Guitar

Piano

The Little Music Studio teaches from two different guitar methods. Most students will use the series “Kid’s Guitar Course” from the music publisher Alfred. Alfred’s Kid’s Guitar Course has three levels, one level per book. There are supplemental books such as “Movie & TV Songbook” and “Sacred Songbook” students can request to learn from alongside their current level book.

The second method used is called “Essential Elements for Guitar” from the music publisher Hal Leonard. Hal Leonard has one book per level, and there are two levels. Like Alfred, Hal Leonard offers supplemental books that could be used alongside the student’s current level book.

Generally, the Alfred’s Kid’s Guitar Course works best for students aged 8*-11. Students can expect to progress well with 10-15 minutes of practice 3-4 times a week. Such students can expect to spend 12-18 months per level.

Essential Elements for Guitar works best for students aged 12-15. This method progresses faster than the Alfred’s Kid’s Guitar Course and is dependent on the greater finger and hand strength that older students naturally possess. Students. can expect to progress well with 10-20 minutes of practice 3-4 times a week. Such students can expect to spend 12-24 months per level.

Students must own their own paper copy of the appropriate method book.

*The Little Music Studio does not take or teach guitar students who are under 8 years old.

The above links are not affiliate links, but are links to the publishers’ page for their product. Students should purchase their materials from the vendor that is best for them.

The Little Music Studio teaches from two different piano methods. Most students will use the series “Bastien Piano Basics.” Bastien Piano Basics have four books per level (Piano, Theory, Technic, and Performance). There are four levels in Bastien Piano Basics, each taking roughly one year.

The second method used is called “Faber Piano Adventures.” Like the Bastien method, Faber has four books per level (Lesson, Theory, Technique & Artistry, and Performance). There are eight levels of learning in the Faber method, each taking 9 months to a year to complete.

Generally, the Bastien method works best for students aged 5-9 with regular attention spans and/or varied interests and commitments, such as sports. Students can expect to progress well with 10-15 minutes of practice 3-4 times per week.

The Faber method works best for students aged 10-15. Students age 8 or 9 with abnormally long attention spans and/or limited competing commitments may also succeed with Faber. Students should expect to progress well with 20-30 minutes of practice 3-4 times per week.

The Little Music Studio does not take or teach piano students who are under 5 years old.

These are not affiliate links, but are links to the publishers’ page for their product. Students should purchase their materials from the vendor that is best for them.

Instruments

  • Acoustic Guitar (ages 8-11)

    Your absolute best bet is to go with the Yamaha JR1 or Yamaha JR2. These guitars are similar, though not identical. You can find out about them on Yamaha’s website. They are widely available from many vendors.

    Through all my years of teaching kids guitar, students progressed further and faster with one of these guitars than ANY other guitar.

    Any other acoustic guitar for an 8-11 year old must be vetted by the teacher before The Little Music Studio will accept the student. FYI, Taylor and Martin make beautiful mini/junior size guitars, but they are not suitable for kids as much as they are ‘travel’ guitars for adults.

  • Acoustic Guitar (ages 12-15)

    There are many more options for guitar students age 12+ compared to ages 8-11. A guitar that stays in tune and is easy to play is very important. The Jasmine S-35 is a great beginner guitar. Epiphone also makes a good beginner guitar. Fender and Mitchell are also widely available, though not as easy to play as Jasmine and Epiphone guitars. Any name-brand acoustic guitar will work.

    The Little Music Studio will not accept students with guitars that are too difficult to play, or are unplayable. Many off-brand guitars fall into this category.

  • Electric Guitar (ages 8-11, 12-15)

    Electric guitars are generally much easier on the fretting hand than acoustics. The downside is that they require more gear, such as a strap (as they are heavy), cables, amps, and probably headphones.

    For ages 8-11, students who wish to learn on electric guitar at The Little Music Studio must have an Ibanez miKro GRGM21M. While this guitar is not perfect, it is more playable and stays in tune. There are a few other options out there, but none are acceptable.

    For ages 12+, there are countless more options. For these students, consider the type of music they want to play and go from there. Any name-brand guitar will be acceptable. Squier and Epiphone will likely be the most affordable choices.

  • Acoustic Piano (all ages)

    Acoustic pianos are the preferred instrument for all students. They generally fall into one of three categories: grand, upright, and spinet.

    Grand pianos offer the unmatched playability, tone, volume control, and ease of maintenance. Their cost and space requirements are often prohibitive.

    Upright pianos offer wonderful playability, tone, volume control, and ease of maintenance.

    Spinet pianos are no longer made, but there are many around. They are recognizable because they are upright, but very short. They can still sound amazing, offer very good playability, a soft tone, lower maximum volume, and are not as easy to maintain.

    All acoustic pianos require annual maintenance (mostly tuning) at a minimum. This adds to their cost.

    Students should not be practicing or learning on a piano that is out of tune. Parents of students of The Little Music Studio must agree to maintain proper intonation if their child will be using an acoustic piano at home.

  • Electronic/Digital Piano (all ages)

    Electronic or Digital Pianos are not as good for the physical development of piano students, but they do offer some advantages.

    These pianos have volume adjustments and/or headphone jacks allowing for silent practice - very beneficial for some home environments. Another advantage is that they never need tuning. They also take up less space and are infinitely easier to move or rearrange.

    The disadvantages are that they will not last as long as acoustics, they will never sound as good as acoustics, they lack the near-infinite volume response of acoustics, and they lack the tactile response of acoustics.

    While there are countless digital and electronic pianos available in every price range, only a few are acceptable for piano students. The weight and feel of the keys is the most important specification to consider when choosing a digital piano. The weights of keys, in order of preference, are: (1) Graded Hammer Action, (2) Weighted, (3) Semi-Weighted. Unweighted keys are not acceptable and The Little Music Studio will not take students with unweighted piano keys at their home.

    Hammer Action digital pianos are very expensive, like the Kawai CA line, or the Nord Grand 2. Because of the price, these are not recommended for young beginners.

    Weighted key digital pianos can be much more affordable. Consider the Yamaha P-45 or the Alesis Recital Pro. Learn more about them here.

    Semi-Weighted digital pianos are generally bad for piano students. Even the budget brand Williams pushes close to (and even past) the price of the weighted key pianos listed above.

    Unweighted keys depress with very little force and are unacceptable for piano learning.

  • Where this comes from

    Of my previous piano students, no student that played on an unweighted digital piano showed anything near the progress of my students who played acoustic pianos. In fact, it follows that my students who progressed regularly played an acoustic grand piano in their home. Next were students who played acoustic upright pianos, then spinet pianos. Students with high-quality digital pianos progressed a little slower than one level per year, and students with budget pianos progressed much slower.

    It could be that better instruments beg to be played more, which wouldn’t be surprising, but also shows their worth. A worthy instrument does more to attract a student to practice.

    Acoustic pianos can be very affordable, especially in the used market. It is not uncommon to find a grand piano for under $2,000 not including moving and tuning.

Before you buy…

Parents should consult with their student’s instructor before purchasing materials for their children’s lessons.