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Sara Mendes is a pianist and piano teacher. She studied in St. Petersburg and Switzerland, and after working in Wollerau, Sydney, and Willisau, she has now been teaching at the Lucerne City Music School for four years. She teaches children and adults and, starting in the fall semester of 2026, will introduce the new course \u201eEarly Piano\u201c together with three colleagues.<\/p>\n
For years, the piano has been the most popular instrument of all. Why do you think that is?<\/b><\/p>\n
Maybe because it goes well with so many styles of music. The piano always works. It\u2019s a very visual instrument; there are lots of great tutorials on YouTube where you can see the keys from above and learn pieces quite easily. Many children and teens do it this way, and for us educators, these are often interesting discoveries as well. And the piano is very accessible. We have a grand piano in the entryway of our home that\u2019s always open. Everyone who comes over\u2014even little kids\u2014tries out the instrument. It\u2019s very spontaneous, it happens quickly, and it\u2019s uncomplicated. And yet there are so many other great instruments out there (laughs).<\/p>\n
How did you get into playing the piano?<\/b><\/p>\n
For me, it was a bit of a coincidence. As a child, I attended a ballet school that also offered music lessons, and the ballet teacher gave me piano lessons. She had a small class, but she was very active and even sent us to competitions in Italy. When I was about 12 or 13 years old, I realized that I wanted to learn more and continue my studies\u2014that I wanted this to be my career.<\/p>\n
Have you ever gone through some kind of crisis and wished you played a different instrument?<\/b><\/p>\n
As a teenager, I wasn\u2019t so much going through an \u201cinstrument crisis\u201d as a \u201ctime crisis\u201d: I wondered if I wanted to keep devoting so much time to music. My friends were doing a lot of other things in their free time, and I practiced a lot every day. My teacher was very strict. The other things came later. I often think I should have chosen the cello instead. I feel like a melodic instrument would suit me even better. The cello is my favorite instrument after the piano\u2014or maybe they\u2019re both tied for first place.<\/p>\n
So you're going to learn to play the cello, too?<\/b><\/p>\n
No. I\u2019ve already tried it\u2014my son plays the cello, and I quickly realized how difficult it is. It\u2019s a long road to reaching a certain level; it takes time, which I don\u2019t have right now. So I guess it\u2019ll remain a dream. With the cello and many other instruments, you have such a close connection\u2014you can actually hug it. You can\u2019t do that with the piano. The relationship with the instrument\u2014that physical closeness\u2014has to come from the imagination. That\u2019s why I\u2019m a little jealous of cellists (laughs).<\/p>\n
Is there anything you do with all your students in their very first piano lesson?<\/b><\/p>\n
I place a lot of importance on good finger placement on the keys. I try everything out with the students\u2014all the octaves, including the pedals. We improvise with animal sounds, play high and low notes. The children make up sounds, play only on the black keys\u2014all kinds of experiments. That way, they get a feel for the size of the instrument right from the start.<\/p>\n
How old are the students when they start, for example?<\/b><\/p>\n
There\u2019s still this idea that you shouldn\u2019t start playing the piano until third grade\u2014I don\u2019t know where that comes from. I think it\u2019s wonderful to start as early as age five. I love this work. Sure, the pace is different; you can\u2019t have the same expectations, but if you\u2019re patient, you can achieve so much through play, spark the student\u2019s imagination, and really connect with the child. In Lucerne, we\u2019re now starting early piano classes in groups for five- to seven-year-olds. I really like this teaching format\u2014it creates a different dynamic. As a piano teacher, I usually spend a lot of time sitting at the piano, but in a group there\u2019s a lot of variety\u2014you stand up, you dance\u2014it\u2019s very playful. The idea is for the children to have a positive introduction to music and to be able to play together with others.<\/p>\n
How many of your students have a real piano at home?<\/b><\/p>\n
About half. I always recommend acoustic instruments, but I also understand that this isn\u2019t possible for every family. However, it\u2019s important to know that a piano doesn\u2019t have to be expensive. There are so many good instruments on Ricardo that are practically being given away. And it\u2019s enough to have the piano tuned once a year. But ultimately, of course, it\u2019s up to the family to decide what\u2019s feasible.<\/p>\n
What has been your experience\u2014on average, how many years do the children attend classes? Is there a critical phase?<\/b><\/p>\n
As teenagers, they often realize that they\u2019re interested in other things as well and want to hang out with friends. When they start high school or begin an apprenticeship, they often participate less. In elementary school, however, it\u2019s rather rare for them to drop out.<\/p>\n
How much should piano students practice, roughly?<\/b><\/p>\n
I always say: play five times a week, including piano lessons\u2014that means four times at home. That\u2019s how I do it with my kids, too, both of whom are learning an instrument. A large part of the responsibility falls on us, the parents: we have to create the structure for it. They need help organizing it, at least during elementary school. After all, we remind them to brush their teeth and take a shower, too. At the City of Lucerne Music School, we have annual parent-teacher conferences\u2014this year, I focused on the topic of practicing. Parents keep saying that their children forget to practice, and I tell them, \u201cYou\u2019re allowed to remind them; they\u2019ll thank you for it later.\u201d But I know from my own experience what it\u2019s like: as a mother, it takes an enormous amount of energy for me to take on this role after a long day at work and practice with the children. But then they sit down at their instruments, and it\u2019s wonderful.<\/p>\n
How long should they practice?<\/b><\/p>\n
I don\u2019t think it makes sense to give them a set amount of time; it can tempt them to just sit through it. I give the children a specific plan to follow. We often roll dice during class to determine how many times they should repeat something\u2014they really enjoy doing that. I always assign three homework pieces: a short exercise to get started, a piece we\u2019re working on, and then either a bit of theory, a rhythm exercise, or the \u201ctreasure chest.\u201d This is a way to maintain their repertoire\u2014playing a piece they really enjoy.<\/p>\n
You also teach adults. Who takes piano lessons as an adult?<\/b><\/p>\n
Some people long to return to their youth and want to play more again. There are those who were already very advanced as children, and I can always give them new challenges. Then there are those who want to start from scratch. They often come with high expectations of themselves, and their minds grasp things very quickly, but putting that knowledge into practice\u2014something that comes so intuitively to children\u2014is much more difficult. Coordination is also a challenge. I noticed that myself when I tried to learn the cello.<\/p>\n
Do you also use digital tools in class or at home?<\/b><\/p>\n
I have an online platform where every student has their own folder. There, for example, we save recordings of the pieces they play so that when they leave the program, they can download a portfolio of their best pieces. I also post recordings or exercises there\u2014videos or audio files\u2014that might help them practice at home. I think this is great. They can access it anytime via a QR code.<\/p>\n