What Piano Lessons Are Not

Many are keen to know what piano lessons are, and what they entail. But for me, it is more important to correct the misconception that they are not just about!

We've heard it all. The virtues and benefits learning piano confers are abundant. Yet, it is quite unfortunate to witness today's milieu that depicts many students heavily adopting an exam-oriented mindset. This disappointment amplifies when very often, it is the teachers themselves who engineer such mentalities via the learning environment they craft, such that it is pre-dominantly focused on excelling the examinations. I personally have received multiple requests from parents who would like their children to receive exposure to other types of musical styles, mainly pop and contemporary because the existing teachers are only devoted to training them for the graded assessments.

The outcome? This produces students who graduate well-equipped in paper qualifications, but notably inadequate in real, solid substance - weakly acquiring in what I coin as "soft skills" and not attaining the holistic, all-rounded development in piano-playing. Imagine having one's entire learning journey with the piano being defined by a selected few exam pieces from the classical era. The exposure to a variety of music beyond this realm, i.e. pop, contemporary, jazz, new-age etc. is significantly narrow. Creativity, re-interpretation of chord structures in existing modern songs (particularly pop pieces) and the ability to improvise on-the-spot are also other competencies that the intensive route of rote learning in an aim to shine in graded examinations and sole exposure to classical music cannot supply.

And that is if students persevere hard enough to even make it to their "graduation".

A notable pool turn into drop-outs, throwing in the towel midway due to dwindling interest and subscribing to a very erroneous impression that learning the piano is pedantic, rigid, boring and skewed towards classical which, admit it, many young learners - and even adults - find harder to relate to and derive joy as compared to pop, modern songs.

Which drives my answer back to the start: Piano lessons are not just about exams!

Now, I must emphasise here that the value of graded assessments should not be diminished - examinations are still important to evaluate and monitor a student's progress, fortify and expand domain knowledge, establish their credentials in this niche, cultivate a sense of ownership within a student in taking charge of his or her learning journey, strengthen confidence in performing in front of an audience and build a sentiment of pride and achievement when the "challenge" is conquered.

However, piano lessons should eschew from revolving around examinations and its range of assessed repertoire. Constructing a wide and varied repository of pieces is essential to impart good foundation, the necessary skills and a sustained burning passion for students such that they continue to conduct independent pursuit to learn, seek and play an abundant series of newer pieces after he or she has ceased tutelage with the teacher. Balance is critical.

The gist:

"FUN AND LOVE FOR WHAT YOU DO SPARK EFFECTIVE LEARNING AND PROGRESS!"