At this time, we offer piano lessons in student homes or online. Whether you live in Alamo Heights, Southtown, or Converse, get in touch to see if we are within a reasonable driving distance of your home. Our online piano lessons are taught by expert instructors in a one-on-one setting, so you are getting the same level of teaching as you would in a studio.
Please let us know when you are ready for a trial lesson – we look forward to hearing from you.
Benefits of Taking Piano Lessons in San Antonio
Mastering the Piano Builds Confidence in All Areas of Life
Learning how to play the piano does make people happier, but did you know that this phenomenon has been clinically studied [1]? Research shows that becoming competent in a hobby leads to a significantly happier life, and the piano is a great example. One argument for the piano is that it’s an inherently challenging instrument to play. It takes time, dedication, and consistent practice to play advanced music. After a year or two of lessons, you will be shocked at what you can perform – this will increase your sense of efficacy, and you will start to realize that if you can play advanced piano music, you can probably be successful in every other area of life as well.
Furthermore, people always view pianists (whether professional or amateur) as “interesting.” Colleagues, friends, relatives, and others will be pleasantly surprised to learn that you can play the piano. There are very few people alive who would not receive a shot of confidence by becoming more intelligent or interesting in another’s eyes.
The Piano is Relaxing – But Not How You Think
Adults will often enroll in piano lessons with visions of quiet evenings at home, sight reading opera scores, and enjoying a beverage. Unfortunately, it takes 3-4 years of practice to reach this level of pianistic “relaxation.”
However, practicing piano is a fascinating activity in that it arrests your whole attention. You will be mentally tired after a practice session, but you will feel recharged because of the following:
- You will have accomplished something in your practice session
- You will have moved towards a tangible goal
- Your mind will have been too busy to think about work, stress, relationships, taxes, etc.
The piano’s ability to clear your mind, simply because practicing the instrument requires so much focus, will do wonders for your mental health. It’s akin to meditation, only with a more tangible goal.
Musicians Have Increased Social Reach
Once you become a musician, you will be able to enter new social circles, intelligently discuss popular and classical music, and be able to pursue new activities (chamber music, recitals, jam sessions, etc.) with people you would have not had anything in common with previously. Whether you network with other pianists within the Kosah Music Academy family or other San Antonio-based music societies, you can certainly make friends.
Appreciate the Arts More Deeply
It can be hard to enjoy the symphony, an opera, or even rock music when you have no idea what is happening. Here are just a few things you can start to appreciate after taking piano lessons:
- The complexity of certain tunes vs. the simplicity of others
- Chord progressions, key changes, and voicing in ensemble music
- The level of difficulty or simplicity in commonly recognized pop tunes (and the related level of genius)
- The virtuosity of professional pianists like Yuja Wang, Daniel Barenboim, Martha Argerich and others.
Whether you like to hang out at Jazz, TX or San Antonio Philharmonic concerts, you will have a clearer understanding of what is happening.
Master the Art of Note Reading
The piano demands more note reading prowess than perhaps any other instrument except the organ. You must read notes in the treble and bass clefs, play with both hands simultaneously, and read up to 10 notes at the same time in a single chord. It’s hard to do, but you will become an expert at reading musical notation. That makes it easier for singers, violinists, brass players, and more to excel in their field, and sight reading on any other instrument becomes easy.
Learning the Piano Teaches Discipline and the Power of Practice
Children often don’t appreciate the benefits of piano lessons, and we don’t blame them. But the skills they learn will help them be more successful in life. Take the principle of daily measured practice, for instance. After a few years of practice, they will realize that they learned one of the world’s most challenging instruments by practicing 20, 30, or 40 minutes per day. This can be applied to career aspirations, side businesses, exercise, and much more.
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2863117/