The journey to becoming a decent pianist is a hard one that takes years and years for most piano students worldwide. However, with an encouraging music teacher, regular music lessons, and enough practice, you can radically increase your sense and knowledge of your instrument until you’re able to learn and play even the most difficult of pieces.
So, how much time should you invest in your music education, and how frequently should you take piano lessons to learn how to play the piano well? Keep reading to find out.
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How Often Should I Take a Piano Lesson?
Honestly, this depends on what goal you want to achieve from your piano lessons. Nevertheless, music lessons are usually taken once a week, twice a week, or once every other week.
One lesson per week is the most common option for most students nowadays, be it children or adults. Alternatively, two lessons per week are mostly for the more serious and dedicated who need more guidance and instruction to reach the level they want.
Finally, music lessons every other week is the option that suits most adult students who can’t easily spare the time to have regular music lessons with all their responsibilities. As such, this style of learning piano isn’t adequate for people who want to go to a music college for a job as professional pianists as progress will be slow. Still, it’s ideal for people who simply enjoy playing the piano.
What Are the Benefits and Drawbacks of Each Option?
Each frequency mentioned above has its benefits and drawbacks.
For instance, a weekly lesson doesn’t cause students to get bored with their studies yet still gives them ample time to review what they have learned and practice moving their hands before the next lesson comes. However, if they don’t practice correctly or regularly, they end up forgetting what they took or may develop bad practice habits in just a few weeks, which can be hard to change later on.
On the other hand, taking piano lessons twice per week allows a student to progress much faster under the guidance of a piano teacher as any mistake can be caught early on and immediately corrected, like improper posture, form, or fingering.
Moreover, it allows a piano teacher to cover other topics such as music theory, history, and even techniques without compromising the time needed to learn a piece or song.
However, for a child, it’s not easy to get them to sit for two lessons per week. They may lose interest quickly or feel as if it’s too much. Consequently, this regimen isn’t the go-to for most kids and other beginners, and it’s not easy on the wallet either.
Lastly, the bi-weekly option may be of low effectiveness for fast and consistent progress, but if taken in conjunction with a weekly lesson, it allows students to have the best of both worlds. They’ll be able to enhance their music education and skills at a faster than average rate yet won’t miss out on school and social life.
Which Option Suits You the Best?
Typically, if you’re just starting to learn piano, commit to a weekly music lesson. This goes for kids, teenagers, and adults. It’s pretty normal to continue at this rate even after you enhance your skills.
However, if a student has trouble practicing on his own or can’t focus without someone helping, then they should stick with two times per week. The same goes if there is a recital or an exam coming up and they need the extra hours of guided practice.
Lastly, if you don’t have much time or money to spare, go with the bi-monthly option. This frequency will be acceptable as long as you work diligently and have supplementary online lessons to help you along.
How Long Should the Lesson Be?
Ordinarily, an average music teacher of any instrument offers music lessons that last for a period of 60, 45, and 30 minutes. The 30-minute lessons are ideal for very young children who are easily distracted or frustrated.
Meanwhile, a 60-minute music lesson is great for an advanced or promising young pianist, as the extra time allows them to get through all the material they have to finish. Alternatively, a 45-minute lesson is advised for new or intermediate pupils as this lesson time gives them enough time for asking questions and practicing each hand movement without feeling rushed.
FAQs
How to Get Better at Playing Piano?
Quite simply, the more you practice, the better you can play piano. With consistent training over a few months, you’ll be able to impress most people by learning the fundamentals, how well you move your hands to hit the correct keys, and playing some easy pieces.
How Long Should You Practice?
Well, ideally, all days of the year, but we all know that’s just not feasible. Still, practicing in those six days between weekly music lessons is greatly recommended, though the practice session time will vary according to important factors like age and talent.
Children below seven should practice for 10–15 minutes, while those aged 7–12 should spend 20–30 minutes to see a good result. Teenagers and adults should dedicate at least half an hour, and the time should be extended if a performance or test is coming up soon.
Conclusion
Generally, piano lessons should be a weekly affair as this allows you enough time to practice what you learned before the next lesson. Still, twice-a-week and every-other-week lessons are possible, considering you supplement the latter with online lessons. So, listen to your music teacher, remember to have fun, and you’ll be off to a great start.