Although Heather's experience is delightful to hear, I have found that although DD loves to play pieces, and play them fast, practice is a pain. Learning the pieces can be a pain. I have to sit on the lessons and take notes so she practices correctly -- the Russian school is very particularly on how a piece is played. I do not expect her to be a pianist, her ability to sit and practice for hours is not her interest. But since we started and she is turning 7 this September, I expect her to do her best. It is an excellent skill to learn and I hope you have success. Just be prepared to practice with your child.
Ren
This is our experience as well. DS7 started piano at just 5 IIRC. He thought the lessons were fun (suzuki style with some other stuff thrown in by the experienced teacher), but the practice he hated. It was tons of work for me. We ended up taking a break for summer, and then had to take another very long break because of the teacher's illness. I was not rushing out to find another teacher or restart again, because it was such a pain to get the kid to practice. (He was actually not bad, though - not stellar, but when it came time to perform he did great.) So, our plan now is to re-start in August.
My thoughts on piano for kids are based primarily on the fact that I regretted that my parents let me decide if I wanted to have lessons or not (of course I chose not), and vaguely on the fact that it's good for mathy kids. So we'll gear up again soon. I am hopeful that now that DS is a bit older, it won't be quite so painful for me.....
