beginner students

[rubix]

I'm just starting to teach piano and I'm not sure how to start teaching. When iI started piano, I began at level 2 because I already had coordination and music reading skill from playing violin. I know that there are pre-level books, but I'm not sure what a good way to start a student off is.
I currently only have intermediate so I don't really have to worry about it right now, but it would be good to know for the future.

[leahcim]

I'm just starting to teach piano and I'm not sure how to start teaching.

If you search for Bernhard's posts you'll see he's mentioned the method he uses for children and adults in a few posts.

I'm not a teacher, but if you see the thread here https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,11467.0.html

and note Xvimbi's comment that there aren't many teachers that know / teach correct movements etc, doing that and advertising that you do [so that us poor saps looking for someone who is can find one ] might be a good start? The existence of that thread [and others] suggests that there are people who want to be taught it.

[ako]

I also began teaching a couple of months ago. I had 2 sisters (beginners) ages 6 ane 9. I started them on different series because I wanted the older one to feel that she's progressing faster. I chose Alfred Later Beginner complete Book 1 for the older and Piano Town primer level for the younger. At first, I thought the primer book was too repetitive. But after 6 months, I found that the younger one using the primer book has a better sense of rhythm and better note reading. I think it's important that students get the basics such as note reading and rhythm correct at the beginning and not form any bad habits. It's always harder to correct bad habits. If I have other beginning young students, I will start them with Piano Town.

[maryruth]

If you have never taught beginners, use a method book.  However, please start with a method book that doesn't teach positions--unless you are very good about teaching note names, intervals, and how to READ music yourself--otherwise you're going to have a student that cannot name a note.

Ake--there's a different approach in Alfred Later Beginner and Piano Town.  Alfred uses positions and Piano Town combines different things--positions, middle C, intervallic.  It's similar to Faber and the NEW Alfred method. 

I've had 4 transfer students in the past 2-3 months all from the Alfred method and none could name or read notes--and some of these kids had been taking piano for 3-4 four years. It's really frightening.  Or--they could name the notes on the page, but they couldn't tell me which key on the piano the note belonged to.  I put an exercise in front of one kid (with 4 years of lessons!) which began on the lowest G on the Bass cleff and just did GABCD then CDEFG etc up the keyboard to the top of the treble clef.  I asked her, "What's the first note?" She was absolutely perplexed.  I said, "I'll give you a hint--it's a G).  What does she do?  She takes her right hand and plays 2 G's above middle C!  I about fell off the piano bench!  Then her sister who's 6 and been taking one year had her first lesson.  I put a piece of music in front of her that started on MIDDLE C and asked, "What's the first note?"  "I don't know" came the reply!  She couldn't name it and she couldn't find it by herself.  Yet, she played a whole song for me with that note in it.  Now, after one month, she can name all the notes she's playing.  YEAH!!!

[ako]

Maryruth,

Thanks for the tip on the different piano methods. My older student sounds exactly like the students you mentioned. I plan to switch her to another method and do a lot of supplementary note reading exercises with her to get her up to speed on reading.

-Ako

[rubix]

Thanks guys, that info helps a lot. 
I haven't had an issue with students who can't read notes, but i certainly don't want any of my students end up that way. 

[galonia]

Hmm... I used to use the Alfred books for beginners - I don't see a problem with not knowing note-names, so long as they can find the correspondence between the symbol on the music and the key on the keyboard.  I myself have no use for the arbitrary assignment of alphabetical names to the keys.  All my students learnt to read music by intervals.

I believe it's not a matter of which books you use, but how you use them.

For me, the Alfred books were just a lazy-way-out: a collection of pieces from which I could pick and choose quickly, all in one book, particularly for children who have no idea what they like yet.

[maryruth]

Well, yes, note names can be arbitrary...if the student can play the song in the proper octave with the right notes then no it doesn't matter what the name of the note is...but that's not the case with the students I have.

Yes, I agree, fluent sightreading requires the ability to read intervals and note patterns...fluent sightreaders aren't thinking  "HMMM, now, what's that note?"  But to begin the song one must be able to answer the question, "What note do I begin on and with what finger..."  From there, it's intervals, up or down, same note, scales patterns, chords, etc...It's a combination of several skills.   

I feel that the best approach starts at Middle C works out in both directions, teaches reading by intervals gradually adding more notes to the mix until notes are recognized from the bottom to the top of the grand staff.  A good test to see if a person knows how to read intervals properly--skips and steps--put a song with notes they haven't learned yet and tell them the starting note....if a student has the concept, they'll be able to do it regardless of the note names.  Kids are always pleased when they can do this---it gives them confidence to sight read things on their own.

For older beginners (9-12 years old), try the Piano Adventures Accelerated Beginner Book 1.  I've been using it this year which much success.  Boys and Girls in that age group really respond well to it.  They can get through the book in less than a year on average and then are ready to begin either Book 2 or start on easy master composer stuff--Kabalevsky OP 39 etc....The music's pretty good and has a nice variety so you can get a feel for the type of music the kid would like to be playing.  It doesn't spend any time dallying on the black keys.  It pretty much starts right out reading notes (Middle C approach, intervals).  I've got nice sightreaders through this book.  The students I've started from the beginning with in the past 3-11 months are better sightreaders than the transfers I've got with 2-4 years of lessons under their belts.