Best Music Instruction: The Fine Arts Association
A community hub for all things arts, the Fine Arts Association is a playground for creativity, exploration and discovery in dance, painting, sculpture and music. Dr. Tim Minnis, a piano instructor for more than 50 years — 33 of those at the Fine Arts Association — says it’s never too early to foster a lifelong love of music. “Children are magnificent creatures. If they see you perceiving them as talented, intelligent, thoughtful, good people, they’ll work to live up to that perception, and it brings out the best that they have.”
The piano is a great place to start as it provides the foundational elements of harmony and structure. From there it’s all about teaching to the child’s skill level by ear, reading or hand:
• First let the child pick a song such as “Mary Had a Little Lamb” or “Happy Birthday” that they can learn by hearing and watching. “It’s a very exciting moment when they realize that they can do it and that they have this big instrument,” Minnis says.
• Children can learn to play by reading music and then “the whole world of music opens up and you can play any piece by any composer and any style.”
• Children can learn by matching the sound they hear by putting their fingers on the keys and finding the right places to go based on the sound. “They can reproduce the sound they get by experimenting on the keys,” Minnis says.
38660 Mentor Ave., Willoughby, 440-951-7500, fineartsassociation.org
