6 Reasons Why You Need a Piano Teacher

We’re fortunate to live in a time where we have access to information that is literally at our fingertips any time we need it. With many excellent online resources for learning the piano available to us, it may seem like paying for and carving out the time for in-person piano lessons isn’t really necessary.

Having a piano teacher is definitely an investment of your time and money. Deciding to take piano lessons is not something to take lightly. You’ll want to make sure that studying the piano is something that you can prioritize in your schedule most weeks and that you’re entirely committed to showing up and putting in the work.

However, learning the piano with a real teacher has many benefits. Your time with a piano teacher has the potential to take you to new heights that are impossible or very difficult on your own or with online programs. Here are six reasons that having a real piano teacher will pay off in the long run.

1. Accountability

One of the biggest perks of having a real person to check in with every week is that you will be held accountable for every aspect of your piano experience.

Your piano teacher will help you stay on track with consistent practice. Knowing that someone else is observing your progress each week will motivate you to practice, even if you don’t feel like it or if you think you’re too busy.

In addition, a piano teacher can hold you accountable for the accuracy your practice. When you practice on your own, it’s easy to let little mistakes slide or to let bad habits creep in. But, when you know that a teacher will probably notice these things, you’re much more likely to be mindful of all of the details when you practice.

Just knowing that someone is keeping tabs on you and your progress can add up to big results.

Plus, many people stay motivated knowing that they’ve forked over the money and made the commitment to do something. After all, it’d be a pretty big waste of your time and money to take piano lessons without putting in the work.

2. Individualized Approach

There are so many ways to approach learning the piano. It’s really important to understand that there isn’t necessarily a right or wrong way to learn. Working with an expert who has many years of teaching experience will help you find the perfect approach for you to learn the piano.

Some people are auditory learners who prefer to follow their ear as they learn. Others are visual who keep a strong grasp on the written sheet music or the patterns of the piano keys. Kinesthetic learners are most likely to tap into the way the piano keys feel under their hands and to follow their muscle memory.

There’s a good chance that you are some combination of all of these types of learners. A piano teacher can help you become more aware of your learning strengths and provide you with the best resources to help you succeed given your unique learning style. But more importantly, a piano teacher can also help you recognize your challenges and help you overcome the parts of learning the piano that feels intimidating or out of reach.

3. Answers To Your Specific Questions

There’s a lot to be said for a having access to your own expert who is dedicated to answering your own specific questions. Sure, you can do Google search and find a lot of information, but Google doesn’t know your unique situation. Many questions that arise at the piano are situational, and having a real person to learn from will help you put all of the pieces of the musical puzzle together.

Piano teachers bring a lot of value by being able to have a discussion about your questions and allow you to follow up with more questions.

4. Troubleshoot Problems

Similarly, a piano teacher can help you troubleshoot problems that you’re having in your practice.

• Are you making the same mistake over and over?
• Does something in your music just not sound right?
• Are there times when it seems like your fingers don’t want to cooperate?
• Does it feel like your progress is at a standstill?

A piano teacher likely has multiple solutions to all of these common problems.

You’ll leave your piano lesson equipped with tons of answers and ideas to apply to your practice.

Imagine how fast you would progress at the piano if you could tackle every problem head on instead of trying to discover the solutions on your own.

5. Open Doors to New Musical Ideas

There’s a good chance that your time with a music teacher will expose you to all kinds of new music, new styles of music, and new ideas about music. Once again, you can absolutely learn these things online, but piano teachers are plugged into all of the latest trends in the piano world. Plus, they have years of their own experience to draw upon.

Piano teachers are usually equipped with a library of piano music, and they know how to set you up for success. Your piano teacher can introduce you to tons of new music that you likely didn’t even know about.

Isn’t it exciting to think about how you might not even know your favorite piece of music yet? But a piano teacher can help you discover it!

6. Helps You Stay Committed in the Long Run

Studying with a piano teacher will help you stay committed to the piano for the long run. Learning the piano isn’t something that you can accomplish overnight or in short, infrequent bursts of time. Instead, progress at the piano is a long-term endeavor.

You’ll experience a lot of ups and downs during the course of your piano study. The pace of your progress will vary in different seasons. Sometimes you might feel like you’re blasting ahead, other times you might even feel like you’re losing progress. These are all very normal parts of the piano-learning process.

Having a piano teacher to follow you along your journey will help you see that it’s worth it not to give up. Even when it feels like you’re not making progress, you’re too busy to practice, or learning the piano is getting too challenging, your piano teacher will encourage to keep going and remind you why you wanted to learn piano in the first place. If you stick with it, you’ll experience and enjoy the rewards and satisfaction that playing the piano brings for years to come.

Have you ever taken piano lessons before? Have you thought about it?

If you took lessons as a kid, remember that it’s never too late to return to the piano. The same goes for adults just getting started with the piano. Find a teacher and enjoy your new hobby!

This post was written by Megan, piano teacher and author of Pianissimo: A Very Piano Blog. Visit her website for more piano related blogs for teachers, parents, students, and all things piano!