Piano teachers have different approaches, but most piano instruction advances in grades, from grade 1 to grade 8. Books are labeled according to grades, but teachers often recommend additional books or songs tailored to specific student abilities and tastes.

How important are the Piano certifications?

You may be under the impression that piano teachers must have music degrees, piano diploma or music teaching certification. Actually this is not necessary. If you are a beginner, look for someone who has at least a grade 7 to teach.

A good piano teacher needs more than adequate certification. Practical considerations like him staying near you house is also important.

The most important qualities

Personality, experience and interest in teaching are also crucial. Sometimes, a student and teacher don’t mix. It’s a matter of matching personalities. If a kid is miserable because of the dislike of the piano teacher, don’t continue with that teacher. Your kid might end up losing interest in learning piano.

Typical costs of learning piano starts from $100 every four lesson of 45 minutes for beginners. That is a part-time piano teacher’s price. A full time teacher would cost more; in the region of $140.

Get a music teacher form http://music.manytutors.com Or read more articles at http://www.manytutors.com/tuition-resourses/articles/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Xavier

1) A piano trolley with good sized wheels. Often professionals use pneumatic wheels which cope with uneven surfaces better. Furniture skates designed for indoor use can be useless, even disastrous for outside use, since their small wheels catch on and exaggerate any deformity on the ground. For example, they might sink into a gravel drive, hit a raised pavement slab, and most likely, make a mountain out of the smallest step.

2) Piano transit cover: Its main use is for storing a piano on a van to prevent other items damaging it. When actually manoeuvring a piano, heavy quilting can be a hindrance, since grip and vision may be impaired. However, a cover is important if you are moving a piano through a narrow passage between outside brick walls. This is because a small deformity in the path can result in significant movement at the top of the piano (which is further exaggerated by small unsuitable wheels on your trolley).

3) Boards, ramps, blocks and chocks for steps. These are items acquired over time, by begging and borrowing and raiding builder’s skips, until you have a wide choice to suit any obstacle. If you are moving a piano between houses, it will be a rare occasion when there are no steps at either end, and strong boards can make light work of these.

The use of boards is a subject on its own; but briefly, chocks (smaller pieces of wood)

Should be placed underneath the middle of your board to prevent excessive bending, and used to prevent your board lying on vulnerable doorway structures. Modern sliding doors often have aluminium or plastic base grooves. These can be damaged by the weight of a piano; chocks or blocks together with boards should therefore be placed to avoid contact if you are not confident you can tilt the wheels over them.

4) Blankets, cardboard and plastic sheet: These are used for wrapping panels, protecting floors and manoeuvring pianos. There are three pieces of the piano you should remove and wrap in blankets: The desk (the panel where the music sits), the key cover, and the bottom panel. Although this may not always be necessary, there is a good reason to do it. If your piano is old you cannot necessarily trust the dowels and fixings to be either present or in good order. The desk and bottom panel may fall off at the slightest movement. if nothing else, you will in the process of removing them, inspect their fixings. In more testing moving operations which involve turning the piano on its side, these three pieces must be removed.

Smooth, heavy duty, clear plastic sheet can be folded to double or quadruple its thickness. It is slippery and protective, and can facilitate controlled movement.

Old cardboard can be used for protecting floors, and especially for protecting overhanging piano lids when the piano needs to be turned and dragged through and round a doorway.

5) Mover’s Ties and heavy duty ratchet straps: Take care to exert only minimum pressure with the ratchet. It is the thickness and strength of the strap which is important so you can hold it well and trust it. Ratchet straps are important for the inexpert mover because you can trust their tension. The danger is that a heavy hand could damage the piano case. The advice is to ratchet up with one finger, and like the belt on your pants, you have enough tension when you can still slip a finger or two between the strap and the piano. NEVER use a strap on a piano without a blanket between it and the piano.

Conversely, insufficient tension will allow movement which could become exaggerated. The piano could ultimately work loose of its securings.

6) Screw drivers, pliers, and a soft faced mallet. Very often no tools at all will be needed for moving upright pianos. Grand pianos will always require some tools, to remove the legs, lyre, lid and lid hinges (in the USA they tend to use a flat skid board which does not require the lid to be removed. In Europe a shoe is used which does).

There are many situations in which manoeuvring an upright piano around corners requires the removal of the casters. Actually casters are another big subject: They are often seized, and should only be used for rolling a piano the last half inch back against a wall, should be placed on caster cups to avoid damage to the floor, and should never be used in the relocation of a piano.

7) Piano shoes and skids. These tools are a serious financial commitment. Their purpose is to provide a sacrificial surface against which to manoeuvre the piano; either onto a trolley, or up steps or along a board. As with all tools, cheap versions are available and should be avoided, since a tool which will betray you is a liability of immeasurable cost.

You can find more information about piano moving (including grand piano moving) on the student-movers-forum.com piano moving tips pages. The author’s website student-movers-forum.com offers a directory of services and moving advice for students and all small movers.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephen_Willett

In just a second, I’ll reveal my favorite piano software for kids but first, I’d like to talk a little about why I advocate using software to get kids started with the piano (it’s not just about saving the cost of a tutor).

It Provides A More Comfortable, Relaxed Environment For Your Kids To Learn
If a child has no previous experience of the piano, it can often be quite daunting to have to go out and visit a piano tutor to take lessons – consider how you’d feel even as an adult in this situation. Although there are some great piano tutors, and I highly recommend finding one a little further down the road, it’s not always a relaxed and happy atmosphere to start out in.

Online kids piano courses and software packages are a great tool to help solve this problem. They allow you to take the reins and start to teach your child the piano in the comfort of your own home, at your (and their) own pace, even if you’ve never played the piano in your life. This brings me to my next point.

It Gives You Some Quality Time Together
Using an online kids piano course or piano software is a great way to get some quality time with your kids. Today’s piano learning software packages are lots of fun and really well structures so that you can both hove fun whilst your child learns to play the piano and you learn to teach it!

My personal recommendation for piano software for kids can be found at this page. I love this one for it’s fun, yet well structured lessons, and it’s bright and clear graphics.

I’ve also reviewed three different options at this page.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Julie_Porter

Piano dollies, plain and simple, are tools used to move a piano. They take lots of shapes and sizes and can vary quite a bit in their actual function but the general concept is the same for all piano dollies – they move pianos.

Grand Piano Dollies in the shape of a spider are probably the most popular kind of piano dolly that exists. Most grand pianos at a church, club, music hall or hotel will need to be moved at some point. The grand piano dollies are spider like and extend from a central point out to each leg of a piano. They are installed by lifting each area around the leg of a grand piano, typically with a hydraulic lift, then by placing the dolly under the wheel. Once that task is completed for each wheel the mechanism is tightened and the piano dolly typically remains on the piano for life. The new wheel set is attractive, is out of the way of most of the people looking at the piano and makes it very easy to roll the piano to any new destination you desire to take it. The wheel can be locked when there is a desire to have the piano remain stationary for a time. The wheels are easily unlocked with a simple press of a toe against the clip on the wheel to free the brake.

Many schools have upright pianos that have a dolly permanently attached to the piano to make movement in the classroom much more manageable. Most pianos do not come with wheels so the dolly sets are important to allow teachers to have maximum control over classroom configuration.

For a professional mover of pianos, a piano dolly is a must. Pianos can weigh up to half a ton or more and they are large enough to cause injury if not moved properly. Piano dollies can help a single person to come to a house, pick up a piano and move it out of the house, down steps and into the moving truck. The piano dolly not only makes the job of moving a piano much easier, it makes it much quicker as well.

Piano Dolly sets can also come as simple caster wheels in hard plastic cups that are placed over the end of each of the legs of a piano. These type of dolly sets are much less expensive and can accomplish the same task of helping to roll the piano to another part of the room or building.

Chuck R Stewart owns and operates a top ranking web site to help people find a piano dolly to meet their needs called http://www.PianoDolly.com – The site specializes in offering a large range of piano dollies and piano moving equipment to fit any type of piano for every type of budget.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chuck_R_Stewart

You can now download online piano software that teaches you and your child how to play the piano in a fun and easy way. You will learn how to read music, play by ear, and play any song you have ever wanted to learn. The best part is that you can do this at your own pace at a fraction of the cost of traditional piano lessons. And since you are already homeschooling your child it will be an easy addition to your curriculum.

Learning to read music is like learning another language and there is a lot of mathematics that go along with playing the piano so it is a positive addition to subjects you are already teaching them. Playing the piano enriches your life in ways nothing else can. There is so much beauty in creating music that until you try it you don’t know what you are missing. Whether you want to play for yourself or others, write your own music, or simply teach your child an amazing skill I highly recommend it.

There are several options of software to choose from, but I have been greatly impressed by one in particular. Visit Homeschool Piano to learn more about this online piano software.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jess_Kasey

Learning to play the piano using the pentatonic scale is a method of study that appeals especially to adult learners. Why? Because it is immediately gratifying and because success comes easily through a multi-sensory learning style approach.

Adults just coming to the piano for the first time, have preconceived notions of what they should be able to play. They have the sounds of great music in their ears, they know good piano playing, and because they are adults, they are convinced they can and will easily learn to play the piano. Unfortunately, traditional methods for learning the piano can quickly turn an excited beginner into a frustrated upset adult who will probably never touch the piano again.

The adult beginner can more easily grasp concepts and hear melodies than young people, however, the technical aspects of playing the piano can often lead to aggravation. The adult understands what is to be done with the fingers and how note reading works, but often the coordination of the visual to the tactile and eventually to the aural senses is hampered.

An adult just wants to make music now on the piano – they want to play songs today – not in two or three years. They feel they should be better faster than their children – they feel they should play now and the concepts will fall into place which will then allow them to play even greater pieces.

This is where the pentatonic method works best – with an adult who is ready to play, is ready to discover how to create songs and is ready to develop technique to play those songs quickly. The pentatonic method uses only five notes – in fact these keys are visually very easy to find as they are the five black keys on a piano. Tactilely, the hands easily cover all five of the keys in a relaxed natural position.

Best of all when simply creating music by just letting the fingers wander over the keys, everything sounds right. There are no clinkers – just beautiful sounds – pleasing especially to that person who is attuned to their aural sense.

The pentatonic method is the perfect method for the adult learner – for the learner who wants and needs to be successful quickly – who wants to make music now – and who wants to play songs on the piano today.

Dr. Jeannine Jordan is a highly successful piano teacher focusing her teaching on the adult learner. Her students quickly excel and play songs on the piano in one day. She brings an energy and enthusiasm to her piano teaching through easy, creative and enjoyable online piano tutorials.

“If you’ve always wanted to play the piano and play real songs on the piano easily and quickly join Dr. Jordan at http://playpianosongstoday.com/ for your first free lesson and start playing songs on the piano today!”

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeannine_Jordan

Each of these students brings to their lessons a variety of joys, challenges, needs and desires. I have to but listen to them and to their playing to gain a wealth of knowledge and wisdom. So, what do I learn every week from my piano students?

Perseverance – steady and continued action or belief, usually over a long period and especially despite difficulties or setbacks. Learning to play the piano as an adult can be a daunting task, yet week after week, I have students who continue to diligently practice to attain technical proficiency.

Patience – the ability to endure waiting or delay without becoming annoyed or upset. Learning to play the piano as an adult is a slow process and often the technical ability to reproduce the sounds heard in recordings or in the student’s mind is slow in coming. The patience required to achieve a modicum of success in playing the piano is immense.

Fortitude – strength and endurance in a difficult situation. Learning to play the piano as an adult is not accomplished by playing at the piano for a few minutes a week. It requires mastering difficult eye-hand coordination skills which takes an inordinate amount of time at the piano.

Determination – firmness of purpose, will, or intention. My adult piano students set goals for each series of lessons. To fulfill those goals and dreams requires a firm resolve to continue practicing and studying even when the desired results are slow to attain.

Discovery – the fact or process of finding out about something for the first time. Learning to play the piano involves a new language and a new set of skills so is replete with discoveries. Watching my students make discoveries is a great joy.

Happiness – feeling satisfied that something is right or has been done right. When one of my students successfully plays a piece that has been a goal or a dream, the satisfaction for them and for me is incomparable.

Pride – the happy, satisfied feeling somebody experiences when having or achieving something special that other people admire. My students form a happy, connected cohort and admire each other’s successes.

Knowledge – general awareness or possession of information, facts, ideas, truths, or principles. Each of my adult piano students posses a knowledge of music that they bring to their piano study helping them resolve piano playing challenges.

Wisdom – accumulated knowledge of life that has been gained through experience. The varied life experience of my students has opened doors of the world to me that I never imagined existed and each piano student brings that life knowledge to their music in intriguing ways.

What a wealth of information my students share with me weekly as they learn to play the piano!

Dr. Jeannine Jordan is a successful piano teacher focusing on the adult learner. Her students play songs in a day. “If you’ve always wanted to play piano songs quickly and easily join Dr. J at Play Piano Today for a free tutorial to play the piano.”
Copyright 2009 Pro-Motion Music LLC

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeannine_Jordan

So gather your homeschool team of friends and discuss this wonderful opportunity. Music is even more fun when you can share it with others. Small groups of children can develop their musical talent using keyboards and ear phones. Today the keyboards available are of good quality and reasonably priced. Create a space in your home and start your own homeschool piano club. Below are five things your children can learn in piano at home.

How to -

1. Set Goals to achieve their music dream;

2. Overcome worries and performance fears;

3. Become more patient with their learning;

4. Be persistent in their lessons; and how to

5. Take responsibility for their success.

These are character traits all children need to reach their dreams. So don’t wait to give your children the gift of music!

To learn the best way to share the gift of music with children visit Amazon.com for my Piano Bears Musical Stories for Children The exciting Piano Bears Musical Stories for children ages 5 to 11 feature the loveable characters, Mrs. Treble Beary and her new piano student, Albeart Littlebud. Children love following along with Albeart to Mrs. Treble Beary’s piano studio in Musical Acres Forest. Here they learn what piano lessons are all about in a fun way that kids readily understand and appreciate! Piano students laugh and giggle while reading “Little Bear’s Musical Garden” and “Little Bear’s Piano Goals.”

For a wealth of f’ree information and piano music online visit Piano Bears Music Education Resources Don’t Wait to Share the Gift of Music!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cynthia_VanLandingham

There are several different designs that a person can choose from. Many designs will let your friends know what type of music lover that you are. My father had two passions in life one was playing piano the other was playing golf. He loved them both equally. His piano bench cover had a golf design. It was a gift from our family and it became quite a talking piece in our family room. It went very well with the decor. I can still remember him playing the piano whenever he had free time. Take time to pick out your own cushion. I know that a person can also find a style that matches their own likes and personality.

Another good reason to have a piano bench cover is to raise the height of a smaller player. Many younger players can develop bad habits when they are younger because of the larger size of the piano. Piano bench covers come in different size of thickness. A thicker bench cover will raise the young piano player to the correct height giving him the advantage of having his or her arms and hands in the proper alignment, making it easier to play.

A lot of times I have heard customers wanting to replace an unsightly piano bench for several different reasons. Piano benches made of wood can be easily damaged by age, humans, or even pets. An unsightly bench can be an eye soar and can detract from the piano. A lower cost solution would be to purchase a piano bench cover. Just by simply adding the cover it can add to beauty to the musical instrument. Having a piano is a long term investment. If a persons decorating mood changes it is also inexpensive and easy to change the piano cover. There are several different sizes and colors to choose from. The possibilities are endless.

As I mentioned before comfort is the key. A person will do an activity or skill longer if comfortable, just as a runner or walker will walk farther if they are wearing a comfortable pair of shoes. I have spoke to many professional musicians and they agree that they will play better and longer being comfortable using a piano bench cover. There are several advantages to purchasing a piano bench cover. For people who love a customized, personalized look a piano bench cover can come in a wide variety of colors, shapes, sizes and designs. The style choices are endless and you can easily find the right one for you!

Chuck R Stewart owns and operates a top ranking web site to help people find a piano bench cushion to meet their most special decorating tastes. The site specializes in offering a large range of piano benches and offers piano bench to fit any type of piano, decor and budget.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chuck_R_Stewart

A robotic piano instructor can be a much better teacher indeed. So first to go will be the piano instructors, as superior artificial intelligent Piano Instructors are introduced, next those who play the piano will no longer be needed, as you can have an artificial intelligent robotic computer play a perfect performance without the flaws of human piano players. There will be no jobs for human piano players either.

How likely is this future? Well, pretty likely. At one time I respected piano teachers and instructors and admired piano players as well, yet today after observing some of their behavior, human psychological flaws and poor attitudes it seems to me we may as well replace them all with robots. Just like we will soon replace dog crap scooper patrols in our parks and lawn mowers. Consider all this in 2006 Ed.

“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is an online writer in retirement.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow