Learning Piano the Homeschool Way: Notes from a Beginner (Part 1)

For years, I’ve been part of the homeschool community. My kids are grown now, but learning at home is still something I care deeply about. As a lifetime learner, I feel that my homeschooling journey will never truly be over! In fact, a bit over a year ago, I decided to finally pursue a lifelong dream of learning piano, something I’ve always wanted to do but thought was totally out of reach, especially at my age! Spoiler alert: It wasn’t!

I’m going to write a series of posts sharing what worked for me as a complete beginner, how I learned without traditional and expensive lessons, and why learning piano is beneficial at any age, whether you are learning yourself or encouraging your children to learn at home.

I did the research, tested different approaches, and put in the time so you don’t have to start from scratch or guess what might work!

In this series, I’ll share the three apps and lesson platforms that helped me progress from complete beginner to a late beginner / very early intermediate level in roughly 300 hours of learning. That time includes watching lesson videos and doing worksheets, not just playing! I’ll take an in-depth look at each platform and also share additional resources that supported my learning along the way.

Along the way, my 71-year-old mom joined me in learning, as did my daughter Hannah, and soon my 4-year-old homeschooling grandson will be joining us too. Because of that, my posts will reflect a range of experiences across different ages and learning styles, and I will be sharing some of their thoughts too. It’s been SO much fun learning together! I highly recommend it, if possible! Recruit or join your kids, see if Grandma is interested in learning, reach out to cousins and homeschool friends! One of the apps I’ll be reviewing has a family plan, so up to 5 people can learn on one subscription. Another offers a discount!

When I first began researching piano learning apps, nearly all the reviews I found were written by experienced musicians and teachers. Their insights were helpful, but in my opinion, they didn’t reflect what it feels like to be a true beginner starting from zero. Hopefully, my post series will help you see the approach I took WORKS, and not because I’m a professional sharing a review, but because I really knew almost nothing and learned to read music and play the piano!

I’m sooo excited to share what I’ve found and what the experience has been like for me!

Why learn to play piano?

Music education is one of those things homeschool families value deeply but often feel unqualified to teach. I’ve seen that again and again over the years. It feels like something that requires a teacher, a background, or tons of money.

I think that almost everyone has heard of research showing that playing piano (or a musical instrument) is beneficial for children. It’s one of the reasons why I had one of my kids take lessons years ago in our homeschool. As he filled the house with beautiful music, I could see some of the direct benefits spill over into his other learning.

• Studies show children who receive musical training, including piano, often have improved verbal memory, language skills, and executive function compared with peers without training. These skills support reading, focus, and problem-solving.
• Piano lessons have been linked to better performance on spatial reasoning and math-related tasks, and in some long-term studies, higher IQ scores compared to children without music training.
• It engages both hemispheres of the brain and helps improve memory.
• Music training can also foster emotional expression/intelligence, confidence, and discipline, which support broader personal development.

Children aren’t the only ones to benefit! Research has also shown that learning to play an instrument can have significant benefits for older adults too!

• It has been shown to improve brain function, enhance memory, and reduce depression.
• The likelihood of developing dementia or cognitive impairment is reportedly lowered.
• Functional MRI has shown that musical training preserved the integrity of auditory and motor brain networks in older adults.
• It helps build cognitive reserve (the brain’s ability to cope with damage and decline) and may possibly help to keep your brain structurally intact.
• It has been shown to lower stress.
• Playing piano can help maintain joint mobility and health. I can speak from experience! I have an autoimmune condition that attacks my joints. Playing piano helps keep my hands more mobile and pain-free. Yes, there are days I can’t play when I’m in a flare, but overall, my hands have definitely benefited!

OK, so it’s good for people to play, but maybe you are thinking: I can’t afford lessons. I don’t know if my kid would enjoy learning to play piano. We live in the middle of nowhere and there are no teachers. How can we do this? What about other instruments? What if it’s too hard?

Thanks to modern, at-home learning tools, I was able to begin learning piano in a way that wouldn’t have been realistic even a few years ago. Today’s apps and websites make it far easier to begin and stick with learning, even if you only have 15 minutes a day and a budget of about $20 a month for a single app, or as little as $11 a month with an annual plan. Hint: You can save even more during Black Friday sales. I know we’re past that at the time of this post, but it’s worth keeping in mind for the future, especially if you and/or your child tries one or more of the apps/programs I will be reviewing and decide you want to continue learning.

I personally think piano is the easiest to start with if you can’t (or don’t want to) employ a teacher. In my opinion, there are more apps and online resources available for piano vs. other instruments. For example, a friend of mine is learning to play the flute. She has to have a teacher because there are no “learn to play flute” apps out there like there are for piano (at least none that I’m aware of). You may also be able to apply the general principles of playing the piano to many other instruments if you or your child wishes to branch out in the future.

If you’re not sure whether piano is right for you and/or your child, the apps and programs I’m going to share can be a great starting point. Their game-like design and/or easy structure makes learning enjoyable and accessible, allowing both kids and adults to explore piano in a low-pressure way and see if their interest lasts, without requiring a major upfront commitment.

Why I’m sharing this now:

Because I know how many families wonder if piano can really be learned at home.
Because I know how many parents feel underqualified.
Because I know how discouraging it can be to choose tools without real, lived experience behind the recommendations.
Because there are SO many benefits to a music education!
Because I’m truly amazed at how I’ve come in about 300 hours of learning and want to shout to the rooftops that YES! You or your child can do this, too!!

Over the past year or so, I used, paid for, and learned from three different piano learning platforms to understand their strengths and weaknesses from a beginner’s perspective.

I’ll talk about what I liked, what I didn’t, who I think each program is best suited for, and what I would choose if I were starting over or could only pick a single program to learn from.

I’m not an expert pianist.
I’m not someone selling a method.
I’m just someone who chose to start as a beginner and learn piano from scratch! 😊I love it so much that I want to share it with everyone else, LOL! 💕❤️

Disclosure

I paid for Simply Piano (the family plan), Hoffman Academy, and Piano Marvel out of my own pocket for the last year or so (a little more or less depending on the program). I’ve recently chosen to become an affiliate for all three, and money earned from this series of posts will be put back toward more lessons for me and my family. 😉 These posts are based on my personal experience using each program, and I’ll share my personal thoughts about their strengths and limitations with complete honesty! I’ll be sharing my mom and daughter’s thoughts about the apps they’ve used as well.

So, now that I’ve established why learning piano is worth considering, and that it really can be done at home, the next natural question is:

What do you actually need to get started?

Let me break it down for you!

1. A Piano or Keyboard (Um yeah, this is kind of important, LOL!)

You do not need a big bulky piano that takes up a ton of space and requires expensive tuning.

You do need an instrument that allows you to build proper technique.

We had a real piano when my kiddo was learning to play, but I currently have and prefer a touch sensitive weighted electronic keyboard (digital piano) for several reasons:

• It’s portable and easy to move around.
• You don’t have to worry about tuning it!
• Today’s digital pianos offer great sound, with many modeled or sampled from real grand pianos.

This is the digital piano I have (which is pictured at the top of this post): A Yamaha P71 with a Liquid Stands keyboard stand in a bright pretty blue to match my office décor. 😉

My mom got a Roland like this one. I think her keyboard keys feel the best and the most realistic, but I like the sound and touch responsiveness of my keyboard just a smidge better.

My daughter Hannah has one that was gifted to her husband years ago. Here’s a pic:

Note: She used to play that adorable little violin on the wall when she was 5!

There are often TONS of keyboards for sale in the used market. Check out Craigslist, eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and other similar sources to see what you can find for a fraction of a new price!

What to Look For

• Full-size keys (88 keys preferred) – Don’t skimp on the amount of keys by getting a shorter keyboard! In my opinion, you’ll just shortchange yourself when it comes to playing songs past the beginning level. 88 keys is the standard “real piano” key count.
• Touch-sensitive and weighted keys – This is important for developing finger strength and control and for mimicking the feel, sound, and operation of a real piano as much as possible.

• A tablet, phone, or computer – You need something to load the apps onto to view the lessons and music. I think bigger is better in this case. I have a 12.9-inch iPad. My mom has a smaller iPad (and wishes she had the bigger screen size to read music from). My daughter uses her phone. Some of the apps allow you to learn from a desktop computer and monitor. I’ll share which ones require what in my in-depth reviews.
  
  The following is a screenshot of my iPad screen showing a song in Piano Marvel:

2. A Way to Learn (Apps vs. Traditional Lessons)

Once you have an instrument, the next piece is instruction.

• Traditional lessons are wonderful, but not always realistic. (Keep in mind though, that everyone is different, and what works for some may not be the best option for all.)
  
  Apps and online lesson platforms allow for:
  • Built-in structure
  • Immediate feedback (for some of them)
  • Flexible scheduling
  • A frugal price tag
  • Fun!!!

In the next posts, I’ll go in depth about the three programs that worked best for me as a true beginner (and share what my mom and daughter like/have used as well from the list below). I’ll be covering:

• Simply Piano
• Hoffman Academy
• Piano Marvel

3. Time: How Much Is Enough?

One of the most surprising things I learned is how little time is actually required.

• Even with just 10-15 minutes a day I can make progress, although I sometimes get carried away and the next thing I know nearly 2 hours have flown by! 🤣
• I’ve had times where I wasn’t able or up to practicing for large chunks of time, but I’ve still made great progress!

4. Helpful Extras

• A printer for some of the app or program method books and worksheets (if the lessons you choose offer this)
• A journal or composition book to keep track of what you learn/practice. I keep track of every practice session, the time I spent, and what I worked on (generally). I like looking back to see how far I’ve come and the total amount of time I’ve spent learning!

5. What You Don’t Need

• You don’t need to read music already.
• You don’t need a musical background.
• You don’t need to be young. My mom is 71 and she is doing GREAT as a piano student who is also learning from scratch!

If learning piano has been something you’ve wanted, for yourself or your children, this may be your sign that it’s not too late, not too hard, and not out of reach.

In the next post, I’ll start breaking down the first program I used and explain exactly how it works in detail!

I hope you’ll join me for the rest of this series! At the end of the series, I’ll include a handy chart for easy reference to compare the 3 programs. Feel free to leave a comment with any questions or let me know what topics you’d like me to explore in my upcoming posts about learning the piano!