How to get the most value from piano lessons

Here are some tips to get the most value from piano lessons

Updated 23 February 2025

The Suzuki approach is a natural way of learning the language of music, based on the way a child learns their mother language: First the child listens and learns to understand the language by being immersed in an environment where it is spoken. Then the child learns to speak, by imitation and repetition. Only after children can speak do they learn to read and write.

Since music is a language it is important that the student is immersed in listening to music and being part of a music community.

Group classes are key. Students learn much from playing with other students and from watching each other play.

Another way for a student to engage in a music community is to sing and/or make music with their family members.

It’s recommended, especially for young children, to learn rhymes and poems to explore rhythms.

Students are often motivated and inspired when attending Suzuki workshops, camps and concerts. Students whose families have membership of the New Zealand Suzuki Institute can attend Suzuki events anywhere in New Zealand.

Listening to the recordings of the Suzuki volumes / books is key to learning the piano. The more often students listen to their Suzuki volume, the quicker they will learn to play these pieces.

Students need to listen to a recording of their current Suzuki volume every day. This can be in the background, for example, while traveling in the car, while having meals or while doing activities at home. It is best to listen to these pieces in the order they appear in the book. It is also helpful to listen ahead to pieces the student has not learnt yet, including the next Suzuki volume.

The Suzuki recordings are available on CD from Rockshop or Piano Traders or Shearer’s Music Works. There are also digital recordings available for download. Please note that only the recordings by Seizo Azuma are the official recordings approved by the International Suzuki Association. Here’s a list of links to audio download providers.

It is helpful to listen to famous pianists playing classical piano music. Classical music is the foundation for all other styles.

It is also important to listen to orchestral music. Familiarity with orchestral music develops the ability to hear multiple layers and nuances of sound. Often piano music mimics orchestral music. It is also recommended to listen to recordings of music to be played in an upcoming concert, because when the music is more familiar the concert is usually more enjoyable.

The Suzuki approach includes the expectation that students retain and keep playing all the pieces they have learnt. After learning all the pieces in a Suzuki volume the student is expected to perform all the pieces in this volume during a group class.

Because piano skills are primarily developed through the repetition of pieces already learnt, Suzuki teachers spend part of each lesson reviewing previous pieces and often refer to previous pieces to teach new pieces and skills.

It is recommended that students play each of the pieces they have learnt previously at least once every week. Regular review helps the student to remember these pieces and enables the teacher to spend more of the lesson time on new material.

Students’ progress depends on how frequently they practise the piano between lessons. When a student has mastered the material learnt in the lesson the teacher can spend more of the next lesson on new material.

Frequent, short practice sessions are more effective than longer, occasional ones.

Dr Shinichi Suzuki, the founder of the Suzuki approach, said, “You don’t need to practise every day; only on the days you eat”!

Playing the piano is a form of physical and mental exercise, which requires warming up. Often a piece is not fluent and accurate the first or second time it is played on a particular day. When students practise shortly before their lesson, or at least in the morning of their lesson day, they are more likely to have their pieces fresh in their minds. Then they may require fewer repetitions during the lesson to warm up and play fluently, which means that more lesson time will be available to learn new skills.

Playing the piano is a complex neurological workout! Students can get more value from lessons if they are well-rested. A consistent bedtime is recommended because a late night can affect learning and concentration even on the second or third day following. .

Since about 75% of the brain consists of water, even slight dehydration can affect concentration and learning. It is recommended to drink water instead of other drinks, because other drinks could, depending on their other ingredients, actually dehydrate the body.

The brain also needs stable blood sugar levels to function optimally. Blood sugar spikes from foods high in sugar or other refined carbohydrates are followed by blood sugar crashes, which reduce energy and concentration. Eating protein-rich foods with each meal also helps to regulate blood sugar levels.