Written from the POV of a piano teacher, it could have been written by any teacher dealing with parents who don’t quite understand the demanding dynamic of formal music lessons and the learning process involved in the art of music. For that matter, I often find myself advising my adult guitar students similarly.
Over time, music lessons constitute a sizable investment of time, energy and money, and I personally want to see that investment be worthwhile… otherwise, I’m just a very expensive babysitter. I particularly like the characterization in this article of frustration as “the big black beast”. Great advice from a teacher in the trenches.
Look, the truth is that your kid can’t be a black belt in karate and a ski racer and a soccer player and a pianist and an “A” student and a dancer and in the school play. Kids want to try everything, parents panic if they think they are missing the next new thing. You can go broad or you can go deep; that’s your choice. But you need to know that learning to play piano takes place in the deep end of the ocean.
via Musical Resources: The Truth About Piano Lessons.
