Five is generally a good age to start, because this is when children begin to develop small muscle control to allow the fingers to move independently, as well as learning to read notes and recognize patterns, rhythms, and melodies. However, like starting school, each child is different. Some children have an early aptitude for learning, and some need more time. A few things to consider:

• Can your child stay focused on one activity for at least 15 minutes? A child who starts lessons at a later age often progresses more quickly, but has more to catch up with the younger beginner.
• Is he/she beginning to develop fine motor skills - moving each finger independently?
• Do you have the time to be involved and help with practice times during the week (especially if your child hasn’t learned to read yet).

Starting your child at a young age requires more patience and oversight of a parent, willingness to practice with your child, and time to attend the weekly lesson. For a later beginner, no age is too old!

It depends on the needs of the student. Group lessons, especially with young children, are a great way to introduce them to rhythms, sounds, and melodies. Being in a group encourages creativity, movement and dance, and fun games that hold their attention in smaller time segments. I keep my group classes small (between 3-6 students) to give the best amount of personal instruction along with benefits of group learning activities. Individual lessons are best for older students or those beyond a beginning level. Having complete personal attention provides students with immediate feedback on their technique and musicality, and also allows them to progress at their own pace.

Early exposure through CDs, concerts, and creative play is so helpful in early musical development as well as overall mental growth.

• Listen to music at home or in the car, during play or at bedtime. There are great classical CDs available for children that increase their musical aptitude - or simply turn on the radio. An early exposure to lots of music is foundational to developing a sense of rhythm, melody, and musicality.
• Visit a music store or attend an outdoor concert to look at and listen to musical instruments. This is a great opportunity for children explore and associate different sounds with these instruments. (There are many opportunities for free community music events as well as professional ones.)
• Encourage creative music play with whatever is on hand - pots and pans, rubber band guitars, whistles, bells, or other fun items. This will tap into the artistic side of their brain and develop musicality.
• Explore cultural forms of music and dance. Have pride in your own musical heritage or learn about something entirely new. While pure expressions of cultural music are beautiful, musicians are also blending wonderful elements together in fusion styles, creating even more variety. You and your child just might discover something exciting to share together.

Performance is all about confidence. Learning to perform in music develops the same kind of confidence required to give a presentation, interview for a job, and interact in any social circles. The best ways to encourage performance is to create safe environments for your child to practice this. Scheduling regular family “recitals” at home, playing in small studio classes, or even performing at a nursing home or hospital will build confidence. It also helps the student learn that sharing music is a gift! By taking the focus of him/herself, it becomes a joy to play for others.

Competitions are not for everyone. Some students naturally flourish under the pressure of competition. They enjoy showing off their abilities and are confident and play even better when someone is listening. These students should be encouraged in their performing and competing to give them a reason to practice well. Other students are completely opposite. They enjoy playing for themselves or a small, comfortable audience, but cringe at the thought of a recital, much less a competition. These students need positive affirmation, and do not require an outside reason to practice. They play simply because they love it, and to introduce the pressure of competition would take that away.

If you are considering investing in a beautiful piano, but don't currently have the space or money, I would highly recommend checking out Classic Pianos in Redmond. I purchased both my Mason and Hamlin 7’ grand piano and my Clavinona digital piano from them with great customer satisfaction. They have absolutely had the best prices for new and used pianos. They also have a trade-up policy that allows you to purchase a less expensive piano now and trade it up later with a full credit on your earlier piano purchase. It’s a fantastic deal to get credit toward a more expensive piano and no worries about selling the other piano. They have a larger warehouse in Portland, OR where they frequently receive new shipments, so you can even have their help with finding just the piano to fit your needs.

• Acoustic pianos – For any pianist, a good acoustic instrument is highly desirable. Each piano has a distinct personality, sound, look, and feel. Acoustic pianos have the greatest diversity, and can thus be the hardest to find just the right one. There are two basic styles: upright (ranging in different heights) and grand (ranging in different lengths). Grand pianos can produce the most resonance and sound, due to the lid that may be lifted. They are also the most expensive. Uprights range in price from the hundreds to low thousands, and grands pick up the price from there.
• Digital pianos – Unlike most lower-priced keyboards, a digital piano looks and feels like an acoustic. Several benefits are that they have a rich, sonorous sound, comparable to a grand piano, while occupying much less space and not requiring tuning. Also, they have MIDI options for recording music, a sound bank for playing with different instrumental sounds and acoustics, and weighted keys to feel like an acoustic piano. For digital pianos in the $2-4,000 range, they can offer amazing sounds only comparable to acoustic grand pianos in the $30,000 range!
• Keyboards – These are the least expensive option, ranging from $100-$500. The benefit is that they are easily movable and come in different sizes, from 61 keys to the full 88 of a piano. Depending on the quality, keyboards can come with a variety of sounds, MIDI options, and rhythm devices. However, they often do not have the weight of a piano key, making it difficult to play on an acoustic or digital piano after practicing on only a keyboard at home.

• Location – Where will you put it? Because a piano is a good-sized piece of furniture, consider where you would want it to go. Pianos come in different shapes and sizes, so that also makes a difference. Do you want the piano to occupy a central space, or will it be in a private room? Do you have neighbors or family members who have noise restrictions?
• Upkeep – Are you able to maintain it? Pianos require special care (unless you want them to look and sound like the average school band room piano). See the next question for details on caring for your piano.
• Acoustics – Will the piano sound the same in the showroom as in your living room? When placed in a room with a high ceiling or wood floor, a piano will sound very resonant and beautiful. This is why piano stores have showrooms with good acoustics. However, when transferred to a home with low ceilings and carpet, the sound will be considerably dampened.
• Purpose – What is the main purpose of the piano? This makes a difference! If you want a piano primarily as a decoration piece, you can find many beautiful models of pianos in a range of prices. If the main purpose is a family piano intended to be played by many, a simpler upright model will do. If you have a blossoming pianist in the family, it becomes much more important to have a piano with a good sound and touch. Invite your piano teacher along to give advice, and never buy a piano without first playing it.

• Close the lid when not using to keep out dust and protect the keys.
• Avoid placing piano near large windows or fireplaces. Large changes in temperature cause the piano strings to stretch and constrict faster, needing more tuning. Also, dry heat from a fire can damage the wood of your piano.
• Have it tuned regularly. Depending on the location and usage of your piano, you should have it tuned every 6-12 months. This will ensure a great sounds great for years to come.
• Wash your hands before playing to keep the keys from getting grimy. Should that happen, gently clean the keys with a moist paper towel and a little soap. Avoid spraying any chemicals onto the piano.

Depending on the length of the piece, it is best to secure an accompanist and give her music 3-4 weeks before your performance. This will also allow time to schedule a rehearsal or two. Some private teachers prefer to have the accompanist attend a lesson, if possible, and this also requires time to coordinate. Others recommend simply scheduling a rehearsal on your own.

When interviewing an accompanist, here are several important questions to ask:

• Are you available to perform the date and time of my event?
• How many rehearsals would you recommend beforehand?
• Are you available to attend a lesson with me?
• How much do you charge?
• Is it by the hour, a flat fee, or a flexible rate?
• What experience do you have with my instrument?

• Practice with a metronome – be confident with tempo changes and difficult sections
• Listen to good recordings – pay attention to your solo part and also be familiar with the accompaniment
• Mark measure/rehearsal numbers in your music – this helps for quick reference in your lessons or rehearsals
• Memorize your music, or practice page turns for smooth transitions

• Prepare adequately – you should be able to play your piece without mistakes at least a week before your performance
• Memorize your music – or at least know it thoroughly, down to the details of tempos, dynamics, fingerings, and sections, if applicable
• Be well rested – get a good night’s sleep the night before, relax and stretch when warming up
• Communicate with your accompanist – practice looking at him/her during rehearsals for important cues (beginning, ending, pauses)

Here are some examples of songs from my repertoire in various genres. This list is not comprehensive – there are many others that are not listed below.

Classical

• Piano, orchestral, and choral works by Bach, Handel, Mozart, and Pachelbel
• Piano works by Beethoven, Schumann, and Brahms
• Piano works by Debussy, Chopin, and Ravel
• Highlights of famous operas from Aida, La Boheme, Carmen, Madame Butterfly, Don Giovanni, Faust, and others
• Highlights of famous classical works by Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Strauss, and others

Popular

• Amazed - Lonestar
• Because You Loved Me – Celine Dion
• From This Moment On – Shania Twain
• How Do I Live? – Diane Warren, LeAnn Rimes
• I Believe I Can Fly – Yolanda Adams
• (Everything I Do) I Do it For You – Brian Adams
• I Swear – John Michael Montgomery
• I Will Always Love You – Dolly Parton
• One Moment in Time – Whitney Houston
• Up Where We Belong – Joe Cocker/Jennifer Warnes
• The Prayer – Celine Dion/Andrea Bocelli

Jazz / Easy Listening

• Angel Eyes – Jim Brickman
• Autumn Leaves – Joseph Kosma
• Cheek to Cheek – Irving Berlin
• Easy to Love – Cole Porter
• Isn’t It Romantic? – Richard Rogers
• Have You Met Miss Jones? – Richard Rogers
• How Deep is the Ocean? – Irving Berlin
• Joy – George Winston
• Kei’s Song – David Benoit
• Kiss the Rain - Yiruma
• Misty – Erroll Garner
• Moon River – Henry Mancini
• My Funny Valentine – Richard Rogers
• The Nearness of You – Hoagy Carmighael
• The Way You Look Tonight – Jeremy Kern
• Polka Dots and Moonbeams – Jimmy Van Heusen
• Satin Doll – Duke Ellington
• There Will Never Be Another You – Harry Warren
• The Very Thought of You – Ray Noble
• When I Fall in Love – Victor Young

Musical Theater/Movie themes

• Anne’s Theme – theme from Anne of Green Gables
• Ashokan Farewell – from the PBS series of The Civil War
• Beauty and the Beast – from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
• Can You Read my Mind? – love theme from Superman”
• Colors of the Wind – from Disney’s Pocohontas
• Lara’s Theme – from Dr. Zhivago
• Memory – from Cats
• Over the Rainbow – from The Wizard of Oz
• Somewhere Out There – from Disney’s An American Tale
• Sunrise, Sunset – from Fiddler on the Roof
• Theme from New York, New York
• Theme from Somewhere in Time
• The Music of the Night – from Phantom of the Opera
• Think of Me – from Phantom of the Opera
• Tonight – from West Side Story

Yes! This list is by far not comprehensive. I am happy to play any song that I have in my repertoire. If there is a specific song request that I do not have, I would be happy to play it if you provide me the music. On the occasion that there is no sheet music available, I am open to transcribing the piece as long as I have enough time to do so.

If you are having an outdoor wedding, you will probably want to add speakers, cables, and a microphone to your list of sound equipment. Be sure to consider whether you will have acoustic or electronic instruments, and whether you might want an extra mic for a vocalist or your officiant. Because there are not the natural acoustic limits of an indoor space, sound dissipates quickly outside. Even for a small wedding, it is difficult to hear all the parts of the ceremony without amplification. Hiring or finding someone to handle sound is a great idea to cover any challenges that might arise before or during your ceremony.