Piano FAQ Page
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How old does my child have to be to start piano lessons?
Here is what your child must be able to do before they are ready for piano lessons:
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Recite the alphabet
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Say "GFEDCBA" and understand that it is the alphabet backwards.
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Count up to 10.
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Count backwards from 10 down to 1.
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Be able to differentiate their fingers using words like "thumb, pointer, middle, ring, and pinky".
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Know their left from their right *almost* every time they are asked.
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Be able to stay on an activity like coloring or a craft for 15 minutes without losing interest or needing to get up and run around.
Use these as your barometer and let us know if they're ready and you're interested in lessons.
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What methods do your teachers use?
We avoid rote methods for beginning students. Rote methods like Suzuki for Pre-K to 8 year olds has it’s place in some cultures that are more competitive and performance-based. We prefer to teach music reading and encourage long-term independence. Bastien and Alfred are great for elementary aged beginners. Faber is a little more challenging - great for kids who *really* put in the extra effort. Piano Pronto is a newer method that we think is excellent. Once students have a few years of method books, we encourage the transition to repertoire - classical, jazz, modern, pop, even video game music - whatever sparks the student’s interests and meets their desire for a challenge.
Do we need a piano in our home?
You will need either a piano or a keyboard in your home.
For the first year, a small keyboard will suffice to see if the child remains interested, but these can be difficult to play and they don’t sound or feel very good, so we discourage them.
By the second year, a student will need a full instrument with a proper pedal and stand. We recommend:
You can also buy instruments of quality from sweetwater.com. You want an 88-key, fully-weighted digital keyboard with pedals. It would need either an X-style music stand or furniture style-casing. Be sure it comes with a place to rest your sheet music.
If you are buying a used digital from someone online, please test every key to make sure they all work. These can fall apart after 10-20 years and there is no easy way to repair them.
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How much piano practice is expected?
Aim for their age x 2 in minutes at a minimum. A 10 year old should practice 20 minutes at a time, a 6 year old should practice 12 minutes. Use an egg timer like your Grandma did - or tell Alexa to set a timer. Best to practice the day after a lesson, once on the weekend, and a day before your lesson. Aim for 3 practices and don’t panic if you have an off week. Learning an instrument takes years. Plan for a 5-10 year investment and don’t imagine they’ll stop in high school - that’s when all that hard work starts to really pay off! We just had a student get a music scholarship (not even planning to be a music major) at college that paid back every penny that her parents spent in lessons and then some!.
How do we keep practice from becoming a negotiation?
Keep a good attitude. It’s like teaching your kids to brush their teeth or do their homework. No need to threaten or negotiate, no need to take away rewards. Remember that once a child is on a screen it’s hard to get them off (boy, true for us as well, right?). Set up practice time to happen when they are already in doing-mode, not play mode. Or encourage it as a bedtime extender - we’ve found this works great. Set up a bedtime that’s 15 minutes earlier than you would normally and then if they want to stay up later, they can do so by practicing. (sneaky genius)
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Genise Ivins
Piano​
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Mrs. Ivins is a graduate from Rutgers University with a B.A. in Music with a concentration in music education. She holds teaching certificates in grades K-5, music in grades K-12, and a middle school math specialization in grades 6-8. She started studying piano when she was 9 years old and has shared her love for music through many recitals and performances. She has taught private piano lessons for 11 years and taught in the public school system for 9 years. Mrs. Ivins is a patient and compassionate educator and enjoys teaching children of all ages and abilities. She is an active performer in her local church at weekly services and special events. She enjoys spending time with her family, especially sharing musical moments with her 3 year old son.
​Genise is a very personable and experienced teacher whose calm demeanor is a perfect fit for nervous students. She is equally adept at working with teens and adults as she is at working with K-8.
Genise teaches Mondays in Pitman and Thursdays in Woodbury
Adi Achterberg
Piano, Voice
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Adelaide is a singer, musician, and actor graduating from Rowan University with a degree in Musical Theatre. Her main instruments are voice and piano, as well as oboe, ukulele, saxophone, and bass guitar.
She started playing piano and performing onstage at a very young age and performed with many musical groups and community theatres in her home county of York, PA. Adelaide prides herself on her versatility of vocal styles, though she specializes in musical theatre and jazz. With her strong background in musical theatre, she believes in creating a well-rounded performer with a healthy voice and an equal focus on musicality and emotional expression.
Adi does best with our beginning piano students. Our K-8th graders particularly like her fun energy.
She teaches in Pitman on Thursdays and in Woodbury on Mondays