These are some of the most frequently asked questions by prospective piano students and their parents. If you have any other questions for me, please feel free to get in touch!
A properly-sized, good sounding guitar or violin is required for guitar or violin lessons.
How much practice is necessary? This depends on the level and age of the student, and how fast they want to progress. The most important thing is that practice happens every day and that weekly assignments are completed. That said this is how long it will normally take to practice what I assign:
Young students and beginners: 10-20 minutes a day
Elementary students: 20-30 minutes a day
Intermediate students: 30-45 minutes a day
Advanced students: 45-60 minutes a day
Another handy guideline is that students should practice for three times their age. So a 5 year old would practice for 15 minutes and a 10 year old would practice for 30 minutes a day.
What books do I need and where do I get them? Books and materials will be invoiced to you as we decide which books are needed. You can also purchase them yourself from your favorite music seller, if you so desire.
We use lots of different books and methods to suit different learning styles but some of our most commonly used series include My First Piano Adventures, Piano Safari, Suzuki Violin, Rolland Violin, and Hal Leonard Guitar.
We are constantly researching new materials and expanding our library so we can find the music that inspires each and every student.
Do you teach adults? Absolutely! Adults are extremely welcome, please visit the adult piano lessons section for more information.
What’s the youngest age student you will teach? We teach students as young as three and a half piano lessons. Students must be five years old to start guitar or violin. Visit the lessons for little fingers page for more about how I teach my youngest students.
Do your students get opportunities to perform? Yes! Getting to share music with others is one of the best parts of learning to play an instrument!
We hold two concerts every year, which all students are welcome to perform in. Shy students are welcome to just come and watch, We never push a student to perform if they don’t want to.
Do you offer group lessons? Most students at Conrad Music Studio take buddy lessons which combine private and partner instruction to get the best of both worlds. For more on the lesson option available click here.
There are also 9 group workshops every year that students have the option of attending and students get the opportunity to participate in 2 concerts each year as well.
What type of music can I learn? We teach any and all genre’s of music that a student wants to learn. Nothing is off the menu!
Although some classical music is generally necessary for good progress to be made, you are by no means limited to classical. Our students learn pop, jazz, blues, punk, and rock – if the student loves the music that’s all that matters to me.
How can I pay my tuition? You can pay tuition each month or each semester. We accept several means of payment including cash, check, and Paypal.