Yangcheng Evening News reporter He Ning

　　Piano, with the aura of "King of Musical Instruments", has been popular in my country for decades. China is also the world's largest piano manufacturer and exporter.

But recently, "piano sales have dropped off a cliff" has become a hot search topic, triggering heated discussions.

Are fewer and fewer children learning piano?

What is the real situation of the piano training market in Guangzhou?

The reporter interviewed some piano shops and parents and found that piano training has not cooled down significantly. As an entry-level instrument, the piano training market still has a huge demand.

Piano sales dropped significantly last year

　　According to the cover news report, some people in the second-hand piano sales industry said that the sharp decline in piano sales did not start this year. The downward trend began as early as 2019, and began to fall off a cliff in April 2023.

The decline in sales is also reflected in the performance reports of the two major domestic brands. In the first three quarters of 2023, Hailun Piano's operating income fell by 21.99% year-on-year, and its net profit fell by 24.70% year-on-year.

Zhujiang Piano's operating income dropped sharply by 31.47%, and its net profit plummeted by 93.54%, only 6.4751 million yuan.

　　The reporter interviewed several piano shops in Guangzhou, and almost all of them said that piano sales have indeed dropped significantly.

Teacher He, the principal of Tuyi Music and Art Center in Huangpu District, told reporters that in addition to offering musical instrument training courses, they also sell pianos. Piano sales in 2023 have indeed dropped a lot.

Principal He analyzed that this is related to the general economic environment, and the income of many families has been affected. "The piano itself is not cheap, and in addition to buying a piano worth tens of thousands of yuan, it is also a huge expense for children to insist on learning piano. If If a child doesn’t have a strong will to learn piano, he will give up halfway.”

The number of people learning piano has not decreased

　　Although piano sales have dropped sharply, the number of people learning to play the piano has not been positively correlated with this.

Kan Xiaodan, the principal of Baiyin Education and Training Center in Tianhe District, Guangzhou, told reporters that in 2023, the center’s annual piano lesson hours will indeed be less than in previous years. “However, we have conducted data analysis on this and the main reason for the reduction in piano lesson hours is Students and teachers are taking more sick days, and various respiratory diseases are prevalent this year.”

　　The number of students enrolled in some music stores has increased instead of falling.

The first store of Qinling Piano was opened in Haizhu District in 2019. It was originally a personal training studio.

Under the "double reduction" policy, students have reduced the time for extracurricular subject training, and accordingly increased courses in aesthetic education and physical education.

Zheng Ying, the founder of the music store, said that in just five years since the store opened, there are already 12 stores. The number of children learning piano has not decreased, and her store is still expanding. After March this year, they also Three new music stores will be opened.

　　In Zheng Ying's view, the decline in piano sales does not mean that the number of people learning piano has decreased.

"I think the concept of learning piano now has changed compared to before. In the past, when parents wanted their children to learn piano, they first bought a piano. But now we generally recommend parents not to buy a piano first, but to come to a piano store to practice piano every day. There are professional Teacher’s training partner.”

　　Parent Ms. Liu’s son is almost 7 years old. He started learning piano when he was 4 and a half years old, and his family has never bought a piano.

"My friends learned that my son was learning piano, and they all suggested that I don't buy a piano. It would be much more cost-effective to rent a piano or go directly to a piano store to practice. Many of my friends rent pianos at home, which only costs more than 2,000 yuan a year."

Analysis: Piano fever cools down and returns to rationality

　　Baiyin Education and Training Center has been in operation for 17 years this year. Kan Xiaodan has witnessed the gradual cooling off of the piano craze in the past ten years.

"I think there are many reasons. One is the change in admissions policy. Especially in recent years, the admission of students with artistic talents has been canceled in the early stage of primary school. Many parents find that learning musical instruments is not very helpful for their children's further education. Driven by utilitarianism, The popularity of pianos has decreased; secondly, the birth rate has continued to decline in recent years, and the number of children learning piano has also decreased accordingly; thirdly, the changes in parent groups. Parents born in the 1970s and 1980s are very determined for their children to learn musical instruments and try every means to make their children persist, but those born in the 1990s Parents have different views on parenting, they are more 'Buddhist', and if their children really don't want to learn, the parents will respect their children very much."

　　In Zheng Ying's view, due to the impact of the economic environment in recent years, most families' consumption concepts have changed. "Although they will not drastically reduce their children's education expenses, they will not spend as impulsively as before." Guangzhou Teacher Li, a piano teacher in a college, also said that families who learn piano today are becoming more and more rational.

　　However, for students who really want to learn a musical instrument, the piano, as the easiest instrument to get started with, still has broad market prospects.

Chen Jinfu, a senior violinist of the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, said that piano is a compulsory course whether you study folk music, orchestral music or vocal music.

Kan Xiaodan also believes that piano learning, as the "king of musical instruments", is still the most popular among many musical instruments. "This situation will not change much in the short term." (Yangcheng Evening News)