First off, in order to answer this question, one first needs to decide what it MEANS to be moderately proficient on the piano, and then someone could determine a time frame for this marker.

There are many perceived teaching methods out there, but there isn’t just one that is necessarily more effective than another. A teaching method is effective if its catered towards the individual strengths, goals and interests of a student.

This is a great question!  And one that I think parents of students are interested in knowing.  In this very achievement-oriented society that we live in, it’s understandable to want to know how much a student could learn in the first three months of lessons.  To be fair though, a student’s marker of accomplishments for music lessons is a very nuanced exercise. 

So, you’ve found a great school or teacher for yourself or your child, and you’re ready to set up the first lesson, which is usually called a trial lesson.  What can you expect to happen?