Questions about music theory exam, piano beginner

A typical lesson plan is to get ONE concept through during one lesson. You might be able to teach the order of sharps in 30 seconds, but it will take the entire lesson for that idea to sink in and crystallize in the student's brain. And sometimes (okay, many times) it will take several lessons for ONE idea to sink in. I used to teach much smarter kids, so I tend to rush through ideas, but having worked with REALLY slow kids, I now teach very very VERY slowly.

Some instrumental teachers try to incorporate a bit of theory into each lesson right from the start, but many teachers don't teach it at all until the grade 5 exam looms. This is sometimes because they are not confident themselves, but often it's due to time restraints. It's difficult to fit much in when lessons are so short.

"Music Theory" is a misnomer. It implies that making music is something like a theoretical science. Bottom line is you can read every work of music theory ever written but you'll still have no idea what C Major feels like to hear, which is what music is.
A way of giving instructions to an orchestra, or writing journal articles about different patterns in music. I have yet to see any evidence that music theory really contributes anything to music as an art, except that learning a lot of music theory and practicing a lot are correlated, so music theory and musical skill are correlated. Maybe it helps organise your mind. No-ones proven it.
Music theory is mostly terminological, descriptive and organisational. You spend a lot of time learning 'rules' just to hear about someone who is a genius for ignoring them all. Music theory is just way of communicating ideas about music without having to play the music.

Many piano teachers suggest that the student’s lesson length be a preliminary rule of thumb for a daily practice goal. This rule of thumb is most appropriate for the earlier levels. At more advanced levels, piano practice requirements can be much higher, depending on the student's ambitions. Other piano teachers base practice recommendations on age, on level, on motivation, or a combination of those three factors.

For four-and- five year old beginners, 10 minutes of practice time is a common recommendation, unless the child is a prodigy or unusually self-motivated. The important goal for these very young piano students is to establish practice as a routine, daily responsibility and to make it fun. If these ideas can be intertwined, the child is less likely to resist practice later, when the time requirements are greater.

For seven-to- ten year old beginners, a half an hour a day is a good starting point. More motivated and talented children may practice more, but in general, a half an hour of daily mindful practice will yield good results.

Once students reach the intermediate level, satisfying progress requires closer to 45 minutes a day, because the material is more complex and more difficult to master. Without that commitment, intermediate-level piano pieces may take weeks to learn, students may get frustrated, and forward progress will be minimal. At this stage, piano students also need to make time in their practice schedules for more technical drills, including etudes, scales, and arpeggios, which at the intermediate level might require 15 minutes or so a day.

More advanced students' progress will very much depend on their goals. With 45 minutes of daily practice, an advanced student can continue to learn new repertoire, although not at a fast rate. An hour a day will yield more satisfying results. Recreational high-school and adult pianists who have achieved an intermediate-to-advanced fluency in playing classical music, popular songs, and hymns, will find that a practice routine of 45 minutes to an hour a day is more than enough to maintain technique, learn new material, and develop skills.

More ambitious high-school students who enroll in adjudications and competitions often find themselves practicing two or more hours a day. Those planning to audition for elite musical college programs may practice three hours a day.

Advanced Piano Students and Practice

At the college performance level, where students are majoring in music and practicing to be professional musicians, many piano majors practice between three and six hours a day, depending on the school.

Pianists practicing more than two or three hours a day should divide their practice time into smaller units, perhaps an hour or two in the morning, at mid-day, and in the evening. Or they should take frequent breaks. Breaking up practice helps prevent carpal tunnel syndrome and tendinitis, which are repetitive stress injuries that can occur with over-use or incorrect technique. Discuss any cramping, stiffness, or hand tremors with a teacher, who should be able to recommend relaxation techniques and other ways of preventing the problem.

For all students, from beginners to virtuosi, it’s also important to note that a smaller amount of mindful, attentive, and creative piano practice is far more effective than many hours of repetitive, mindless drills that simply reinforce bad habits and mistakes. Small children may need parents to help them practice effectively and correctly.

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