Quick Links:
- What kind of instrument should I purchase to get started?
- How should I be involved in my child’s piano studies?
- Where do lessons take place?
- Where should I park?
- What is the attendance policy?
- What is the refund policy?
- Whom should I contact with further questions?
What kind of instrument should I purchase to get started?
While an acoustic upright or grand piano is the preferred instrument for intermediate and advanced students, a digital keyboard is perfectly fine for a beginning student. Brand doesn’t matter too much (although brands like Yamaha, Roland, and Casio are usually reliable), but what is important is that the keyboard have enough keys (at least 61, preferably 88), and that the keys are described as “weighted,” so that they mimic the feel of an acoustic piano. If you find a used one, be sure to test it to make sure all the keys work!
Some options are:
- Alesis Recital 61 with Sustain Pedal (61 keys, $224): https://www.amazon.com/
Alesis-Recital-61-Electric- Built/dp/B082F1T9WN/ - Yamaha NP12 61-Key Lightweight Portable Keyboard, Black with AC Power Adaptor (61 keys, $235): https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-Lightweight-Portable-Keyboard-separately/dp/B07GB8MV13
- Alesis Recital Piano with Sustain Pedal (88 keys, $244.99): https://www.amazon.
com/Alesis-Recital-Full-Size- Semi-Weighted-Exclusive/dp/ B07ML48JTZ/ - Casio CDP-S150 88-Key Digital Piano + Pedal ($504): https://www.amazon.
com/Casio-88-Key-Digital- Pianos-CDP-S150/dp/B09NVR3ND9/ - Yamaha P45 88-Key Weighted Digital Piano ($549.99 – this is a quality longer-term option!): https://www.amazon.
com/Yamaha-88-Key-Weighted- Digital-P45B/dp/B00UJ9LNDK/
How should I be involved in my child’s piano studies?
Parents should make every effort to attend the lessons of young children and beginners. Parental attendance at lessons is important for more than safety/security reasons. A supportive parent who is actively involved in their child’s music studies – whether they play the piano themselves or not – makes a huge difference in the child’s ability to practice effectively and improve steadily. Young students whose parents attend lessons, take notes, and supervise home practice, generally progress about 30% faster than kids who must “go at it alone”.
Where do lessons take place?
We are currently offering both online formats and in-person teaching at the Jacobs School of Music. Click here for a map of the Jacobs School of Music buildings.
Where should I park?
Click here to learn about free parking at IU.
Free street parking is also available in the residential areas around the Jacobs School of Music, after 5pm on weekdays, and all day on weekends.
Parents of students in pre-college programs may also buy a permit that allows them to park on weekdays after 5:00pm in any non-24 hour EM-P or EM-S space for a very reasonable cost. (Click here to view the rate: it’s $52 a semester as of Summer 2022.) For information, please call (812) 855-9849 or (317) 274-PARK.
What is the attendance policy?
Regular attendance at lessons is a crucial factor in each student’s progress. Students are charged for the full semester of lessons or classes for which they register; tuition for lessons missed due to student absence will not be refunded. It is in the student’s interest to attend all lessons, and to arrive promptly at their scheduled lesson or class time. Instruction time lost due to student tardiness is forfeited, and will not be made up unless there are extenuating circumstances (e.g. a family emergency).
As a courtesy, parents should notify the student’s teacher directly of any impending absence as far in advance as possible – but in any case, no less than 24 hours in advance of the lesson. Lessons missed by the teacher will be rescheduled at a mutually convenient time or will be taught by a substitute. Students who must miss due to an unavoidable conflict with an official school, church, or Jacobs School event are encouraged to trade lesson times with a studio-mate. Under certain circumstances, most instructors will offer to make up a very limited number of lessons missed by the student, but they are not obligated to do so.
Sharing one’s love of music with others in public and casual performances is an integral part of piano study. Students are expected to play each Fall and Spring in one of the Young Pianists’ end-of-semester recitals (if recitals are held). Any request for an exemption from Fall or Spring recital attendance must be approved well in advance by the student’s teacher and the Director. Parents should take careful note of recital dates, which are typically posted early in the semester on the Young Pianists’ home page, before making travel plans or family/social commitments. Students work very hard preparing their recital pieces; most look forward eagerly to performing in recital and are deeply disappointed if circumstances intervene to make that impossible.
What is the refund policy?
You can find the Refund Policy here.
Whom should I contact with further questions?
For information regarding applications, fees, financial aid, and any other administrative issues, please contact the Jacobs Academy Office:
Email: musicsp@indiana.edu
Phone: (812) 855-6025
For questions about the Young Pianists Program, lesson scheduling, or merit awards, please contact the director, Dr. Elizabeth Yao at elizyao@iu.edu.