Piano Lessons: How to Find a Good Teacher for the Beginner Adult

Music may soothe the savage beast, but it also helps relieve stress and keep our minds active! And you don't have to be a 5-year-old musical prodigy to enjoy the health and emotional benefits that are generated from learning to play the piano. In fact, you can enjoy playing a musical instrument as an adult even if you've never before tickled the ivories.

Learning the play the piano as an adult has its own unique sets of rewards and challenges. Although we have less time for practice, we're also more motivated and self-disciplined than we were as children.

If you're thinking about learning the piano, it's important to find a teacher that works specifically with beginner adults. An experienced adult teacher will be familiar with the teaching techniques and books that work best for mature beginners. (Unlike some children's beginning piano books, for example, that include exercises such as coloring pages of piano keys.) Here's how to choose the best one for you:

Get references: Ask the teacher for references - including names and phone numbers - from current adult students. Take the time to call two or three, and ask them questions about the teacher's instructing style, flexibility and overall attitude. Ask the reference if she/he plans to continue learning from this teacher for a long period of time.

Interview him/her: The individual personalities of the teacher and the student can make a significant difference in whether or not you enjoy your piano instruction. Spend thirty minutes or so interviewing the teacher. Does he/she seem flexible and fun? Is she/he stringent about practice? What's his/her teaching philosophy?

Ask about certifications: A piano instructor doesn't have to be certified to teach, especially if he/she is offering private lessons in the home. But certificates will let you know if he/she is serious about instructing, and it will give you some idea of the teacher's credentials.