租琴室

HuiTung

What is the average cost?  Any special details that I need to pay attention to about the 琴室?  Any recommendation around Hung Hom?  

Bluestar

HuiTung

如果家中放得下，倒不如租琴。
少左時間限制。

CCheng

HuiTung,

Your boy learn piano lar ?  See if he is a beginner or not.  Estimate the no of hours he need to practice and choose the best package (around $2XX - 4XX)for him.  For new beginner, around 30 mins per day is enough (according to my B's piano teacher).  But I'm not familiar with the piano co in HH.

Btw, where's your boy learn swimming ?

Cheers

CC

HuiTung

Dear friends (BS* & CC),

Thank you for your advices.  It's a good idea to have a rented piano at home, but we need to some re-arrangement first ... hm

CC,

He has been learning the basics with a small group of children since this summer.  I'm planning to let him try private lesson after the holiday.  What grade is your boy?  Can a beginner practice 30 mins each day?  I just wonder if my kid has such patience ....

Re swimming - he is with a private coach (1:2) now in Hung Hom.  Unfortunately, we are not able to make up the time with his partner and the coach after summer holiday.  So, I'm waiting for the new YMCA's schedule ....   :cry:

Is your boy a P.1 or P.2 student?

Bluestar

HuiTung,

fi, I have been renting a brand new Ottostein OJ121 (I think that's the model no.) from TL since Aug 2005, $430per month.  With some side benefits.

If you rent from the smaller piano companies, can be even $200 p.m. with an option for purchase, but of course not new piano.

So if you have space at home (usually can MAKE space), better to rent.

At first there is no need to practise 30 mins per day.  Usually 15 min is enough but you should sit with him (陪太子彈琴) to keep him interested / correct anything wrong.  Gradually add on time for practising.
Min go over everything twice a day.

CCheng

Sorry, a bit misleading. His teacher said try to make practicing a habit just like eating and 15 mins is enough.  But if you go to a piano co, at least 30mins, so I sugguest 30mins package.

Of course, if you rent it at home, you can practice 10-15 mins.  Sometimes when my boy feel boring, I'll play some songs to him.  The key point is don't make him feel disgusting in playing piano.

My elder B is in P1.  Welcome to join the YXXX swimming club    

B*,
Wah, why don't you consider to buy a U1 for just few hundreds more ?

Bluestar

CCheng,

I don't like U1.  Prefer better piano but $$$  
Need to save up, also need to be vvv certain that piglet will cont to play before I invest in a good piano.

Also, need to wait till AFTER the estate in which I live has finished renovation works.  (discussed for 10y, not even started   )
Don't want to buy new piano then let it stand there and collect dust.

So temp arrangement for now.

And U1 is NOT few hundred more.
Buying a new U1 is $xx,xxx more.
I don't like Yamaha ga.

HuiTung

CC,

IC.  Heard that YXXX Swimming Club is not easy to get in becos of the long queue  :cry:  Hope my kid can be your son's junior ...     So Ronnie will be P.2 very soon loh wor ...  Let me 888, what is the school name?

Wow, so Ronnie has a mother-tutor lah .... I can only play 'Twinkle twinkle little star' ja ...    

HuiTung

BS,

Hm ... you've got me again ...    My fingers sometime dislike my brain ...  

What kind of estate you are living in?  If it is a private one, you have to 夾$$$ for the renovation wor .....

What's wrong with Yamaha ar    Or you prefer Kawaii?  My kid's piano teacher also uses Yamaha.  Or you like European ones?  I agree with you that we have to ensure that our kids like playing it very much.  BTW, did you train piglet on hearing?  One of my collegues told me that good hearing is definitely a plus for good piano playing.   

Bluestar

HuiTung,

Private estate, of course need to pay $$$ for renovation.  But many of the oldies living there simply don't want to pay / cannot pay, so they're trying their best to defer the issue.   
Actually quite badly in need of renovation.

Let's say that I prefer non-Asian pianos.
Of course my dream piano is Steinway (grand) la !
   But lots and lots of $$$.

No I did not train piglet in hearing.
When he started to learn to play the piano, I let him attend TL's JMC at the same time, for 32 lessons then quitted.  He didn't like having to keep the rhythm.  In all he was not too keen on JMC.

Of course good hearing is a plus.
I just told him to listen and remember each tune, then "sing" it in his mind, and match it against what he is playing.  If something goes wrong then he must have played the wrong keys.
I have met tone-deaf people, and piglet is definitely NOT tone-deaf.

CCheng

HuiTung,

Many bk buddies' kid learnt swimming there, Dandan, Bee, Piglet and your Boy in future....maybe we'll meet there one day but don't know who's who.

Nowadays YXXX is not hard to get in as few years' ago.  R joined as a nonmember until he's six.  But only a few classes you can choose (cause they'll give priority to the member).

R failed in MTC(HHM) in all round :cry: and he got in a not famous school in my district (CY catholic primary school).  I plan to try MTC again in P2.

Haha, the mother tutor can only play some grade 1 or 2's songs to arose his interest jar, can't teach much.  I'm astonished that R can play back the songs after he is familiar with them such as the farewell song of his mother kinder.

How's your boy's school life ?  I want to 88 also.  

B*,

But asian piano claimed to be more suitable for HK's weather bor.  U1 is just few hundreds more in term of pay by installment (HK$1XXX) ma.  I've thought of buying piano but the actual useable area of modern house is so low that may even can't sqeeze spaces for it.

Bluestar

CCheng,

But the sound of non-Asian pianos are definitely much better ! eg Petrof.  I prefer the tone to be a bit clearer.
Only the resale value of Petrof is less than Y or K because ppl prefer Y or K.
We have dehumidifiers ga ma.
Yxxxxx is not worth the $$ the buyer pays for !!
OIC what you mean by only a few hundred $ more.

You wanted R to be admitted to M(new) ?
But a friend whose son is P6 in Sept told me it was just so-so, unless you are in the Cream class.

TIKTIKMA

Hi Bluestar,

How long had you wait for renting a brand new Ottostein OJ121 from TL ?

Bluestar

TIKTIKMA,

No need to wait for confirming rental, about 2 weeks' wait for delivery of paino, about 1 week's wait for tuning.
There were a few (<10) brand new Ottosteins available for rent last summer.
Suggest you call any of the major branches (those with major showrooms, eg WanChai, TST), and see what they say.
I only know that it is not often that there are brand new painos for rent from TL.
One of the BKmums here also rented a brand new Ottostein but after a few months (<6m) bought another paino elsewhere, so that one is also very new.  But it's already a few months ago and that piano is likely gone.

The rental agreement for the one I got was signed in TL-WanChai, and monthly payment is by autopay from my credit card.

Last yr's offer was :
After renting for 6m, if you decide to buy a piano from TL which costs at least the same as the Ottostrin (calculated to be $19xxx at the time), you can use ALL of the rental you paid towards buying the new piano.  (The "new" piano can be the one you are already renting.)
After renting for 12m, you can use $$ equivalent to 8 or 9m's rental (forgot exactly which one) towards payment of the new piano.

Comes with a piano stool only (not adjustable height).

You also need to pay $600 for delivery (with lift, no need for going up stairs).

HuiTung

Hmm .... the TL's rental agreement seems quite attractive woh ...   

Bluestar

brand new 琴來講，算係咁啦。

HuiTung

CC,

Why you like MTC (HH) so much    It's well-resourced but I think it's just EMB's gimmick.  People said it pays more attention on ECAs rather than academics.

My mum's neighbour has 3 kids.  They all are / will be MTC students.  Their mum is from Mainland China.  I don't mean to make dicrimination, but I find their mum only confines herself in a small world.  When I told her the name of my kid's kindy, she just said, "Oh!  Then your kid will find difficulty in studying MTC ... "  For God's sake!   :evil:  .....  Well, never mind ....  

HuiTung

Bluestar,

What is a Cream class?  

Bluestar

My term for the best class.  
"Cream of the xxxxs".  

HuiTung

So do you mean the school pays more attention to the brilliant students (by putting into one class)?