Along with the guitar, the piano is the most commonly learned musical instrument. Undoubtedly, this has to do with the instrument’s wonderful sound. However, there are other reasons as well: There is a wealth of pieces in all musical genres available for the piano, and it is a relatively easy instrument to learn, allowing even beginners to achieve early success and perform simple pieces beautifully. But what is most important in piano lessons, and how do we approach teaching at our school? Here, we’ll give you a brief insight into the philosophy of our piano school.
Source: VdM – Statistical Yearbook of Music Schools in Germany 2017 (figures taken from the yearbook have been rounded)
"Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel " is an art song by Franz Schubert from 1814. It is based on a scene from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's tragedy *Faust I*.
After all, music is ultimately nothing more than a language. You have to learn to understand it in order to appreciate its beauty. Discovering this beauty while learning to play the piano often brings so much joy that playing the piano becomes much easier. That is our goal!
Our lessons are designed to give our students the best foundation for rapid progress in piano playing. That is why we focus on classical and jazz music. These genres are the best way to develop an understanding of musical structures and musical expression, which will later enable students to learn any piano piece on their own.
At Klavierstunde München, we offer both classical and jazz piano lessons. The majority of our students choose classical piano lessons. But what exactly does that mean? What’s the concept behind it? Here, we’ll explain our formula for your success at the piano.
Our students learn to play the piano using classical music pieces—that is, pieces from the rich and diverse tradition of Western art music. But why this focus? Why not choose pop songs as an introduction to learning to play the piano?
The reason is pedagogical. Anyone who wants to play the piano confidently and independently in the future needs a solid foundation in various techniques. These are best learned through classical music pieces. This is primarily because these pieces are musically more complex. That is why they are ideal for becoming familiar with various techniques—including more complex ones—and musical structures.
This is how a well-rounded musical proficiency develops—one that is so important for playing independently later on. And that also means: Anyone who learns to play the piano using classical music can go on to play any other genre as well!
Of course, we’re always open to our students’ wishes and interests. We don’t want to “lock anyone into” classical music if the student’s musical journey is headed in a completely different direction. That’s why other genres can be incorporated into piano lessons at any time, if the student wishes.
But what do we mean when we talk about “holistic musical competence”? Quite simply: Playing the piano is more than just pressing the right keys at the right time. Many different factors come together to make a piece of music played on the piano sound beautiful and move us.
That is why our students learn all the elements that are important for playing the piano well. Our piano lessons are based on five pillars:
• Technique: Introduction to increasingly complex playing techniques
• Musical Expression: The Interpretation of a Piece
• Aural training: Training the perception of music
• Basic knowledge of harmony: A practical, elementary understanding of the fundamentals of music theory
• Music Education: Exploring different musical styles and eras
Playing technique is the foundation of piano playing. The more a student develops technically, the more opportunities they have to express themselves musically.
In a world where people strive for ever greater technical perfection—including in music—it is all too easy to lose sight of what makes music so valuable to us: musical expression, its “soul.”
We believe that technique should not be an end in itself. In our approach, it is always merely a means to achieve musical expression.
Musical expression means interpreting a piece. But interpretation is more than just creating something “of one’s own.” Interpretation is also referred to as “hermeneutics.” The word shares the same root as Hermes, the Greek messenger of the gods—so it’s about conveying messages.
For us, this means that we must analyze the musical score and discern the composer’s intention from it. We must then translate that intention into our own interpretive expression.
A good ear is, of course, the be-all and end-all of music. By “ear training,” however, we don’t mean just the purely technical aspect—such as identifying a specific interval. We also mean that one’s perception of music must be cultivated.
Above all, this means listening to a lot of music. Over time, this will develop an awareness of different interpretations, which in turn will help students in their own musical expression. This must necessarily take place outside of class as well. That is why we encourage all our students to listen to a lot of music and attend concerts in order to train their ears in as many different ways as possible.
Of course, playing the piano also requires an understanding of music theory and learning to read sheet music. We integrate these theoretical concepts naturally into our piano lessons, and they arise in a practical way as students work on a piece of music. Theory is therefore taught only to the extent that it is necessary for the student’s current level of playing.
We teach children how to read music in a playful way, for example, by using funny animals as musical notes. So don't worry: there's no boring theory cramming here!
Music is a cultural phenomenon. It never arises in isolation from the rest of a culture. As we have already noted, interpreting musical works also means understanding the composer’s intention. To do so, it is important to understand the sociocultural context in which a piece was composed.
Why was a piece composed, and for whom? Why is Italian considered the “language of music,” and what does that mean for the development of music? To what extent does mathematics play an important role in Bach’s works, and how did that come about? All of these are questions that are central to successful musical expression in piano performance.
We incorporate this knowledge into our lessons whenever possible. At the same time, we want to encourage our students to explore these fascinating questions outside of class as well and to continue developing their musical skills.
Of course! Jazz is a musical genre that relies heavily on improvisation. It’s no problem for beginners to learn their first simple patterns and gradually expand both the complexity of their playing and their understanding of musical structures—just like in classical piano lessons.
However, basic piano technique, reading music, ear training, and the fundamentals of harmony are also necessary for learning jazz piano, as they provide a solid foundation for further development in the direction of jazz piano playing. For this reason, the early stages of classical piano lessons and jazz piano lessons are similar. In jazz lessons, however, the repertoire can include more “jazzy” pieces from an early stage. Initial improvisation exercises are also integrated into the lessons at an early stage.
- Children ages 4 and up Teens Adults Beginners Intermediate Talented students Curious Parents Music lovers Friends Those Returning to Music Seniors Young and old Curious minds
We can answer this question very simply: Anyone.
Of course, fostering talent is an important aspect of our educational work. Identifying and nurturing young talent early on is a priority for us. That is why we hold regular student concerts to encourage performance experience. In addition, we prepare musically gifted students for competitions or entrance exams at music colleges through piano lessons.
However, that doesn’t mean we want to support only a small elite group of “gifted” pianists. On the contrary: We believe that, regardless of age or talent, anyone can learn to play this beautiful instrument, and that learning to play an instrument is an enriching experience for everyone. Scientific studies show that music in any form promotes health, helps you relax, and can even make you smarter. We believe that everyone should truly have the opportunity to experience this.
That's why we're looking forward to meeting you, and we warmly invite you—or your child—to a trial class with us!
The trial lesson is free of charge.
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