Piano Lessons in Burke, VA

Instruments: Piano Voice Synthesizer Keyboard

How do I know if my child is ready to start lessons?
Typically, when a child is ready, they will let you know. In as many ways as they can think of. And sometimes as loudly as possible... That being said, there are occasionally those talented students that are hidden beneath a shy and mild-mannered exterior that may not exude the zeal of others. In these cases, parents should look for three key factors: 1. Physical size/development of the child: I have struggled watching too many children become frustrated with music too early because their hands are too small to reach a note, or they cannot see the music from their bench, or their mouthpiece should be called a face piece. Kids grow fast their first 10 years, so even holding off a few months for a growth spurt can make the difference between frustration and tears and a lifelong love of music. 2. Genuine, unprompted interest: if you often find your child seated at the piano staring into its guts trying to figure out how it all works, or singing from morning to night, or tapping rhythmically, even if it’s on the back of your seat in the car and potentially less than relaxing for you, these are all signs the student has a real interest in music. 3. A level of maturity that allows them to practice some every day, even if they don’t “feel like it.” We all have days when we feel like we’d rather sleep, or watch television, or read in a hammock than carry on our obligations, but knowing we must take care of business before pleasure is another sign that the student is on the right track for music lessons.

What advice do you have about practicing effectively?
Practice more than once per day, but not for a long amount of time — 10 to 15 minutes 3-4 times a day. It is important that you focus for this short amount of time, as the old adage ‘practice makes percect’ Is only true when it’s ‘PERFECT practice’. This will be 30-60 minutes of practicing that will not leave you exhausted, will help your brain learn your new skill faster, and is much easier to fit into tight schedules. This, combined with a healthy lifestyle and most importantly — rest and sleep — will kickstart your abilities faster than you had imagined.

If you weren't a musician what do you think you'd be doing instead?
What do you mean if I weren’t a musician? Is that an option? In actuality, I quite enjoyed math and science even into my early college years, excelling in chemistry and physics, and taking a real love of calculus and higher maths. If I had not chosen music, it would have been engineering in some capacity, I imagine, if not that, then perhaps an actor. Or professional yo-yo artist. Or a dive instructor. Or a boat captain on a luxury yacht. Or an audiobook producer. Or maybe an astronaut. Or an archaeologist. Or an astronaut-archaeologist!

What do you think is the hardest thing to master on your instrument?
The hardest thing to master in singing is so simple, and we all do it every day, but many of us incorrectly from years of bad habits and societal dampening that causes us to do even the most basic thing necessary for our survival incorrectly.... breathing. Mastering breath control is something that is a life long endeavor anytime after infancy — you’ll notice children have no problems being heard when they want, even with their small instruments and lung capacities. The only reason we as adults cannot squeal like children anymore is our own inhibitions we place on ourself through “manners” and “inside voices” and even “chewing with your mouth shut”. These societal norms are actually damaging to the basal functions of our breath support and control. Learning to set aside these inhibitions and breathe like a kid again will benefit anyone the most, even if they only make small inroads into the recovery of the skill.

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