When They Get Good
One thing we often hear from piano teachers is that they wish their students would improve their current instrument. These teachers tell us that many parents express that they will buy their kids a good piano "when they get good" at piano. This type of thinking is understandable. After all, parents wish to teach children the consequential value of work and reward. My parents used to think the same thing. However, I showed them a book by the pianist Josef Levine where he explained that this thinking is actually a myth.
What's Important in The Early Learning Stages
In reality, it’s the early stages of learning where touch, sound, color, and nuance are most essential. Those early stages are where the piano student truly connects to the feel of a proper action, the weight, and the ability to sculpt a sound. So although it is possible to “get good” without a great piano, it DOES make sense to consider a fine instrument an essential part of the learning process. If you can find a top quality Steinway piano, lightly used with a fair and reasonable price, you may be able to get the best of both worlds: good value and the highest quality piano on the market, which will bring your children closer to music.
In life, when we truly commit and invest in something, it takes on greater importance and meaning to us. Teachers observe this with their piano students. When the parents decide to commit, they invest in a great piano, they place it in a central part of the living area where they can give consistent reinforcement ("wonderful playing", "try it again", "we really enjoyed it"), and the children feel their interest and attention. The parents bring in fine young musicians to do a house concert or two at the house, a music salon, and the parents take the children to classical and jazz concerts in the community.
Music As More Than Just Practicing
All of a sudden, the children are truly feeling culture on an internal level. They are living and breathing it. It’s no longer about “don’t forget to practice”, but music becomes a means of expressing their feelings and energy, and a way to learn about the classics, jazz, and popular music. Students transform into fine young musicians making music in their own home and learning (without being told) that music can be an important part of the basic fabric of their life.
It's never too early to explore a Steinway grand piano. Check out our Steinway piano collections!
