one had to go to the bottom of the waiting list. Some of my students’ progress has really suffered because their parents wouldn’t buy them a piano. One of my adult students plays on an ancient piano, which is not much good either … but another topic!

4. sfrack February 10th, 2009 at 6:26 pm 4

   My first question when I get a call about giving piano lessons is, “Do you have a piano?”.

5. Julie February 10th, 2009 at 8:58 pm 5

   Just last week I began a student whom I had registered via my internet ad. In the middle of the lesson, when explaining how to find the middle of his piano for when he practices at home, he interrupts me to say “But I don’t have a piano!” I was completely dumbfounded… and bluntly asked him “how do you expect to practice then?” He shrugged and continued stepping his fingers across the keys, not concerned at the least about not having a piano to practice. =O All this time I assumed people knew they needed a piano to begin lessons, since all my other students have had an instrument from the beginning (some on keyboards, but that’s another can of worms…). Needless to say, I quickly changed my internet ad to include “must have a piano to practice,” and resolve to ask future prospective students whether they have a piano or not! Honestly, it’s shocking to realize that people don’t think that their child will need an instrument to practice and improve upon at home during the 6 days between lessons!