You don’t have to as it’s completely up to you. We can offer in person lessons in your own home and also online lessons through video call. The latter will require you to have a good internet connection and a laptop or tablet that can connect to the internet.

If you don’t have a piano for your first lesson because you just want to try out the piano then that is perfectly fine! However, you will not make much progress if you don’t have an instrument so it’s usually advisable to have something to get you going. Don’t worry, in the early days it doesn’t need to be anything too fancy!

We do indeed however taking exams is by no means compulsory. Our teachers currently work to the ABRSM specification as these exams are considered the gold standard in musical accreditation. At the time of writing, our pass rate is 100% which many achieving merits and distinctions.

Typically anyone aged 6 and over can learn the piano although in cases of early signs of promise we will consider teaching younger children. All our teachers are DBS (CRB) certified. 

On the other end of the spectrum, Sheffield Piano Academy has an excellent track history of progress with older learners who are learning for pleasure. 

We will get you playing the piano right from the very beginning however it takes varying lengths of time to become “competent” at the piano. This depends on how much the individual practises, what genre is being learned and the rate at which the student naturally learns. 

Yes! If you would like to show off your wonderful new piano skills then Sheffield Piano Academy holds regular playing opportunities in and around the local area. These are definitely not compulsory but can be a great goal to work towards and performing does wonders for your confidence!

Almost everyone who returns to the piano after taking a break remarks how surprised they are at the speed with which they pick it back up again. We have taught students who have had gaps of over 30 years from playing the piano but after a few lessons it becomes clear that they are making much quicker progress than a true beginner. 

All our teachers can help with compositional and song writing techniques. However, it always helps to have a degree of technical ability behind the piano before attempting to compose. This helps to make the writing progress as fluent and natural as possible. 

Sheffield Piano Academy offers tuition in classical, jazz, pop and everything in between! All of our teachers have an advanced understanding of the fundamentals of music so can adapt their teaching style to any genre. And, what’s more, they can show you how to do this too! 

In some form, it is almost always necessary to learn how to read music. If you are keen on learning classical music then you will proceed on a steady, progressive programme of learning how to read and play sheet music. 

If you are more interested in pop music then you won’t have to read music to as high level as a classical musician, at least to begin with, but you will become familiar with chord symbols earlier on in your learning journey. 

Music is a language and learning a language doesn’t have to be scary at all! We take it slow and steady at Sheffield Music Academy. Whilst it may initially seem easier to learn music from online videos with colourful “guitar hero” style tutorials, you will never become faster at learning pieces this way and you will not be developing a musical vocabulary. They are too “monkey see monkey do” whereas learning to read music is a lifelong skill that, with practise, you will get better at! 

Music theory is a universal way of understanding musical concepts independent of the instrument that you are learning. The good news for pianists is that the piano is visually laid out in a very logical way that means it’s the best instrument for learning music theory on. It’s also the best instrument in general… but maybe we’re biased! 

A little and often is the best way to start. 20 minutes, 5 or 6 times a week is a great place to start. Over time, we will work on making the sessions longer once good habits have been established. The more effective hours you put in to practising your instrument the faster you will progress. No one gets good at anything if they only do it once a week!

First of all, you don’t have to buy a piano! You could also buy a keyboard or a digital piano. Prices range from £40 to tens of thousands of pounds but the most important features to get you going are weighted keys and 88 keys. 

Space, portability and noise limits to save disturbing the neighbours frequently lead people to buy digital pianos however acoustic pianos often, but not always, sound better and encourage better technique. Please get in touch if you have more questions about this but just be aware that there are reasons for and against buying any specific instrument. You have to find the right one for you. Oh, and don’t forget the second-hand market!