Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Hello Everyone! I'm a 44 year old piano newbie...with a ???

Well, I bought a piano today, which will be delivered by surprise to my family on Christmas Eve. The boys will begin lessons soon, which is also a surprise. But this is a two-way gift to be sure. I am also going to learn. So greetings to everyone on the forum. May we become long time friends

For those of you who've had a piano for a long time, what positive effects has it had on your family (aside from the academic ones). I am referring to the intangibles (and maybe tangible) ones which result from the family getting together to sit around the piano while it is played etc...

p.s. As far as my name goes, Hey, I can dream can't I??

"which result from the family getting together to sit around the piano while it is played etc."

Well, unless someone is already accomplished, this isn't going to happen for quite a long time. I think after the first month or so, everybody will have tuned out the piano from conscious thought. Completely normal and self-preservation at work. If we "listened" to scales being done over and over by someone else, we'd go nuts!

Hi mozartman, welcome to the forum! And congratulations on your new piano! What did you end up getting? And we will want you to post pictures of it on the piano forum after it's delivered. Whether you keep a copy in your wallet along with pics of your kids is optional.

I bought my piano for entirely selfish reasons; I had always wanted to play and finally realized that "someday I want to play the piano" wasn't going to happen unless I made it happen. So I wasn't really expecting or hoping for any salutary effects on the family. Perhaps because my expectations were low, I have found myself enormously gratified by how my family has reacted. At least once or twice a week when I am playing my husband will leave what he's doing to come listen to me. The kids often follow. They know my repertoire and even my 6-year-old will ask me to play certain pieces that he likes. He prefers fast, upbeat songs the most and will dance in the living room while I play. It has helped me hone my concentration, as it can be difficult to play with a 6 year old running around in circles humming loudly right behind the piano bench!

I think also that it has made my children more aware of and appreciative of music in general. Of course, that could be because I am talking about music more and point things out when I see somebody else play etc.

Hi Mozartman,
Welcome! How old are your boys? I have an 8 yr old and a 5 yr old. The older one is a violinist, and the younger one is itching to play something -- he's already pretty good at improvising on the piano so I think we'll start him on that in the next month or so, maybe after Christmas.

Of course, that will mean sharing my instrument!

PS you can't just say "piano" on this forum: we want brand, year, model number, finsh, and the color of your walls! (think of it as piano porn)

Hi Mozartman;

Welcome and all that crap... whad ya get??

Hello Mozartman -

I am a 48 yo mother of three - my youngest is just 5 and my oldest is 14. I've been playing for about a year, starting literally from ground zero.

I am considerably less self conscious than a lot of new pianists, and given the young age of my kids, I quickly learned a dozen very simple melodies of nursery songs, memorized them and volunteered to play at the nursery school. I had a blast, the kids are a very appreciative audience and I got over stage fright pretty quickly.

My family is Jewish, and after about 6 months, I also committed to memory a couple of simple songs that are sung on Friday nights. My family graciously puts up with this, and over time, I am improving. So I am trying to make this part of my everyday activities but it isn't exactly the family gathering around the piano to belt out a few songs.

Best of luck with your new piano

Dorrie

I'll provide a photo of the piano shortly (as we just got a digital camera too)! So as soon as it's delivered on Christmas Eve, I'll take some photos and provide the info. For now, it's a 1949 Everett Console. I went to buy another one and when I got there, this one was less expensive and based on prior faxes was twice as expensive two days before. They threw in a new lamp and free shipping, so it worked out ok for me.

Bob: I have no illusions of everyone gathering to hear me scrape my way through row row row your boat, BUT... I do have hope for the future.

My boys are 7, 9 and 10. The 9 yr old enjoys music a lot and just began singing in a choir. Our family sings hymns together at home. We go to cyberhymnal.org to get the tunes and it works quite well. My dream is that we will replace the computer with the piano. The singing together part we have down.

Thanks for the posts. Very impressive, especially the Moms! My wife, who has no clue this is coming, has a lot on her plate from the boys, so for those of you fitting piano in...well, that's something.

Hiya, Mozartman, and welcome!

My oldest daughter started 7 years ago. Second oldest daughter started 6 years ago. Son started last year.

I started with oldest daughter (45-min lesson 2x month at first, now 45-min lesson weekly.) Heck, I can even play some Mozart!

I far prefer the sound of piano music in the house rather than Playstation. Piano is just wonderful.

Stick with it, 'kay? It's hard at first, but we adults can learn just fine.

hello! mozartman! Congratz on your Piano!!!

I'm happy to share my mom's story. She bought a grand piano while I was studying in College. She thought I was going to live in Korea permanently after I graduate college. But after 5 years, I married in America and will be living in the States primarily except when I visit my Mom once a year.

So, after finding out her daughter will not be using the grand piano, this huge thing started being an gigantic obstable against her wishes to remodel her home and etc. But then, this year, she started taking Piano lessons so she could get some use out of it. My mom is 62!!! She had no musical backgrounds, she likes drawing and reading. But now, with a few months of lessons, she can read music and play basic things with two hands!!! I'm really proud of my mom.

She told me she enjoys playing it at home because nobody's there to criticize her and she can play however she wants. My Dad now compliments how more 'classier' my mom looks now, when she's playing. My mom's enjoying it fairly and thinks it will help her from possible dementia due to aging.

I'm very sure you can play Mozart some day! You're fairly young compared to my mom and your enthusiasm will prove you can do it. My mom told me, she was getting frustrated she couldn't play certain things, but then, after practicing 10 times, she COULD do it! I'm sure other pianists here will give you better advice!

Well, congratulations! and Enjoy!!!

Hi! My kids are 4 and 6 and although we don't all gather around the piano, I've noticed what an influence my playing and singing around the house has on them musically. Since they were about 2 and 4, they really sat and copied me and got out some primer books (I teach a handful of students) to "copy" mommy. It was so cute. They even liked to copy pretending they were teaching. My 6 yr. old has taken in interest in me teaching her since she was 5 but so far I just show her things hit and miss. It's pretty amazing though after I show her a tune in about 30 min. time or less, she has it memorized and can play it at memory anytime at will without even practicing regularly. She can play Wheels on the Bus and Rudolph and a few primer lesson book pieces. I'm just amazed at her speedy memory. One night I was trying to figure out some Bach and played a couple phrases for her based on an E scale and she played it and still has it memorized. My 4 yr. old since 3 likes to pretend with me that she is having a lesson although does her own thing on the keys. Anyway, I'm saying all that to say as far as family, it is such a pleasure to witness my kids take such an interest in music merely from wanting to emulate me.

My spouse listens if I ask him to be an audience. The peculiar thing is we get together with my in-laws regularly and they never ask me to play anything . . . hmmmm. My parents visit about once a year and like to listen to me play. I think it makes them feel like their investment in a piano and lessons paid off also. My mom can't read music but somehow can play hymns out of a hymnal and I can't very well, so I choose my favorite hymns and she plays them and we take turns playing. One of my students just told me last week her mom has her put on mini-concerts just for her parents and I thought that was a neat idea.

Hope you enjoy your piano.

Congrats on the new piano and welcome to the piano forums!

My 8 y.o. is reading through this post with me. He agrees with the academic benefits of the piano.

As for family benefits, he wants me to add, it's fun just to mess around/sightread. Duets are awesome.

I'll add that so much of what we do as a family now revolves around the piano. Lessons (our teacher allows parents and siblings to sit in the rehearsal room), buying music books, buying fun music, listening to CDs, picking live shows to go listen to professionals, going to recitals and other performances, not to mention, practice time for us set up as "time-in" for us, time to give lots of encouragement and praise to the kids for their great effort, time for them to cheer the other one on, etc.

Wonderful posts. Thanks to everyone for the inspiring stories. One more day and a wake-up (we're opening presents on Saturday this year and the piano will be delivered then too.)

I've been practicing in my head and learning the notes.

My oldest son has known for two weeks and he has faithfully kept the secret. Meanwhile I'm telling everyone I run in to (i.e. the delivery man, co-workers, bus drivers it doesn't matter).

Keep the good stories coming!