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How Much Do Beginner Piano Lessons Cost?

First, I want to say how amazing it is that you are giving your child the gift of Suzuki Piano lessons! With music programs being cut left and right from our schools, it’s so important that we still give them the ability to learn. That being said, I know there are always logistics that we have to consider, and one of the most frequent questions I receive is how much it will cost to start a beginner.

Child practicing piano at Sunset Suzuki Academy

Let’s make a list of all the supplies you and your child will need to have a successful start with Suzuki Piano lessons and then discuss the cost and why you need it.

  • A Quality Acoustic Piano! ($2000 or more)
  • A Piano Tuner ($100-400/year)
  • Adjustable Piano Bench ($175-500)
  • Adjustable Piano Footstool ($100-$500 or $10/month)
  • Suzuki Piano Volume 1 Book ($14.50)
  • Suzuki Piano Volume 1 Recording ($8.99-$11.99)
  • Speaker for the Recording
  • Ready for Piano! Parent Course ($200)
  • Beyond the Music Lesson by Christine Goodner ($7.99-$15.75)
  • Binder, Notebook, Pencil Bag, Pencils, Fingernail Clippers

A Quality Acoustic Piano

I started our list with the most important supply, and of course, that is a piano! At Sunset Suzuki Academy, I do require you to purchase an acoustic piano for practicing at home. (Unless you are part of the Music Link program, but we will discuss that part in another post.)

With so many quality digital pianos now on the market, many are stunned to hear of this requirement. While I absolutely support the production and purchase of digital keyboards for certain purposes, the key point is: they are not a piano with strings and hammers and a soundboard and pedals, etc. The sound that comes out of a digital piano is pre-recorded and is designed to always sound good.

In Suzuki Piano lessons, children are learning to play a piano that, frankly, can sound pretty bad if not played properly. In my experience, the nicer the piano a child has to practice on at home, the better they enjoy lessons and the further they progress.

If you are worried about your child’s commitment to piano lessons, don’t! Most piano stores now house a fleet of pianos specifically to be rented for in-home use. These rentals generally run between $100-300 a month, depending on what kind of piano you wish to rent. There is no need to rent anything higher than a good quality upright for a beginner, however, and they tend toward the $100 range. (This post was written in November 2025 so prices may change)

If you are ready to purchase a piano, I do not recommend spending less than $2,000-4,000 on a starting upright piano. Spending less usually means you will be spending more in the future on tuning and other maintenance. If you are worried about spending that amount now only to have to upgrade later, again, don’t! All piano stores in the Portland area have a lifetime trade-in agreement when you purchase a piano. That means that the dealer will honor 100% of your original purchase price on a trade-in from the same store so there is no need to worry as long as you take proper care of the piano.

DO NOT GET A FREE PIANO OFF THE INTERNET! I PROMISE IT IS NOT FREE!

If you are interested in a piano you see for sale independently online, hire a certified technician to come with you to look at it and give you an honest opinion!

A Piano Tuner

Since you now have a shiny new piano in your home, you will now need the contact information of someone who can tune it for you so you can keep it sounding beautiful for piano lesson practice. Usually, the store where you bought the piano will have tuners that they work with or have on staff that they will recommend to you. I can also give you the name of my own technician. You will need to tune your piano at least once a year and, in general, tuning should cost $100-200, depending on the type of piano and how long it has been since you last tuned.

Adjustable Piano Bench and Footstool

When a child is ready to begin Suzuki Piano lessons, we want them to be sitting at the piano in the same position they will have as an adult. Therefore, it is necessary to purchase both a bench and a footstool that can adjust as they grow. Some piano dealers have adjustable benches that they will usually throw in with your piano purchase. If you are starting a child age 3-6, be sure that this bench will adjust high enough to accommodate them. For the smallest children, this would require around 22-23 inches at the bench’s highest setting.

A quality adjustable bench that will set your child up for success and last throughout their years in piano lessons will generally cost between $175 and $500. Footstools are harder to find but there are a few good options out there. Remember that your child will probably outgrow these footstools and other families will be happy to buy them from you used as they begin their piano lesson journey. You are welcome to ask me if there are any in the studio currently for sale. You may also rent a set from me for $10/month, or you can look through the list below for the footstools I generally recommend.

Suzuki Piano Volume 1 Book and Recording

HERE is a link to Suzuki Piano Volume 1, New International Edition, which you will need to purchase. For Volume 1, you will need to buy the book without the CD. Most choose to purchase this anyway as very few still have a CD player in their home, but also, we will be using a different recording than the one that comes with the most recent edition of the Suzuki Piano Method. Currently (November 2025), Suzuki Piano Volume 1 costs $14.50.

You will need to purchase the Haruko Kataoka recording of Suzuki Piano Volume 1. HERE is a link to download the recording from the Alfred website. This is the only place you can download the recording currently, but you may download and listen through whichever streaming service you prefer (iTunes, Amazon, or Alfred Media) for $11.99.

You will also need a method through which you can play the Suzuki Piano recording in your home. I have many students who play the recording over their smart speaker and also use their device to play the recording in the car. If you wish to play the CD, you can generally find used CD players for very cheap at your local thrift store.

Ready for Piano! and Beyond the Music Lesson by Christine Goodner

Because the Suzuki Method requires parent participation from the beginning, I require new Suzuki parents to take a 4-hour (1 hour/week) Ready for Piano! course with me using Beyond the Music Lesson as our “text”. This way, we all start out on the same page and I spend less time explaining during the lesson.

The current price for the Ready for Piano! Course will be sent to you when you contact Sunset Suzuki Academy for lessons. (November 2025 Price: $200) Beyond the Music Lesson is currently (November 2025) $15.75 for paperback and $7.99 for Kindle.

Binder, Notebook, Pencil Bag, Pencils, and Fingernail Clippers

Here are all the smaller purchases that will probably need to be refreshed throughout your Suzuki Piano study. In the beginning, the parent will be in charge of this bundle, making sure it stays by the piano at home and comes to the lesson each week. The parent will use it to take notes in the beginning, though eventually, that duty will transfer to the child as they mature and grow.

Please also buy a set of dedicated fingernail clippers to keep by the piano. It’s very common to come to the piano and realize your fingernails have grown too long, and this makes it easy to take care of that without having to leave the practice space.

Total Estimated Cost

All in all, as of November 2025, your upfront cost to set up for successful piano lessons at Sunset Suzuki Academy is approximately $3,000 USD. Most of this cost is the piano itself, and that is not a cost you will have to repeat unless you decide to upgrade as your child moves to more advanced repertoire.

We hope to see you soon so we can make music and build beautiful hearts together! Learn more about FAQs or our piano lessons in Portland.