There are numerous studies that show the many benefits of music – physical benefits, academic benefits, emotional benefits, etc. Listening, learning, or playing it’s good for you, for your growing children. Living rurally it isn’t easy to get to lessons or have a teacher come here. Not to mention the expense for many children. When we learned of HomeSchoolPiano it seemed a perfect fit for our needs. We were quite excited to have the opportunity to review HomeSchoolPiano – Complete Set of Books.
The first thing that I was excited about upon gaining access to our subscription — it’s for life! With a subscription ($299 single payment = Success Package or 3 monthly payments of $99.97 = Payment Plan), you will have lifetime access to all the levels for five students. There are three levels (books) of lessons with an additional Core level for learning/reviewing some basics. Each student has their own sign-in (and you can have multiple students signed-in on their own devices at the same time) that keeps track of where they are in their lessons. I love this! There are also quizzes so you can tell how well they are learning. The 3 levels encompass all stages of learners – Beginners, Building a Foundation (those with some training) and Unlocking the Pianist Within (creating music and learning a variety of musical styles).
Book 1 is for beginners and where some of us have started. Yes, us. I’m using the lessons as well as four of my children. HomeSchoolPiano is great for piano lessons all ages and abilities – my four year old is mildly interested (more so in the noise making aspect) and the six year old is learning alongside me. The older children – 8, 10, 11 and 13 are working (almost) independently. We only have one keyboard, so that is our biggest challenge – sharing it. The children that are brand-new to learning piano are spending time on the Core lessons. There are 33 of these that take you step-by-step through some of the very basics (finger numbers, how to sit at the piano, etc.). You can move around within the lessons – like jumping back to the Core to review something unfamiliar encountered in Book 1.
We can use any of the desktop computers or the iPad. I’ve gone through and downloaded the entire Book pdf file and the Jam Tracks (zip file of mp3s) for the levels we are working in. I’ve only printed a few pages at a time, but ultimately plan to have each book spiral bound with sturdy covers for longevity. We can place both the book and the iPad on the stand and do a lesson or practice just about anywhere. During our cooler-than-usual summer, we’ve been outdoors a lot. Plug the keyboard in, stick close enough for wi-fi and they can play to their heart’s content. And they do. I love the portability – they could sign-in and practice wherever they, a keyboard and wifi are.
Previous attempts at piano learning were met with frequent reminders to practice. Not so with HomeSchoolPiano. I think it is largely due to the inclusion of improvisation for even the beginners. Willie Myette, the instructor and creator, teaches with an unique approach. There are 6 steps taught in a cycle.
Technique
Rhythm
Ear Training
Reading Music
Song
Improvisation
From the very beginning, learners are encouraged to experiment and play around. A sound foundation is certainly being taught, but it doesn’t have to be all scales and boring practice. My children are asking to do lessons and be given time to play (in every sense of the word). I think this is one program we’ll be sticking with. HomeSchoolPiano is the solution for our homeschool piano lesson needs. There are free lessons you can try to see if you think this would be a good fit for your family.
