Why are piano lessons important?
Do piano lessons worth it?
Piano lessons offer many benefits to children and adults. These benefits range from, improving their memory skills, to health benefits like the avoidance of depression.
London students and families funnel a considerable amount of time and resources into making piano lessons real for them or their children.
What's the real story with piano lessons?
Piano lessons can help to develop your abstract thinking. They help children with maths and adults with learning to find alternative solutions to challenging problems.
There is a straight relationship between taking quality piano lessons and brain development.
As mentioned in the article,
Early music lessons boost brain development at sciencedaily.com:
"If you started piano lessons in grade one, or played the recorder in kindergarten, thank your parents and teachers. Those lessons you dreaded -- or loved -- helped develop your brain. The younger you started music lessons, the stronger the connections in your brain."
What is the best age to start piano lessons?
If you want the best impact on your children intellectual development, you should ensure they start before they turn seven years old, according to professor Virginia Penhune.
Why are piano lessons important for Adults?
Music is essential for us; it helps us keep well at a deep level.
It fundamentally modifies the body response to stress at a DNA-level while it increases the natural killer cell activity -Dr. Barry Bitman- The later meaning that it can help us to prevent the incidence of cancer.
If we live in big cities like London, learning music and the community that usually comes attached to it can inspire us to strengthen our bonds with others.
Music helps our brain to recover more quickly by increasing the blood flow in it.
Music, and particularly the piano, can help us to develop better multi-tasking abilities. The main challenge with the keyboard is to be able to keep several streams of information flowing simultaneously. The latter requires us to improve the ability to concentrate on several different things at the same time.
What are the benefits of taking piano lessons for adults?
Our health in adulthood benefits dramatically from taking piano lessons!
Scientists from all around the world agree on these benefits:
Better memory and hearing
According to Nina Kraus from the Neuroscience Laboratory at Northwestern University Music trains your brain to understand sound better, therefore by playing the piano, your auditory abilities increase.
Better physical health
According to the
Music Making and Wellness project playing the keyboard also has a significant impact in increased levels of Human Hormone.
Better mental health
Playing an instrument can reduce stress even more than any traditional relaxation-inducing activities. Playing the piano also reduces stress and helps fighting depression.
According to Steinway.com, learning how to play the piano could even give a boost to our immune system.
Why are piano lessons important for Children?
As mentioned above, piano lessons have a direct impact on brain development.
We give further details about some of these specific benefits at our page about piano lessons for beginners.
Click here to read more.
London Music School entries and admissions - London Music Scholarships
In the UK and London in particular, knowing how to play the piano can help your child to build up a stronger and more appealing entry for that amazing school of your choice!
Harrow School in London, for example, requires Grade 5 distinction for year seven scholarship applicants.
Intellectual benefits of learning how to play the piano for children
Mastering the language of music can help your child with pattern-recognition, problem solving and fractions.
Musically oriented children have an increased ability to form mental images of objects and, therefore, improved spatial intelligence.
Social and behavioural benefits of playing the piano
In addition to the general educational benefits of learning the piano, there are the spiritual and emotional development aspects to it we can't miss out.
Playing the piano can have a direct impact on how we relate with others. Mastering the language of music can help children to express themselves more confidently while they develop a better sense of empathy. Music is the language of emotions.
In the same way, actors need to learn which emotion to project with each scene they play; musicians need to have a clear perception of which emotion rules each passage they play.
Piano lessons VS self-taught
Piano lessons or Self-Taught?
Should you take piano lessons from the very beginning or it is ok if you start learning to play the piano on your own?
It is common to welcome students who propose the poll:
Piano self-taught vs Piano teacher
Self-taught Piano Beginners
Despite famous examples like
Sviatoslav Richter - one of the history's best pianist in the world -, in general, self-taught amateur pianists face several different challenges.
One of the main problems with self-taught piano students in London is that they get their foundations wrong.
We mentioned at "first piano lesson at WKMT", there are three main subjects to learn when we begin our piano studies. These are piano technique, music theory and, therefore, sight-reading.
Without the right guidance and an on-site piano teacher, we will probably struggle to get the "piano technique" side of things right.
Self-taught Piano technique
Piano technique is a very physical dimension within our process of learning how to play the piano.
It requires a lot of customized exemplification.
These tailored-to-us examples are what we will lack if we use Youtube tutorials, for example.
Self-taught Music theory
Although we could try some apps to study music theory, it is essential to study music theory adapted to the piano.
In general, students in London count with a limited amount of time to study and rehearse.
Therefore, it is fundamental they learn those subjects crucial for their understanding of the piano scores.
Self-taught piano Sight-Reading
At WKMT London, we teach contrapuntal sight-reading you can find a more detailed description of what this means if you click here.
This educational strategy allows piano students to learn how to sight-read music in a way which suites the music written for the piano.
Conclusion
I, Juan Rezzuto-WKMT director, recommend piano students to seek the advice of a professional piano teacher from the very beginning.
Are piano teachers good?
The answer is yes!
Piano teachers are very good for you in general and in particular to assist your first steps into the discipline of playing the piano.
What do piano teachers do?
Piano teachers will ensure you learn the foundations properly.
They will optimize your study time, and they will help you enjoy the pleasure of learning in a structured way.
A good piano teacher can add the professional framing your piano studies need to be successful!
A piano teacher that is also an artist can teach how to channel your emotions into your performance.
A good piano teacher could open your mind into experiencing the most beautiful side of music.
If you want to learn more about the role of emotions while you perform and in your learning process,
click here.
How many piano lessons should you take?
How many piano lessons should you take?
Students ask this question very often.
It is hard to answer how many lessons will you need to learn how to play the piano. But there is undoubtedly another question we can answer:
How many lessons do you need to get to know if you CAN play the piano and if you LIKE PRACTISING the piano?
Both these questions need to be answered before running into conclusions about how many piano lessons you need to take.
How do we answer these questions?
Our
trial piano lesson helps us to understand if you can play the piano and if you would like to continue to learn how to play this instrument after your trial session.
It also allows you to try our "
piano teaching approach", to meet our piano teachers and to see
our piano studios.
Short Answer / Conclusion
How many lessons you need to reach this standard (a level in which I can play beautiful pieces) will depend on your abilities and commitment, but in general, the answer to the question of
"How many piano lessons do I need to take to learn how to play the piano?"
is:
You need to take approximately 100 one-hour piano lessons to learn how to play the piano decently.
Your Trial Piano Lesson at WKMT
There are two types of trial lessons:
Assessment piano lessons
If you have played the piano in the past, then we will have to explore your abilities by confronting you with different musical challenges.
We will then understand:
a) how much music theory you've learnt in the past
b) how well you read music
c) what is the state of your piano technique
d) what are your expectations
e) how much you can practise at home
d) what is your learning style
Based on these elements, we will then forge a study plan.
Induction piano lesson
Our induction session's goal is to give you a complete introduction to the three main subjects involved in piano playing:
a) piano technique
b) music theory
c) sight-reading
The plan for our first lesson consists in:
a. Piano Technique - Working on what we call the "table exercise."
One of the most functional characteristics of the Scaramuzza piano technique is that one can still work on some exercises even without a piano.
We are fully aware of how difficult it is to count with a piano in London. That's why at the beginning, we do not put pressure our students to buy an instrument.
Instead, we give them tools so they can still develop without it.
b. Music Theory - Learning the essential elements of music reading.
We start with defining the meaning and function of the treble and bass clef.
We learn the name of the notes and how they alternate and behave in the staff
We work on identifying the ruling pattern in the keyboard
We find the visual analogies between the piano and the staff
We work on identifying note values and a crotchet-rest symbol
c. Sight Reading - Working on Bartok Mikrokosmos Vol. 1 First page
If the lesson is successful, we should be able to read at least and play the exercise No. 1
Some students manage to perform all the first page of Bartok Mokrokosmos Vol. 1 in the first piano lesson.
Want to know more?
You can find a detailed account of our first piano lesson
clicking here.
Introductory course
After the first lesson, we usually suggest our students in London go for an "introductory piano course."
The introductory piano course involves 6 hours of one-to-one piano tuition.
Regardless of the student being considered a complete beginner or anything-above-beginner standard, all our students should transit the introduction course.
The idea is they have a medium-term perception of "What are piano lessons like at WKMT London".
We will organise a medium-term study plan in which we will aim to advance through our Piano lessons for beginners Level 1 course.
Here is the deal!
Formal package
If you commit to taking at least one hour lesson a week and you practise an average of 30-45 minutes a day six days a week, then your progress (from a complete beginner-level) should behave as follows:
1. Piano lessons for beginners L1 : 3 months
During this level, you will learn to play simple pieces from arrangement books together with necessary technical exercises.
2. Piano lessons for beginners L2: 3 months
You will continue to develop your technical skills while you start playing more complex songs and arrangements.
3. Piano lessons for Beginners L3: 6 months
This level is already equivalent to Grade 2+ standard.
Here you will start to play beautiful classical pieces.
As a piano student, you will face the challenge of learning your first piano sonatina.
4. The grades or vocational training:
You reached the inflexion point, here you become a lower-intermediate student.
Your choices are now to continue preparing formal piano syllabuses or to develop a free-programme.
In all cases, at this point, you are already capable of playing piano pieces at a reasonable amateur level. Music is yours to enjoy!
What do piano piano lessons cost in London? What do piano teachers charge?
What do piano piano lessons cost in London?
What do piano teachers charge?
Piano lessons in London at WKMT prices depend on different elements.
The trial piano lesson costs £39.90 at all our venues.
The introductory lesson course ranges from £270 to £450
The "formal courses" will vary in price depending on:
number of hours commited to take
on-peak and off-peak times
venue
payment method (single payment or instalments)
booking method
the hourly rates will start from £33 in these "formal courses."
You can access a more detailed account of prices clicking
here.
Can piano lessons be TAX deductible
It will all depend on whether they contribute to your professional development or not.
For example, if you are a dance teacher, you could very validly argue that you need to take piano lessons to accompany your students at the studio, for example.
If you are a music producer, you can easily justify taking piano lessons in as far as they allow you to operate your composition interface more successfully.
They can also help you experiment with harmonies and melodic lines more natural way.
In general, piano lessons should collaborate with your professional development to be TAX deductible.
Do I need to own a piano?
Piano lessons without a piano?
Is it possible to take piano lessons in London without a piano? The answer is: Yes!
Most of our beginner piano students start taking lessons before they acquire an instrument. And we believe it is a good idea to wait sometime before moving ahead and buying a piano.
Students need to see if piano lessons and practising time fit with their time table.
Can you practise the piano on a keyboard? Can you take piano lessons on a keyboard?
The answer is yes!
Until you've reached, an upper-intermediate standard, a keyboard -depending on its characteristics- should be enough for you to practise at home.
Our advice is to always go for a weighted 85+ digital piano or keyboard.
Try not to purchase a smaller than an 85-keys keyboard.
The instrument should come with weighted keys. Otherwise, you will struggle to exercise your muscles in the way intended by your teacher.
In regards to the second question:
Technically, yes!
In as far as the keyboard you re using with your teacher has more than 85 weighted keys.
Renting or buying a piano?
After your trial lesson (explained below), we recommend you to either buy a simple keyboard or rent one.
Markson Pianos, our partner shop is the best choice in London for either buying or renting a piano.
As a WKMT London piano student, you receive VIP treatment at their shop in Regent's park!
You will be able to access a very convenient renting scheme which will allow you to practise at home in a beautiful and inspiring instrument.
Where to rehearse in London for free?
Free piano rehearsal rooms
Practising at the Barbican Centre is free!
You can access excellent digital pianos for a maximum of two hours.
The process is easy
Just call the Music Library (020 7638 0672) either on the day of or the day before you would like to use the piano.
http://www.barbican.org.uk/visitor-information/barbican-library
When you go to the library, ask for the music library, and at the desk,
you can give your id in exchange for headphones for the piano.
Practise at WKMT London
If you leave far from the Barbican Centre and you are still not ready to bring a piano home, you can practise at the beautiful
WKMT studios.
If you are a WKMT student, you will benefit from discounted rates. The hour of rehearsal on a room with a digital piano and a complimentary drink costs £12.00 for WKMT London piano students.
If you don't belong to the WKMT London community, the prices start from £18.00 per hour.
Where can you take your WKMT London piano lessons?
Where to find piano teachers?
Where to take piano lessons?
Piano teachers in my area?
WKMT offers three in-studio locations around London.
We've chosen these locations strategically, so they surround London's city centre.
This set-up allows our students to reach our beautiful studios seamlessly from any particular place they live in or work at in London.
Our piano studios are:
WKMT London Kensington
Based just 1 minute from the tube station in the beautiful West Kensington area.
WKMT Kensington is our Victorian studio. We have taken into account every detail when designing this studio.
We can guarantee you will have a great experience since you make your first step into our entrance hall.
We've selected every piece of furniture, so it means something, so it brings some energy into each room.
Every piece of art comes from a different part of the UK.
WKMT London Camberwell
Based just 10 minutes by bus from Westminster, WKMT Camberwell is the perfect choice for families or professionals in South East London.
Its warm 60's vibe, the natural wooden floors, the magnificent Steinway Grand and the enthusiasm of our teachers, turn WKMT Camberwell in a perfect environment for the study of music.
WKMT London Bermondsey
Our "city" office is based just 6 minutes walk from Bermondsey tube station.
It is the perfect choice for London professional students working at Canary Wharf, "The City", Borough and London Bridge.
The atmosphere is neat and practical, and it allows students to concentrate while they feel in total privacy -something difficult to find in London-
Private piano lessons?
WKMT Piano home tuition
Piano teachers who come to your house
WKMT differentiates from any other piano home tuition provider in many ways.
WKMT Piano teachers who come to your house
Our teachers belong to an exceptional community of professionals.
They attend bi-weekly training sessions under Juan Rezzuto.
During these sessions, they share and discuss matters related to piano tuition in general and the application of our various syllabus.
One set of sessions focuses exclusively on piano technique.
We commit to providing our students with the maximum educational consistency.
How?
By ensuring all our teachers incorporate a single technical approach to piano teaching.
Our teachers need to share a unique set of strategies homologated by our directors and with a proven track of success.
Piano lessons in London for all levels and ages
London Piano School - Our piano programmes and educational structure
WKMT studios build up the entire WKMT London piano school.
Our
complete approach to piano teaching is backed up by our system of complementary activities, our approved piano programmes and
Our London piano student programmes
Our signature programmes differentiate and define the way we work with our students.
These programmes set up:
Who is your assigned regular teacher
What is your current level
How much and how you need to practise a day
How many days a week you need to practise according to the goals agreed
Your exam or accomplishment deadline based on the practising our proposed
The repertoire -a collection of pieces- that build up your programme
The process we follow to approve your programme is simple but reliable.
Your teacher creates your programme after one or two lessons.
Your teacher sends the programme to Juan Rezzuto, WKMT director for approval.
The director approves it
Your teacher sends the confirmed programme to your inbox
Piano lessons or beginners
Piano lessons for beginners
If you have never played the piano before, the WKMT is the perfect place for you.
Why?
WKMT is the perfect place for piano beginners because we will provide our students with
professional piano lessons for beginners course.
Gisela Paterno created our dedicated brother website
learnmusic.eu to systematize the contents we teach to our beginner piano students.
Piano lessons for toddlers or children up to 3 years old
Children above two-years-old and below five years of age will most probably have to do what we call "a ramping".
We call ramping to the repertoire our beginner piano students complete before starting with piano-lessons-for-beginners-level-1.
The idea behind the ramping is to increase the confidence of our students by making them play easy pieces.
During the ramping, they will play songs from one of our homologated piano methods.
They would typically finish one of these easy books before starting their formal syllabus.
Our ramping books are always full of pictures. They tend to be very engaging!
We usually assign these lessons to teachers from our team who specialise in early ages.
Piano lessons for Adult Beginners
We organise our
piano lessons for beginner adults respecting the most efficient structure.
We designed our piano lessons for beginners courses based on more than ten years of experience teaching adults in London.
Our priority is to transfer value into our adult students life.
We are aware of how busy life in London could be.
We know why our adult students come to learn how to play the piano with us. They want to find a place in which they can relate to themselves.
London expects everyone to be competent and alert. Playing the piano could be the perfect "escapade" for busy adults working in London's city centre.
For an adult coming to learn music at WKMT is a pleasure from the first step they make into our premises.
Our lessons come with a complimentary drink. You can choose to enjoy a fantastic espresso or a delicious artisan tea.
Our complete-piano-teaching approach
Our London Piano Masterclasses
Our London Piano Masterclasses
Al our piano students have the chance of studying with our renowned director, Maestro Juan Rezzuto.
We organise our piano masterclasses so our students can get to meet each other while they learn together from Juan Rezzuto.
Juan Rezzuto conducts the masterclasses at WKMT Kensington.
There, our piano students play at the maestro's grand piano and learn not only while showing the Maestro what they've studied but also by listening to their classmates.
In that way, they also fantasise how they would have applied the instructions delivered by the maestro if they were receiving it.
This way of learning is useful and translates into rapid progress.
Our Monthly Classical Concerts
We organise our
classical concerts in London collaboration with Markson Pianos at St. Cuthbert's Philbeach Gardens, Earls Court, London.
Our concerts are the perfect opportunity for our students to gather around a genuinely cultural and musical event.
All our WKMT students enjoy free entry to our concerts with up to five appointed guests.
Our events happen either on Wednesdays or on Saturdays at 18.30.
We chose our concert times so they can fall nicely into our students' diaries.
The repertoire is varied, but it includes at least two orchestral concerts with the LAO -London Amateur Orchestra- and several other recitals sponsored by Markson's Pianos.
Our London Music Festivals
Our
student festivals are already classic in London.
During this student concerts, we allow our most commited students of each level and age to perform in front of a friendly and enthusiastic audience.
Maestro Juan Rezzuto is on stage preparing the feedback for each participant.
We record all the event professionally to provide each student with an audio and video recording of their performances.
We have recorded our events since 2013.
The high-quality multi-camera videos allow piano students and teacher to analyse the performance of each student.
The students analyse along with their teachers each video to check their facial expressions and general on-stage presence.
This signature element of our approach truly differentiates WKMT from all any other private London piano practice.
Our International Campus in Europe
The jewel of the crown of the WKMT piano teaching approach is its magnificent
piano campus in Spain.
The WKMT rectorate is where a unique part of WKMT teaching happens.
Only a handful of students each time access this privilege. The selected five to ten London-piano-students are appointed to learn under the Maestro at the rectorate.
All the activity happens within the historic town of MONDOÑEDO.
The studio is located within our early-XX-century manor house.
Our students enjoy breakfasts made with ingredients directly provided from the kitchen garden, meals prepared by the best chefs in town and an experience that has no comparison to anything offered in London.
The way our students learn at the WKMT Rectorate is magical!
Our Piano Teachers
WKMT Piano Teachers in London
We are very proud of being one of the only piano schools in London which hire piano teachers full-time.
Our training scheme allows us to hire and fully contain our teachers within the structure of our organisation.
WKMT full-time
piano teachers have all their needs covered by the organisation.
The main concern of our piano teachers is to provide you with quality lessons as you deserve!
Our Recruitment Process
Our teachers need to pass a two-month recruitment process; one of the longest and most complex ones in London for any organisation.
Why?
Becuase, we only hire a piano teacher who can demonstrate they are:
Academically suitable
Educationally capable
Artistically inspiring
Stable
Consistent
Reliable
Our piano teachers are all graduates of the best musical institutions in Europe and the UK.
Will you always have the same piano teacher at WKMT?
We ensure that, if you keep the same slot and same venue, you always have the same teacher during the completion of each level.
For example, if you started Grade 1 with one teacher, we will ensure you stay with the same teacher up until you finish the level.
Every time you sit an examination, we will reassess your teacher assignation to ensure you have the best professional of our team to attend your educational needs at each stage of your training.
Will I have to change my teacher if I change the WKMT venue or I choose to have home tuition lessons?
Most of WKMT teacher teach in every WKMT venue.
We created this rule, so the quality and personality of our studios are consistent across all our studios.
If you decide to change to home tuition, you might have to change your teacher. The reason is that our home tuition teachers correspond to a separate teachers team dedicated almost entirely to home tuition.
Our Piano and Musical Community
Our community of piano teachers and London piano students?
By joining WKMT, you are accessing a real and active music community.
As opposed to learning piano with an old-style piano teacher or with a graduate focusing on a million things more important for him than your piano lessons, you can reach out to WKMT every time you need.
We, the WKMT team, always attend the needs of our students via our phone line, forum and blog.
WKMT Phone Line
The WKMT office opens Monday to Sunday from 9 am to 9 pm. We take care of any enquires regarding connected with the administration or educational operations.
You access our community through our members portal at the website or downloading the Wix app.
WKMT Forum
WKMT Online Forum
We set up our forum as a way to be there for our piano students when they need us.
If you have a question about a piece you are studying, about a book or if you don't understand your lesson report, you can just drop a question in the forum. One of us will pick it up and answer it at our earliest convenience.
You can access the forum via using the WKMT website or the Wix app.
WKMT Blog
Our London piano students can find information on how to overcome their musical challenges at the
WKMT Blog.
We release more than twelve articles every month on piano technique, sight-reading, and various musical subjects. All of them written by our music tutors.
It is fundamental for our community members to be up to date with these releases as they contain valuable information that can help optimizing home practising time.
How can I start my piano lessons?
Ready to Enroll?
If you are ready to go for a
trial piano lesson with us, please do not hesitate in calling us to:
UK
+442071014479
International - Whatsapp
+447514272027 / +447723827383
Our offices are open Monday to Sunday from 9 am to 9 pm GMT.
