Traditional piano lessons: what the first year looks like

In traditional piano lessons, a child meets one teacher for one private lesson a week and learns to read music from the first months. The lessons follow a graded method book, with short pieces that add one new idea at a time. By the end of the first year, most children who practice on most days can read simple music in both clefs, play short pieces hands together, and perform in a recital. This page walks through that year.

What “traditional” means

Teachers use the word for lessons that share four features.

• One to one. A private lesson of 30 minutes a week, sometimes 45.
• Reading from the start. The child learns from the page, not by ear first.
• A method book series. Graded books set the order of new skills.
• Home practice. The child practices between lessons, with a parent’s help when young.

This sets it apart from the Suzuki method, where children learn by ear first and a parent attends every lesson, and from group programs such as Yamaha and Music for Young Children. See Suzuki vs traditional music lessons.

What is in the book bag

• A lesson book, which holds the main pieces
• A theory book, with written work that matches the lesson book
• Often a technique book and a book of extra pieces
• An assignment notebook, where the teacher writes the week’s tasks
• A pencil

Piano method books compared explains the main series.

A typical lesson

1. A greeting and a quick look at the notebook
2. A warm-up, such as a five-finger pattern
3. Last week’s pieces, with one or two things to fix in each
4. A new idea, shown at the piano
5. A new piece, begun together
6. A game or a few minutes of theory, rhythm, or ear work
7. The week’s assignment, written down

The first year, stage by stage

Every child moves at a different pace. This is a common path for a beginner of six to eight.

Weeks 1 to 4: finding the way around

• Sitting tall, at the right height and distance
• A rounded hand shape
• Finger numbers, 1 to 5
• High and low, and the groups of two and three black keys
• The names of the white keys
• Short tunes read from finger numbers or from notes with no staff
• Keeping a steady beat

Months 2 to 4: the staff

• The grand staff, the treble clef, and the bass clef
• A few landmark notes, such as Middle C, treble G, and bass F
• Steps and skips
• Quarter notes, half notes, and whole notes
• Loud and soft
• Pieces with the hands taking turns

Months 5 to 8: more notes and both hands

• Reading across more of the staff
• Rests, dotted half notes, and time signatures
• Smooth playing and detached playing
• The first pieces with both hands at once
• A first sharp or flat
• A first recital piece

Months 9 to 12: putting it together

• Eighth notes
• Five-finger patterns in a few keys, and a first scale
• Simple chords in the left hand
• Pieces of 16 to 24 bars, hands together
• Playing a piece from memory
• The end of the first book and the start of the next

A child who begins at five often takes longer over the early stages. A child who begins at nine or ten often moves faster.

What practice looks like

For a beginner of six to eight, many teachers ask for 10 to 15 minutes a day, five days a week. Short, regular sessions work better than one long one. See how long kids should practice each day.

A first-year practice has three parts.

• Warm-up: the pattern or scale from the notebook
• Pieces: each one two or three times, with the hard spot first
• Theory: one page, once or twice a week

The parent’s part

Traditional lessons ask less of a parent than Suzuki lessons do, but a young beginner still needs help.

• Sit beside a child under eight for most practices
• Read the notebook together
• Ask to hear one piece all the way through
• Tell the teacher what was hard at home
• Keep the piano tuned and the bench at the right height

You do not need to read music. See how to help with practice when you cannot read music.

Signs the year is going well

• Your child can find any note the teacher names
• New pieces take a little less time to learn each month
• Your child plays old favorites without being asked
• The teacher’s notes change from week to week
• Your child can tell you what to fix

Signs to raise with the teacher

• The same piece for a month with no change
• Tears at most practices
• Playing only by finger numbers, with no idea of the note names
• Wrists that drop or fingers that lie flat, week after week
• A book that seems far too easy or far too hard

See how to get kids to practice without a fight.

What you need at home

A piano, or a digital piano with 88 full-size, weighted keys. A bench at a height that puts the forearms level with the keys. A footstool for a small child whose feet do not reach the floor. See piano or keyboard for a beginner.

Exams in the first year

Some teachers enter first-year or second-year students for an early exam. In Canada, the first piano exams of The Royal Conservatory are Preparatory A and Preparatory B. See RCM Preparatory A and B piano exams explained. Exams are a choice, not a need. See should my child take music exams.

Questions to ask in the first month

• Which method series do you use, and why?
• How will I know what to practice?
• How much practice do you expect?
• When do your students first play in a recital?
• Do you teach any pieces by ear or by rote?
• How do you handle a child who wants to play a favorite song?

Next steps

To decide when to begin, read best age to start piano lessons. To find a teacher, see how to choose a music teacher. To understand the page your child is reading, read how to read music for parents. For all the approaches side by side, read music teaching methods for kids compared.