Piano Marvel: Ultimate Learning Tool or Just Hype?

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If you’ve thought about starting your piano learning journey but have been confused by all the different learning platforms available, today’s post is for you!

There are several different online learning platforms available for learning to play the piano, and it can be hard to decide which one is right for you.

Lingering questions and an overwhelming number of options mean your piano journey never launches, and another year passes without significant progress.

I’ve done the research on one of those programs, Piano Marvel, to see whether it is a good fit for your piano learning goals.

Today’s post covers the ins and outs of the online learning platform and even offers a few additional piano courses if you decide it’s not a great fit.

Ready? Let’s get to it!

This post may contain affiliate links. As an affiliate of the Amazon associate program, Modacity, Dr. Josh Wright ProPractice, Piano University, Musicnotes, Playground Sessions, and Piano Marvel, I may receive a commission at no extra cost if you purchase through a link. Please see my full disclosure for further information and privacy policy. I take no credit for the images appearing on this page. Specific photos are courtesy of Canva. Although I am a nurse practitioner, I am not YOUR medical provider. The information in this post is for informational purposes only. It does NOT replace individualized health information from a qualified medical professional. Please see a qualified medical professional for individualized assistance with your health and wellness.

My Piano Journey

Before I review the piano software, I want to give you some background on my piano journey in case you’re new to the blog.

Growing up in a tiny town, I started lessons with the local piano teacher at age 7.

I’m sure I was an incredibly frustrating student because I took a haphazard approach to practice and never saw the bigger picture of how playing an instrument fit into my life.

Although I loved to play piano at home, I had never considered playing in college, much less taking on paid accompaniment gigs.

After high school, I ended up in a small agricultural college affectionately referred to as “Moo U” for an animal science degree.

I missed playing, so after a visit to the music department, I switched my degree to music and never looked back.

Studying piano in college introduced me to a whole new world of piano performance, and I’m eternally grateful for the experience!

Although my full-time career has taken a different path, I remain passionate about playing and, through this blog, introducing others to the joy of playing.

If you’re curious, check out my recent video about fitting regular piano practice into your daily routine.

What is Piano Marvel?

Piano Marvel is an online piano learning platform created by piano teachers.

The platform incorporates various important learning aspects for becoming a better pianist and musician.

Aside from the nuts and bolts of learning the basics of note names, values, and rhythms, it also gamifies the learning process to leave you hungry for more.

One unique feature of Piano Marvel is its signature Standard Assessment of Sight Reading (SASR) test, which helps gauge one’s sight-reading abilities.

The company is constantly working to refine and update this core feature of the program.

Unlike other music learning platforms, Piano Marvel encourages using the program under the guidance of a piano teacher to enhance learning.

Although I’ll get into the drawbacks later in the post, it’s worth mentioning that the best way to experience the full Piano Marvel benefits is with a digital piano rather than an acoustic one.

I recently spoke with Piano Marvel, which is working on improving feedback from acoustic instruments. However, the technology hasn’t entirely been perfected yet.

You can definitely use the program with an acoustic piano, but you won’t get the instant feedback on note accuracy you would with a digital instrument.

Without further ado, let’s dive into the Piano Marvel program!

What does a Piano Marvel account include?

Rather than presenting everything at once, the program is well organized into four main sections: traditional method lessons, technique sections, sight reading, and the Piano Marvel library.

In addition to those basic categories, the program has several features to enhance your practice experience and help you achieve greater practice consistency.

Method Lessons

This section covers what you would learn in traditional piano lessons.

It covers note names, rhythms, and other basic piano exercises designed to familiarize you with playing the piano.

After completing each lesson, you receive an electronic trophy celebrating your progress.

If you’re more of a book person, you can print out the materials as a method book.

Additional video lessons are included with each section to enhance your learning, especially if you’re learning independently of a teacher.

Technique Lessons

One of the features I love about Piano Marvel is that it incorporates ear training very early in the learning process.

Ear training is using your ears to identify notes and rhythms.

I wish I had developed this skill earlier in my piano journey because I still struggle to identify pitches and intervals.

However, this essential skill is presented with Piano Marvel and continues to be developed throughout the learning process.

Sight Reading

Another valuable feature of premium membership through Piano Marvel is full access to their exclusive sight-reading tool, the Standard Assessment of Sight Reading (SASR).

Sight reading is an essential skill when it comes to learning new music and for overall musicianship.

More specifically, sight reading is your ability to play a piece of music upon first sight.

Before electronic learning platforms, sight reading was a tricky skill to improve because it involved buying a ridiculous number of books.

After all, once you’ve played through a song once, it’s no longer considered sight reading.

But with Piano Marvel’s software, you have access to a virtually unlimited array of music.

With their sight reading assessment tool, you’re given an SASR score and the opportunity to continually beat your own high score.

It’s the easiest (and most addictive!) way to improve your sight-reading skills!

Music Library

And now for another intriguing aspect of learning piano with Piano Marvel – access to their sheet music library!

With music ranging from Elton John to classical performance pieces, you can find almost any genre imaginable.

When I was younger, I loved having access to my favorite songs so I could play them on the piano, and it’s really what kept me practicing throughout my early years.

You can also control for different levels of piano mastery, including beginner, intermediate, advanced, and professional, to find the perfect song written at your learning level.

If you’re into composition, you can also upload your new songs to the music library so you always have access to them.

Another unique feature of the program is the ability to submit your works for review into the public sheet music library.

You can also submit your own music into the music library and access it from anywhere.

It’s a beneficial feature to keep all your different songs organized!

Practice Trackers and Incentives

Although Piano Marvel covers the basic skills and knowledge needed to learn the instrument, it also offers practice trackers and incentives to enhance your practice.

This unique feature simulates a video game in that you’re always striving for a new goal.

It keeps learning fresh and inspired.

Piano Marvel tracks your practice time in the app as well as the number of consecutive days of practice you achieve.

It then shows how you stack up to other Piano Marvel users.

There are several people who have practiced over 2,000 days consecutively!

How’s that for motivation!?

You can also set a monthly practice goal to motivate yourself to improve your skill level.

The program also tracks the number of songs you’ve learned and your total practice time.

These incentives are a great way to ensure that you learn the basics and work toward continual improvement.

Piano Marvel Review

Now that we’ve covered the basics of this comprehensive piano learning platform let’s get into more specifics about why this program may or may not be a great fit for you!

Benefits of Piano Marvel

My background in learning to play the piano has been very traditional.

I learned from a standard lesson book series and then transitioned into a classical focus.

It’s with this background that I present the following major benefits of using Piano Marvel:

Early incorporation of ear training
Comprehensive sight reading program
Practice trackers that keep you coming back for more
Quick feedback on playing accuracy when used with an electronic keyboard
Can be used alongside lessons with a piano teacher
Access to a huge sheet music library
Traditional music reading course which has a more classical music approach than other learning systems
Fairly minimal yearly premium subscription costs

Drawbacks of Piano Marvel

This wouldn’t be an honest review without a few drawbacks:

Due to the emphasis on note accuracy, some of the more subjective features of playing are downplayed
Focus on traditional music reading and classical music
The main features of providing feedback on note accuracy are limited when using an acoustic piano
To access the full features of the program, you do need to pay for a premium subscription
As the program is designed for all ages, it may not appeal to all adults

Reasons Piano Marvel Might be a Great Fit for You

Piano Marvel might be a great fit for you if you struggle with practice consistency and have a competitive streak!

Half the battle of learning to play the piano is practice consistency, and thanks to its extra video game-like features, this program checks those boxes.

Piano Marvel might also be a great fit if you either do or do not have access to a piano teacher.

Having a teacher is ideal because you can get more individualized feedback than an online program can provide; however, sometimes, it’s just not feasible.

But with a program like Piano Marvel, you can be assured that the curriculum is high-quality, and if you stick with it, your piano skills will improve.

Reasons Piano Marvel Might Not be a Great Fit for You

The Piano Marvel program is designed to help you learn to read sheet music.

Piano Marvel might not be the best fit if that’s not your goal.

It also has a very classical focus, and if you don’t strive to play classical music, consider looking elsewhere.

If you have an acoustic piano, you may consider an alternate program because the main draw of this program is the immediate feedback on note accuracy.

Without a MIDI plugin, you can’t utilize the program to its full potential.

And if your goal in learning piano is to play fun pop songs by ear rather than learn to read sheet music, this might not be your learning program.

Luckily, I have a few other recommendations in the next section!

Alternatives to Piano Marvel

If you decide that Piano Marvel is not quite the right fit, I’ve thoroughly vetted a couple of other options for you to consider.

ProPractice

If you’re serious about playing classical piano, I suggest you check out Dr. Josh Wright’s ProPractice program.

This program is designed for beginners through advanced players and contains tutorials on how to play some of the most famous classical pieces of all time.

Here are a few tutorials he offers in his program:

Moonlight Sonata – Ludwig van Beethoven
Waltz in A Minor – Frederic Chopin
Gymnopedie – Erik Satie
Fur Elise – Ludwig van Beethoven

And so many more! Dr. Wright continually adds to the program, and you have lifetime access to all the updates.

There are no trophies or practice counters, but you do get access to Dr. Wright’s patient guidance, high-quality video tutorials, and an exclusive Facebook group.

I’ve been a member of this program for over 5 years and am thankful for all the wisdom I’ve gained!

If you’re interested in learning more, check out my previous post A Complete Review of ProPractice by Dr. Josh Wright.

Piano University

If you’re looking for a program that’s less classical-focused and geared toward getting you playing fun songs right now, then check out Piano University!

This program was also created by a piano teacher named Zach Evans.

Although the Piano University course emphasizes foundational skills, it gets you playing fun, recognizable songs more quickly than the other programs.

Zach’s method is all about having fun and learning quick tricks at the keys to keep you coming back for more.

He has an active YouTube channel and an inspiring email newsletter to spark your motivation.

Stay tuned for my full review post on this program in the very near future!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Piano Marvel a good piano learning software for kids?

Yes! Piano Marvel is great for kids, especially when used alongside lessons with a teacher.

All the practice incentive features are great for establishing regular practice routines for kids.

Does Piano Marvel have a monthly subscription fee?

Yes, but the fee is less than some of the other programs out there. At the time of posting, it was around $11 per month.

Can you teach yourself to play piano with Piano Marvel?

Yes. Piano Marvel is a complete program for learning to play the piano by reading sheet music.

Does Piano Marvel offer a free account option?

Piano Marvel does have a free account option, but the functions are fairly limited. You can, however, try a premium account to see whether it’s a good fit for you.

Final Thoughts

Regardless of your reasons for wanting to play the piano, hopefully, this post has given insight into whether the Piano Marvel program is right for you.

The program’s main benefits are the practice incentives and immediate feedback on note accuracy when used with a digital instrument.

The biggest drawback is the inability to maximize the sight reading tool with an acoustic instrument.

But it’s still an incredibly valuable program that might be the exact thing that launches your piano journey!

If you’re looking for more resources on launching your journey, check out a few of my previous posts:

I’d love to hear your thoughts on Piano Marvel in the comments below! Are there any features I missed? How has Piano Marvel changed your piano playing?

Until next time, happy practicing!

Piano Marvel: Ultimate Learning Tool or Just Hype?

My Piano Journey

What is Piano Marvel?