One thing I hear consistently from the parents of my piano students, is “I wish my parents had made me stick with piano!” 

 

Well I can say, as someone whose parents absolutely did, I am ever grateful, not only for my career as a musician, but for all of the life skills I have gained via a lifelong music education. Now, as a piano teacher, I always try to remind families of the other lessons behind the music lessons. Some of the best skills are learned particularly during the most challenging periods, when kids may be feeling discouraged, or when the novelty has perhaps lost its charm. Capital Music Center can help students through the learning curves to stay the course, there are great rewards in store. And the reward for the teacher is seeing the eventual “aha” moments when students- and parents- realize that music has given them a far greater gift than the intellectual and physical skill of playing. The motivation, discipline, and work ethic of striving towards a goal over an extended period of time in this time of instant gratification is priceless. Playing music also proves itself a solace and a therapy, and if kids can stick with it into the pre-teen and teen years, it becomes an invaluable counselor. 

 

Now the benefits of music education are well known and seem to be touted by every music program out there, but there are other benefits which come specifically from learning and playing music in a group. As a private piano student, I did not discover these aspects until well past my piano lesson years when I started making music with other musicians, and then again even more when I began teaching group piano lessons. 

 

 

And when the sound is bigger and comprised of more elements, it expands upon and amplifies the benefits and technique learned on a smaller scale in private lessons. 

 

The simple addition of more children to the class not only energizes the dynamic, but it allows a teacher different ways to present and play with concepts to make them more exciting and fun. I can ask a private student a question, or I can add a pair of dice and ask the same question to several students and suddenly we are playing a game instead of just answering a question. 

On first consideration, group lessons may not immediately seem like a good fit for a shy child- but the smaller group setting may create a more relaxed environment and feel less overwhelming than the larger numbers in other group activities such as team sports, or even band. I have seen quiet private students really open up and relax more in a group class, and Capital Music Center has seen great friendships form over the years of playing and growing together. Kids also gain confidence more naturally by easing into playing for audiences by simply playing in front of each other in lessons.

 

Positive competition can be a very healthy motivator. Seeing their peers perform well inspires kids to want to do the same. But also seeing their peers face challenges -and overcome them- helps them see goals as more achievable than when simply demonstrated by an adult teacher.  

 

The sense of being a part of a whole that is greater than its parts is a powerful thing. In group piano, kids experience the common goal of sounding good and their part in that.  Not wanting to let the team down is something the kids naturally understand and a challenge they naturally rise to meet. I consistently see students more interested and motivated to keep rehearsing something again until perfected as a group than they are on their own.   

 

Most music is comprised of layers— as a solo piano player, kids usually work with two layers- one on each hand- and learn how those layers fit together. But when there are 4 , 6 or 8 hands making music, the way the layers fit together is especially illuminated, and the learning is exponentially increased.

 

Ensemble playing requires team skills: listening closely to others, quieting the ego in service of the whole, understanding how what you do affects others, waiting your turn, and thus finding your space to let your part shine among all the others. 

 

It goes without saying these are all important lessons that carry over into so many other areas of life- 

By participating in group piano and discovering how their part fits in, they may end up discovering where and how they fit in their world. 

 

At Capital Music Center, we specialize in providing this group piano experience for your child, and we are set up and equipped to teach in classrooms with excellent instruments that enhance the group learning and allow for different parts to stand out with different sounds. We also make these same pianos available to all Austin piano students of all piano teachers via student-oriented rental and purchase plans. 

 

We believe that children should start out on a quality instrument from the start to inspire artistry and enable proper education. For more information about our lesson and summer camp programs, or about our instrument rentals, send us an email or give us a call, or just drop by our convenient Central Austin location.