A child can play a simple tune within the first few weeks of piano lessons. Playing easy pieces with both hands takes most children six months to a year. Playing well enough to enjoy real music for life takes about five to eight years of steady lessons and practice. There is no finish line. This page sets out what to expect at each stage.
The stages
The times below assume a weekly lesson and practice on most days. They are rough. Children move at different speeds.
| Stage | What a child can do | Time from the start |
|---|---|---|
| First steps | Play a tune with one hand, and find the notes by name | A few weeks |
| Early beginner | Play short pieces with both hands, and read simple notes | 6 months to 1 year |
| Late beginner | Play pieces a page long, with louds, softs, and a steady beat | 1 to 3 years |
| Early intermediate | Play easy sonatinas and short classics, and use the pedal | 3 to 5 years |
| Intermediate | Play well-known pieces such as Für Elise in full | 5 to 8 years |
| Advanced | Play sonatas by Beethoven and pieces by Chopin | 8 to 12 years |
How this lines up with exam levels
In exam systems such as the Royal Conservatory in Canada and ABRSM in Britain, many students move up about one level a year. Some move faster, and many take two years over a level in the later grades.
By that pace, a child who starts at six might reach the middle levels at about 12 and the top levels in the late teens. For the hours each grade takes, read piano levels by age. Read music exams for kids.
Exams are one path. Many fine players never take one.
What speeds it up
Daily practice. This matters more than anything else. Ten minutes a day does more than an hour on the day before the lesson. Read how long should kids practice music each day.
A parent who helps. Children under about ten need an adult to sit with them or to check in. Read how to help with practice when you cannot read music.
A good teacher. A teacher sets the right next step each week and catches bad habits early.
A real instrument at home. Keys of full size that respond to touch. Read piano or keyboard for a beginner.
Listening. A child who has heard a piece learns it faster.
Music the child likes. A piece they chose gets played more.
What slows it down
- Long gaps, such as a summer with no playing
- Practice only on the day before the lesson
- Pieces that are too hard, too soon
- A keyboard that is too small or does not respond to touch
- Too many other activities
A slow stretch is normal. Many children hit one at about the second or third year, when the music gets harder and the first thrill has worn off. Read what to do when your child wants to quit music lessons.
Does starting age change the time?
A child who starts at four moves at a slower pace at first than one who starts at seven. The older child has bigger hands, reads already, and can sit for longer. By the age of nine or ten, the two are often at the same place.
Starting young has other gains. The habit of daily practice is in place, and the ear has had more years of training. Read best age to start piano lessons.
How long until it sounds good?
Sooner than you may think. A well-chosen beginner piece, played with a steady beat and a soft ending, sounds like music in the first year. Duets with the teacher sound rich from the first month.
How long should a child stay in lessons?
Many teachers say that the gains last for life once a child reaches the intermediate stage. At that point, a player can pick up a book of music and learn a piece without help. That takes most children five years or more.
A child who stops after two years has still learned to read music, keep a beat, and work at something hard. Nothing is wasted.
A way to see progress
Progress on the piano is slow enough to miss. These help.
- Record a piece every three months. Play the old recordings back.
- Keep the old books. Turn back to page one of the first book once a year.
- Count the days. Use a 100 days of practice chart.
Things to do together
Then and now. Ask your child to play their first piece. Then ask for the newest one.
Set one goal. Pick a piece your child wants to play some day. Ask the teacher how far off it is, and what comes first.
Hear where it leads. Listen to a great pianist play a piece from your child’s book.
Print and play
Print a 100 days of practice chart. Read traditional piano lessons: what the first year looks like and easy classical piano pieces for beginners.
For more on lessons, see music lessons for kids: a parent’s guide.
More from this guide
This article is part of Music lessons for kids: a parent's guide to starting, choosing, and practicing.
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Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.