Gen Leung Piano Studio

Does my child need a piano to learn? They're just beginners!

This is an easy question, with a not so easy answer. The simplest form is yes. 

Keyboards may look very similar to pianos with their keys, but that's about it for similarities. A piano has a richness that a keyboard will never have. Keyboards are just mechanical substitutes. I've seen students go from a keyboard to a piano and within weeks they flourish! I've also seen the opposite where students do not have pianos and practice on keyboards at home, and they are stagnant for months, even years; never progressing at their piano peers counterparts. 

Once a student starts piano lessons, their hands and bodies are adjusting a new way of positioning themselves. With a piano, you can be sure they are strengthening their muscles correctly and quickly. With a keyboard (even weighted keyboards) you cannot guarantee that the correct muscles are being used. 

Why does my child need a lesson every week?

Weekly lessons ensure that the student is able to reinforce techniques learned, as well as get a chance for clarifications. If a student and their parents insist on lessons every fortnight, the progress is stalled and things could be forgotten or even practice incorrectly. Also it allows students to learn new skills to work on at home for the week. 

What is the best way to pay for lessons?

I accept cheques and cash. Cheques must be postdated for the months of September to May. June is left for make-up classes in case classes have been missed throughout the year. 

My child is five minutes late. Can I make up that time?

No sorry. If every one of my students came five minutes late, and I gave everyone an extra five minutes, one poor student could be waiting up to twenty minutes before starting their lesson. Missed time is not made up. On the contrary, a student who is five minutes early, must wait their turn and please not interrupt another student's lesson. 

Do you offer a tax receipt?

Weekly music lessons do not in any way fall under this category.

Certain tuition costs for the education of a student may be tax deductible, but only if the institution has
been certified by Human Resources and Social Development Canada as an educational institution in
which a student may undertake studies in order to further his or her career.  Examples of such are
post-secondary institutions such as universities, colleges and trade schools.  Even in the case of
tuition fees that are eligible for tax deductions, the deductions could only be made by the student taking
the course, even though someone else may be paying the fees.

Recent federal budgets have allowed for the deduction of fees for sports activities for your children in
order to encourage an active lifestyle.  It is uncertain if upcoming federal budgets will allow for tax
deductions for music lessons, but up until now, such deductions are unfortunately non-existent.  For
more information, call the CRA at 1-800-959-8281 or visit their website at www.cra-arc.gc.ca.

How old should my child be before starting lessons?

There's no one answer to this. I'm a big believer in every child's potential and I know that children are very capable of learning many new skills. My youngest student to date has been a young three year old.

I generally tell parents that if their child is able to spell their own name, know the alphabet, are potty-trained, they will be able to do a half hour lesson.

I run my program making sure that students never sit any longer than 10 seconds with nothing to do. I also ensure that students have something different to do frequently during the lessons, instead of just working on songs.

Can you come to my home to teach?

No, I do not teach away from my studio. All my teaching supplies are in my studio, so that if a student needs a specific book, I know I have access to it. Furthermore, with the way my schedule is, I do not have the time to travel back and forth to teach students.