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What is the purpose of having a special teacher for these kids? Is it a purpose of grooming them toward a career as piano soloists starting at that young age? If so, are there down sides to this? Can there be different purposes?

Just as we have specially trained teachers to teach students with learning disabilities, we need specially trained teachers to work with students gifted with uncommon learning abilities. Just as if you desire to teach athletics/sports to uncoordinated youth, you need a different approach than working with athletically gifted & coordinated students.

In some countries, they spot talent when the kids are still 4 or 5. Then they pour in the training resources. It's tracking on steroids.

Think about the Olympic divers and gymnasts from certain countries. Kids there could spend 10-15 hours per day training.

Of course there's a downside to this. Kids grow up without friends, have poor social skills, and--in many cases--poor education because all their time is devoted to the sport in lieu of education.

+l

I have a reading based approach to music, but it is likely not the best approach for this 5 year old who seems ready for guidance in playing well beyond his reading ability. So I would feel better consulting someone who has experience with this type of gifted child.

That is the extreme, don't need to go that far.

However, we all only have so many hours in our day, if one is going to be excel at one thing, most likely it would be at the sacrifice of many other things. Yes, that may includes social life and friendships. Albert Einstein was not known by having a good social life.

We have enough well rounded people that not particularly good at anything. If a kids shown talent and interest on something, like music, I would say it is not a bad idea to develop the talent at (the reasonable) expense of other aspect of the development.

Yes, the piano kid may not be good at literature, or may never learn chemistry 101. So what, we are not lack of people good at those things anyways.

What I am saying is that while we don't want to go to the extreme, we don't need to stuck at "well balanced" either, for the kids already shown particular talent.

So, the kiddo had his second recital today, and I must be starting to drink the Kool-Aid because he did seem to stick out a little among the other students. In the past 2 months, of course I noticed my son's repertoire was increasing in difficulty, but in my defense, isn't that what's supposed to happen when you take lessons in anything? I didn't know the pace was atypical. At the post-recital reception, however, I fielded a litany of questions along the lines of "How old is he? He's not really 5, is he? When is his birthday exactly?" and "How long has he been playing? No, I mean altogether, not just with this teacher? He hasn't really been playing for 2 months, has he?", so I'm starting to get it (also with a lot of help from this forum, thank you again!).

This thread has recently taken a turn into topics for which I am definitely not ready. I now am able to concede that my son may possess some natural talent at piano and at the very least is progressing faster than the norm, but I don't know what, if anything, to do with that information at this point. The kid had a great time playing at the recital (I'm also starting to realize he quite enjoys performing for an audience), so we'll just go from there and make sure to set that conference time with the teacher. Next lesson is tomorrow!

You just got to take it as it comes. There are worse things to cope with as a parent.

Update: I spoke with my son's teacher at his lesson two days ago. I had planned to request a conference for next week, but the teacher serendipitously initiated the conversation so I just went with it. Bottom-line, she believes the kiddo truly has potential, and feels strongly that he needs to transfer in order to maximize his continuing development. She wants him to play at a festival next month, where she would like us to meet the teacher she has in mind, someone she regards as the area's best in working with talented children. The previously mentioned recording would only be for consultation purposes at this stage, although she does envision the kid one day studying with this other teacher in New York should he continue on the path.

Even though this thread had prepared me for the possibility of what the teacher was going to say, it was still weird hearing it confirmed. I didn't really know how to respond, other than "Ok, you've given us a lot to think about". Help, please? What exactly should I be thinking about? What questions should I be asking, whether of the teacher(s), my husband and myself, and/or our child?

Why not relax and let him play in the festival and see what happens?

From a parent point of view - when a child excels in something I would consider: cost (teaching, supplies, comps, festivals, camps, equipment), time (investment of the child and parent including travel), other children in the household, the relationship with your spouse, and other activities your child enjoys.

But really - until the next step happens there isn't anything to worry about aside whether your child is happy, healthy, and enjoying himself.

Don't panic. All is well, your child is learning and happy. If your current teacher does recommend transfer, you can interview both the recommended teacher, and your current one. Get a feel for how they teach.

Right now you need to ask yourself, as a parent (and your partner if you have one) - how far do you want to go with this? Are you prepared for supporting an hour a day (or more) practice? Will other opportunities for your child be missed? And do you need to decide right now, or can you wait a couple of years?

The child is 5 years old. The child is a child.

You won't know anything until you interview with the other teacher. It's entirely possible their personalities won't be a good match. I would want to know if this teacher has experience working with children this young. A 5 yr old can easily be overwhelmed by a demanding teacher or too much rigor, even if they are gifted. It's a fine balance.

You don't want to undercut his potential, but you don't want to kill the fire, either.

Lest we forget, Mozart was an accomplished player and had six compositions to his credit - before his 6th birthday. Some folks are made of sterner stuff, and it shows early on. The OP shouldn't jump to any conclusions, but should ask lots of questions and seek clarification.

What I find heartening and healthy is that the OP is seeing her child as a child, and concerned about his well being - not being carried off by ambition. At this age a child must be well-rounded, exposed to many things, growing in many directions. A parent's support and connection with the whole child are a very important thing.

If the child is so interested in piano and progresses well, let his potential unwind. IMHO. If he wants to play, give him a better teacher. I do not see harm in following what he really likes, even if he is so young.

I have read this post with interest as a mother, not as a piano teacher. I am an intermediate adult player returning to piano. I have two kids that dropped out of piano and have moved onto other instruments. So we do not have prodigious talent in my family.

I think you need to have an open and frank conversation with the music teacher and let your teacher know what your hopes, dreams, fears and difficulties are for your child are. Let your teacher tell you what his/her hopes, dreams and fears are for your child is. They should be aligned.

In addition, try to find adults who were extremely talented piano players at a young age. Talk to them. Ask them to share with you about their own experiences. Learn from their experiences. What did they (their parents) do right? What would they have done differently? What worked for them. What did not? Other places to visit are local piano competitions for young kids. Go there without your child. Talk to the teachers, parents and children at these venues. Get a feel for what your child's life will be like as a 12 yo, 15 yo. There is a culture of piano performance. As a mother, you need to investigate that world a little before you throw your child into it.

Piano is one aspect of music, namely performance. The world of music is much more than that. Your child probably has gift for music (or aural gift/talent). Music is special because being able to play exceptionally well at this age gives them a tremendous kudos for children and can be a huge motivator or positive reinforcement. As we know as parents, carrots better than sticks. (A kid that can read adult books at age 5 does not get the same kind of kudos... I know because that was my child.) The kudos only goes so far; the kids are expected to continually improve. The world of performance piano is competitive (especially for a child) and one will be competing with others with as much talent but with perhaps more drive, ambition, perseverance, grit, right access etc. Unless your child has all of the above, he will not make a career as a soloist. One of my work partner (I am a doctor) played at the Carnegie Hall as a teenager. He is a doctor now. I have another colleague that went to a conservatory to study piano performance as an undergrad then went onto med school. They are the drop outs from piano performance world. Medical school is dotted with musical drop outs FWIW. I know a CEO of a company that study piano performance in college. I am sure you know of many in your life. Music is a great foundation to teach someone how to set goals and work hard for them. That is a wonderful skill that translates to everything else in life.

There is a receptionist at work who is a composer. She went to a music school. She often has short commissioned pieces. Clearly, she loves music and is trying to make a living with music but is not able to do it full time. She is still very much in the world of music even though she is not making much money. She is quite happy with her music. She would not have it any other way. Where as my doctor friends that dropped out of music are very happy to have dropped out... Either way, they do not 'regret' the gift of music.

What I am trying to say is that musical talent alone is not enough to determine one's future. There is so much more than that. You probably know that.

What you need to do is to raise a child and continue to hone and nurture that innate talent. He may end up using that talent to be a composer, piano tuner, professor at a music school, piano teacher, band director, sound engineer, instrument designer (you think Stradivarius did not have wonderful gift of sound) etc etc. The world of music (sound) is big and varied. Don't limit him just to piano performance. Explore and engage with all aspects of music.

As he matures, he will let you know if he has the extras that he needs to be able to take that talent further to a career in music. When the stars are aligned, everything will point to one thing; his wanting to pursue music. There will be no way to turn him away from it. So be patient and listen and pay attention. It is too soon to close other doors to him whatever they maybe.

As my father in law (a world famous physicist) says, these are 'lucky problems' to have in life. A world famous physicist means that there are only about 1000 people in the world that knows what he is talking about....

What pieces is he playing? Also, as others have said, if this teacher is capable of teaching students to international level, then grade 3-5 pieces shouldn't be a problem. In addition to this, is he sight-reading the music while playing, reading the music properly and then playing or simply playing by imitation? Because if I learnt everything by imitation I would've finished many pieces by now at a much higher standard that I actually am at.

Transferring a student after even 10 lessons seems very strange to me.

It's been a busy two weeks since my last post, but I wanted to make sure I thanked everyone for their input. As many of you suggested, my husband and I have been asking lots of questions, of our son's current teacher but even more of ourselves, while deferring any decision about transferring until the festival next month where we will meet the other teacher as well as other children and families in perhaps similar shoes.

In the meantime, the kiddo continues his love affair. He loves learning new pieces but is equally excited revisiting old ones, practicing scales and other exercises, even working on theory. Right now, he happily averages about an hour on the piano per day (anywhere between 45 and 90 minutes) playing what his teacher has assigned and then some more just noodling around. Since kindergarten is only half day in our district, he still has plenty of time for schoolwork and other extracurricular activities, at least for this year.

kaismom, I particularly appreciated your insight as a parent. My husband and I definitely want to open as many doors as possible for our little guy and then take a wait-and-see approach--I think you're right that ultimately he'll let us know which door he wants to go through...

Thanks for letting us know.

For anyone still following along, the festival went great (details in my other thread)! We were unable to meet the potential new teacher there as she could not attend my son's particular recital grouping and we could not stay for the others. As all of you already know, though, we're not in a hurry to transfer. The kiddo is so very happy with his current teacher, who has committed to at least take him through Guild Auditions in May/June. She does want him to take a couple master classes, including one over Skype with a woman named Edna Golandsky, who is the teacher in NY (or was it NJ?) she had mentioned previously and who I gather is of some renown. That, however, would likely mean I need to acquiesce to making a recording of the kid to send to her first, which I haven't yet (mostly because I'm still having a hard time believing that a child with only a few months of playing under his belt could possibly warrant such attention, and I'd feel foolish wasting anyone's time)...