According to my scientist student, basic training for a scientist is scientific method. What is basic training for a piano student?

According to much pedagogical practice it is keeping a steady beat.

But if this were really so I and many others would have had to quit before we started. Keeping a beat is not so hard until it gets mixed with the piano sound. At that point either you turn off your ear and keep that beat come what may or you remain fascinated by the magical blend of in (the beat) and out of (the vibrations) control.

In a supermarket checkout line many years ago I overheard a conversation. A father unloading a well-filled cart offered his four-year-old son the choice of two candies. As the transaction neared completion the father asked for the verdict. The child asked "Which one lasts longer?"