August 13: Audrey's First Piano Lessons

I've always said that I would not teach piano lessons to my own kids.  It is much easier to be patient with other people's kids.  I'm pretty positive that I do not have enough patience to teach my own kids a skill like playing the piano. 

Also, I always tell people that it is best to wait to start lessons until kids have started kindergarten.

So, it is ironic that I started teaching piano to Audrey last week, as she is my own child who is only four and still a year away from kindergarten.

Audrey has been begging me to teach her piano lessons for a while, so I finally gave in.  What's the harm?  I figured that as long as Audrey is having fun and as long as I don't expect too much from her, then we might be able to make it work.

She is doing well.  We are not in a hurry at all, and I really have no expectations of her because she is so young.  We've been trying to keep it fun!  She is mostly just learning how to control her fingers individually and push down on the notes, which is hard for many older beginner students as well.  I think she has a natural understanding of music and rhythm, and my guess at this very early point in her life (as a piano teacher and not as her mother) is that she just might turn into a good little pianist someday.  Although who knows, maybe she will surprise us and be a star athlete or something crazy like that!  =)

Here is the very first song she learned.


The only problem is she wants to have piano lessons EVERY.  SINGLE.  DAY.  And she begs and begs me to have a piano lesson all day long.  It is kind of driving me crazy, but I'm trying to be patient.  I try to sit down and at least work with her for a few minutes each day.  I have a feeling a day will come when she will NOT be wanting to go to piano lessons or practice the piano (if she is anything like her mom, that is).  So I need to be encouraging to her now while she is so excited about it!


I don't know how long this little piano lesson stint will last.  I do know that once we decide to get serious about lessons (probably with the start of kindergarten next year), we will be looking for a new teacher!  Her current one is sure to run out of patience before long.

Isla, who is in a phase right now where she has to do EVERYTHING her big sister does, always wants her turn at piano lessons when Audrey is done!