At Charlotte Academy of Music, 5 years old (with occasional exceptions) is the youngest age that we start children in private piano lessons. At this age, children have begun to develop a longer attention span and can retain material with ease. Students 5 and older also possess the hand size and strength required for proper hand shape and use of the piano.

We also offer Group Piano Lessons (limited to 6 children) for students ages 6-9. Robin Love, NCTM, is the director of our Group Piano program.

For children ages 3-5, we suggest our music readiness program, Preludes, which correlates with the National Standards of Music Education. In each Preludes class, children learn about rhythmic notation, the piano keyboard, pitch and participate in various rhythmic and movement activities. Preludes provides a wonderful foundation for future instrument study!

Absolutely! Many of our adult piano students are beginners, while others have returned to lessons to pick up where they left off as children. Learning to play a musical instrument as an adult is a most rewarding endeavor.

For children ages 5 and older, we offer private instruction. Group classes are offered for students ages 6-9. In the private setting, each lesson is customized to the student’s individual learning style and needs. In the group setting, a comprehensive curriculum is followed. Group lessons start at the beginning of each academic year. Parents should consider the type of environment (one-on-one or group) in which they feel their child learns best.

Charlotte Academy of Music encourages families to arrange appointments to meet with the Director to identity a teacher. Parents and students find it very helpful to speak with the Director about the student’s learning style, the expectations of the teacher and more. In this regard, a music school is a far superior choice as there is more than one instructor to choose from. We strongly believe that finding the right teacher is the key to a successful music lesson experience. A teacher’s credentials are important, but personality is the greatest factor when choosing an instructor.

Students can register for a Trial Lesson with an instructor before formally enrolling.

Charlotte Academy of Music is pleased to recommend Ed Sutton. Ed is a Registered Piano Technician and services the pianos at the Academy. Ed offers the following services: tuning, historical tunings, voicing, regulation, Touchweight Analysis Correction, reconditioning, complete restoration including soundboards, estimates/appraisals and harpsichord services. Ed can be reached at 704.536.7926 or by email at ed440@mindspring.com.

Learning to play the piano without a piano at home for practicing is like trying to learn to swim without water! If at all possible, purchase or rent an acoustic piano. Get the best instrument your budget allows. Pianos hold their value. To reach their full potential, a student needs a quality instrument on which to practice. An electric keyboard should only be used for the first 6-10 months of lessons. The keyboard should have at least 76 keys and be touch sensitive. After 6-10 months, a full size digital or an acoustic piano is advised. Contact Regina Ziliani for recommendations on where to purchase a piano.

Research shows that piano students are better equipped to comprehend mathematical and scientific concepts. A group of preschoolers received private piano keyboard lessons and singing lessons. A second group received private computer lessons. Those children who received piano/keyboard training performed 34% higher on tests measuring spatial-temporal ability than the others — even those who received computer training. “Spatial-temporal” is basically proportional reasoning — ratios, fractions, proportions and thinking in space and time. This concept has long been considered a major obstacle in the teaching of elementary math and science.

Source: Neurological Research, February 28, 1997

Music majors are the most likely group of college grads to be admitted to medical school. Physician and biologist Lewis Thomas studied the undergraduate majors of medical school applicants. He found that 66% of music majors who applied to med school were admitted, the highest percentage of any group. For comparison, (44%) of biochemistry majors were admitted. Also, a study of 7,500 university students revealed that music majors scored the highest reading scores among all majors including English, biology, chemistry and math.

Sources: “The Comparative Academic Abilities of Students in Education and in Other Areas of a Multi-focus University”, Peter H. Wood, ERIC Document No. ED327480

High school music students score higher on SATs in both verbal and math than their peers. In 2001, SAT takers with coursework/experience in music performance scored 57 points higher on the verbal portion of the test and 41 points higher on the math portion than students with no coursework/experience in the arts.

Source: Profile of SAT and Achievement Test Takers, The College Board, compiled by Music Educators National Conference, 2001