Pianos teachers what do I ask/look for? And any nw London recommendations?

[manychoices]

Hi
I want to start piano lessons for my 5yr old DD. As I am not musical myself so I am not sure what to ask and what should I be looking for. Also where to look? I know there are different styles, methods etc, does anyone have a good idea whats best for a young beginner.

I would also appreciate any recommendations in nw London. Ive had a search on the Internet but would prefer to have a teacher who is recommended. Thanks.

[DeWe]

5 is young to begin. My dd1 began at 6 nearly 7yo and caught up within a couple of years with those who had learnt from an earlier age, and has now overtaken all we know. Is it her that's asking or you who want her too?

Dd1 was very keen to learn from that age, so we got her a recorder, and she learnt to read music (trebel cleff) and other musical theory stuff so she was ready for the piano.

[wheresthesunshine]

I don't like to start children until age 7 generally.
I think at age 5 you need to ask how the teacher will keep the interest of dc if progress is slow. How long will lessons be / can dd concentrate for the same length of time? Does teacher set homework other than practice ? Do you want homework as well? Will dd have performance opportunities?
hth.

[roisin]

If you want her to learn that young the key thing is to find a teacher who WANTS to take such a little one. Good luck!

In the meantime these sticker books are great for teaching the rudiments of musical literacy so they can start reading the music early on. www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/058972/details.html

You can also get flash cards that are fun.

Or you could find a teacher who will do a small group lesson focused on fun and developing a sense of rhythm and aural skills.

[manychoices]

Thank you Roisin for the link
I may try and find a group Music lesson then. That has been suggested to me before.
It's the searching that's hard!
I'm not looking for anything serious just something for fun at first (which she wants to do and has shown an interest)
I thought a short lesson at first as she plays around on the family piano and it would be nice for her to know what's what.

But I understand that the consensus is that she is too young.
Thank you for the help

[roisin]

Find your local sheet music shop and ask their advice for local teachers of individuals or groups.

[pianomama]

It really depends on a child.
Usually teachers are looking for a child with good attention span - reading is good indicator. My DS started at 5.5 on violin , the teacher was not keen until we persuaded him to try - and he never looked back. Seemed to helped his academic development no end - reading, math etc.And he really enjoyed it.
Kodaly is also a good idea : check this out :

www.bachtrack.com/for-kids-making-kids-musical

[pigsinmud]

Dh sometimes does a bit of piano teaching - much longer waiting list for piano than brass! He is not keen on teaching them that young - concentration spans can be a problem. Is she in reception or year 1?

Dh would try and put them off and if they insist would advise that progress might be very slow. Plus, by the time she is 8, she will probably have been caught up by the children who started when they were 6.5/7.

He does teach our dc4 (she is 5), but of course that is in a very relaxed informal way.

[manychoices]

Thank you both - Pianomama, she is a very good reader and mature for her age, but I'm happy to wait another year if that's what's best.
I've done a search and the listings for piano teachers near us or near her school and they all seem to start from age 5.
Thanks for mentioning the 'kodaly' I was also confused about the different methods and wanted some help on understanding the differences and where to start, even if we start in a year. Maybe I should read up and go through some of the children music books with her, I hate to ignore her enthusiasm now as it may disappear in a year or two.
Maybe if the waiting list is that long I should put her on it from now anyway?

[pianomama]

I think the problem is finding the right teacher - its a different skill to teach very young children so conventional teachers prefer to take them when they are more mature (i.e. easier to "handle") . Lots of people say that younger starters level up with others by the age of 8-9 . Perhaps they do if you measure success in terms of grades. My Ds is still quite a bit ahead of most kids, but it is not just grades - learning an instrument at young age gives a child other skills, the most important being learning to focus and to work productively.
In a way it is easier to get into routine of regular practice (5-10 mins a day) when they are young , as they grow it helps with homework as well.
If she is keen now, I would try now - in a years time she will be playing nice pieces which will add to enjoyment and encourage her to not to give up when she is 10 :) .
Going back to fining a teacher - I would not look on the internet, good teachers as you say have waiting lists. I would just do ground digging - keep asking friends of friends of friends, speak to teachers who are recommended but have waiting lists and ask for trial lesson. Good Luck !

[PaintedAlice]

Five is not too young to begin. The Suzuki Method encourages starting before school age. It also emphasizes group learning which younger children usually love.

www.britishsuzuki.com/

Another useful place is EPTA, or for (usually) younger 'hipper' teachers try the London conservatoires (RAM, RCM, GSMD etc) to see if they can recommend a student teacher. Although remember, you pay for experience (some students have a lot, others don't), and the younger/less experienced a student, the better a teacher should be!

It may seem as though other children 'catch up' with the early starters, but that is often just in terms of what pieces they are playing/grades they are taking. Training a musical ear and strength of fingers happens at an early age, and this is often not fully appreciated until later in development than eight or nine years old.

Enjoy and all the best!