by JENNIFER HUMMLER

In a word, no. Often, families are a little hesitant to purchase a piano for their child to
take lessons and to practice on. Some of the most common reasons are:

1. “Pianos cost too much!”
Pianos can be expensive. In fact, pianos can be very expensive. However, if you go to a
reputable piano dealer,  you can find pianos to fit almost any budget. Some companies offer
rent-to-own options, and all dealers will offer payment plans (often interest-free). Generally, we
don’t recommend purchasing a second-hand piano from a private party unless it’s from
someone you know and trust; there are hidden moving/tuning costs and there won’t be any
kind of warranty or trade-up option. One thing to keep in mind is if you are spending money
for lessons, you really should also spend money on a quality instrument if you want to get what
you are paying for out of the lessons themselves.

2. “We don’t have room for a piano!”
We can guarantee that if you have the space for a keyboard, you have the space for a piano. It
is not necessary for a student to have a grand piano; a quality upright is just fine. An upright
piano gets pushed up against a wall and really does not take up any more space than a
keyboard.

3. “We don’t know if our child(ren) will continue with lessons for long.”
We understand the hesitation to commit to purchasing a piano if you’re unsure of how your
child will take to piano lessons…perhaps after a few months, you’ll realize that violin would be a
better fit, for example. In those cases, there are rent and rent-to-own options available. Unfortunately,
keyboards play/feel/sound vastly differently from real pianos and you won’t really know if your
child “likes” to play piano if he/she never gets to play an actual piano.

4. “A keyboard is the same thing.”
This is the easiest one. If you need to plug your instrument in to play it, it is NOT a piano. It
may look similar to a piano, and it is played in the same way, but it is not a piano. Learning to
play the piano involves many elements, including music literacy, history, and keyboard
orientation. However, a BIG part of learning to play the piano is technique and touch; these
things can’t be taught well (or sometimes at all) on a keyboard.

If you are interested in purchasing a piano, let us know and we would be happy to point you in
the right direction. There are many teachers who will not teach a student who does not have
an acoustic piano to practice on. We don’t fall into this camp, but if your child has had lessons
for six months (a year at most!) and you don’t have a real piano for them to practice on, you
should seriously consider getting a piano. If finances are a serious issue, let us know and we
will do our best to help you.