David Holland Piano 

What is the best age to start lessons?

It is best to start as a child. I prefer that children be at lest age five. Early habits last a lifetime. Better they be good ones.

How much should my child practice?

There is no set amount of time because of the many variables. Quality is always better than quantity. The law of diminishing returns also plays a role when the brain is fatigued. The most important consideration is to not practice bad habits.

What is practicing?

Good question. Beyond teaching the basics, my lessons are essentially collaborative. This means I work with what the student brings in terms of ability and goals.  At the start of lessons practicing should reproduce as much as possible what took place at the lesson. This type of learning is not linear. The process itself must be repeated often for progress to occur.

Why do we practice?

We practice so that we may share our music making with others. By taking lessons and practicing we learn how to communicate our musicality in ways that others can understand and enjoy.

What about recitals?

As a member of MMTF my students have the opportunity to perform on recitals held weekly throughout the school year. The venues are the MacPhail building, downtown Minneapolis, as well as Schmitts in Edina and Brooklyn Center and area churches.

Does music make you smarter?

Yes and No. Many claims have been made about this but the truth is that your benefit from studying music is proprtional to the effort and committment you are willing to make.

The success of a collaborative situation, such as private instruction, depends equally on both the student and the teacher. If each contributes 50% a 100% result can be acheived.

What will my child learn?

All beginners are taught a body of knowledge that breaks down into three areas: reading, technique, and interpretation. This is taylored to the needs and abilities of the individual students.

My approach is to integrate the content rather than to separate it into subjects to be systematically studied. Understanding of structure, for example, should come from a feeling for the music.

What is reading?

This is not easy to answer because reading is so much more than learning to name the notes. It also includes the apprehension of music's formal structures at all levels, as well as a working knowledge of good style, harmony, and voice leading.

What is technique?

Anything done with the body. 

What is interpretation?

Interpretation results when you combine reading with technique and add a bit of creativity and common sense.

What about injuries?

The most common piano related injuries are tendonitis and carpel tunnel. These afflict mainly adults. The technique I teach seeks to avoid the types of habits that can lead to these conditions later in life.

What does branding mean for piano lessons?

The most well known brands are Traditional, Suzuki, Jazz and Popular, Russian School, and Competition Training.

My own brand teaches good learning habits along with safe and effective practice habits. It also emphasizes the unity of Technique and Interpretation. This is universally applicable to those with the highest aspirations as well as the casual player.

Still have questions?

Please contact me at (952) 938-0448 or dhollandpiano@gmail.com.