Each competition has its own entry fee set by the competition organization. Local competition fees are usually $20-30. More prestigious competitions range anywhere from $30-150.

Students will also need to own an original score (sheet music) for the music they are playing. Sheet music can cost anywhere from $7-50, but is usually around $15 per book.

Our studio participates in 15-20 piano competitions each year. During the first year of lessons, it is unlikely they will be ready to participate in any competitions. After that, it will depend on the student’s progress.

1st Year of Study: 0-1 competitions
2nd Year of Study: 2-4 competitions
3rd-5th Year of Study: 3-5 competitions
6th Year and after: 3+ competitions

The longer a student takes piano lessons, the more opportunities they will have. Students who have been in our studio over five years participate in an average of 6 competitions a year.

We encourage students to practice every day; the minimum practice requirement is 5 days a week. We suggest students practice the length of their lesson each day (30-minute lesson, practice 30 minutes each day, etc).

Student progress is directly tied to effective practicing at home. Learning to play piano is different than most other extra-curricular activities. It requires consistent practicing away from a teacher’s instruction. Lesson time should be used to learn new things, not to practice a previous assignment. Home practice is where progress is made.

The more a student practices, the more successful they will be, and the more motivated they will be to continue to practice and learn new things.

Yes! A student cannot make progress without practicing at home. They must have an instrument on which to practice. If a student does not have a piano at home, they will make no progress and it is a waste of time and money to invest in piano lessons.

We realize that pianos are very expensive. If you aren’t ready to invest in a piano yet, you have other options. Please talk to us if you have any questions about a suitable instrument for your child.

Yes, you may start with a keyboard for the first year. An acoustic piano is preferable from the start, but is necessary after the first year. A keyboard or electric piano is unable to produce the sound and touch of a real piano. Your child will be unable to progress as much with a keyboard as they would with an acoustic piano.

We want the best for your child. Talk to us about different options if this is a concern.

Unfortunately, we are not able to allow parents to sit in during lessons. However, we provide parent guides, videos for each piece, and Tonara support.  You are welcome to come in occasionally if you would like to check on your child’s progress or have any specific questions.

It is important to us that you feel involved in your child’s learning and we will communicate with you often about your child’s progress.

When students first start piano lessons, it is important for parents to be very involved, especially if the student is very young. As the student matures, we expect them to take more responsibility for their practicing and learning. Each year, the parent should give the student more responsibility and independence. By the third or fourth year of lessons, parents do not need to be involved in the student’s everyday practicing.

The most important job that parents have is making sure the student is practicing at home, getting to lessons on time with all of their materials, and communicating if there are any problems with practicing. The student should be responsible for what is practiced, how it is practiced, and their own progress.

We recommend starting private piano lessons in Kindergarten. However, there are always exceptions. Some 3-year-olds are ready to start private lessons and some 6-year-olds are not ready; it depends on the child.

We offer a preschool music class for children ages 3-5. We also offer private preschool lessons of 15 minutes.

At the Meet & Greet, we will let you know if we think your child is ready to start lessons. We promise to be completely honest; we do not want you to waste money on lessons that will not be productive.