Let your child try a real piano before you buy one

What a public piano can tell you

A child who bangs on a toy keyboard, or asks for lessons after seeing a video, may or may not stick with the piano. Buying or renting an instrument is a real commitment, in money and in living-room space. A few visits to a public piano is a cheap way to see what happens when they sit down at the real thing.

Watch for small signs rather than talent. Do they want to stay longer than you expected? Do they try to pick out a tune they know? Do they ask to go back next weekend? A child who keeps asking is telling you something. One who plays for two minutes and runs off to the fountain is telling you something too, and you found out for free.

Picking the right piano for a first try

The first visit shapes how a child feels about the instrument, so it is worth a little planning:

1. Choose indoor. Libraries and shopping centres are calmer and warmer than a square, and the piano is more likely to be in tune. Filter by Indoor, and by Free entry so you don’t end up somewhere that charges admission.
2. Check it plays. Look for a Great or Fair label and read the reviews. A piano with stuck keys is a frustrating first experience.
3. Go at a quiet time. A weekday afternoon or a weekend morning means fewer people waiting, and less pressure on a child who feels watched.
4. Use Get directions. Tap it from the piano page so you aren’t hunting around a big building with a restless child.

Making the first visit go well

Nobody needs a lesson at the first visit. Let them explore. A few simple games help a child who isn’t sure where to start:

• Find the lowest note and the highest note, and say what each one sounds like.
• Spot the pattern of black keys in twos and threes.
• Play something loud, then the same thing as quietly as possible.
• Press the right pedal, play a note, and listen to how long it rings.

If you play a little, sit next to them and play a simple tune they know. If someone is waiting for the piano, wrap up, and point out that taking turns is part of the deal.

Turn it into a weekend outing

For a lot of families, the fun is going somewhere new to play. When your child plays a piano, tap “I played this piano” to check in: the first visit to each piano gives a numbered stamp in the Piano Passport, with the city, the place and the month. Children like watching the stamp wall fill up, and it gives you an easy plan for a rainy Saturday: find a piano we haven’t played yet.

The app and the account are best kept with a parent. You can browse without signing in, and sign in later if you want the Passport saved.

When it might be time for an instrument at home

If the public-piano visits keep happening and your child starts lessons, they will need something to practise on between them. Talk to the teacher before you buy anything: they can tell you what your child needs at their stage, whether a digital piano with weighted keys will do for now, and what to look for in a second-hand piano. Until then, a nearby public piano remains a good way to keep your child playing on real keys. If you want to keep it going, our guide for students without a piano at home covers practising on a public piano week to week.