young piano students

[ptyrrell]

Hi

I have a student starting with me...she is 4.  What are the first things you would teach in those initial lessons with students that young?

[hyrst]

Essentially the same as older students.  A lot depends on the learning of the 4 year old in general terms, such as following directions and reading basics.  I separate the areas of music into most basic components of the classifications - finger numbering, simple independent finger movements, movement across the keyboard, high-low, note pictures, black/white patterns, the alphabet from A at the bottom, stretching and relaxing, singing and reading pitch up-down, step or wider movement, detaching note sounds, playing keys for different lengths of time.  I use a primer that I use for older students but adapt the language as needed and create activities that will provide stepping stones fro information that is not yet intuitive at that age.  Don't focus on things for more than a few minutes (in most cases) before doing something else, but don't learn too many new concepts in one lesson.  Try to make a very smooth transition from the basics to more complex concepts - the primers tend to jump a lot.  Be creative and involve the parents to carry on the work between lessons (they need to work with you at the piano during lessons if you want the student to learn and remember week to week).  Don't use unnecessary and additional terms but look for the most simple and obvious things - so I don't use treble and bass but high (sings points up) and low (sign points down).  Note values I also use words like press-hold because using numbers for fingers and counting is often confusing.  If finger numbers are a problem I do sometimes use colour instead - e.g. pink-two.  Students have suggested this.  If you focus on how the student and parent responds I find it is possible to adapt language and approach individually.  Essentially, though, I teach all the same things to the littles as I do the older children - just more creatively and more gradual at times.  Enjoy!  It can be hard work and a lot of fun working with the little ones.  Imitation and memory are good to encourage as well.

[musicrebel4u]

Hi

I have a student starting with me...she is 4.  What are the first things you would teach in those initial lessons with students that young?

1. I would start with exercises:
a. Hannon #1

b. Chromatical Scale

c. Chords

d. C major

All exrecises have pattern and little students grasp it really quickly:

2. I would let students SEE the relationship between piano keys and music notes and play many pieces using two hands from very beginning. It would make possible to play and read music even for 2-year old kids.

At 4 they can play bunch of different pieces:

[raula]

I had the same question... Thanks for your answers. Also, if the student is constantly in motion, what would you suggest as a lesson time-limit and activities to engage?

[a-sharp]

Good post, hyrst.

[hyrst]

Thanks, a-sharp.

About the restless child, I mostly avoid trying to contain that restlessness beyond a minute or two - but I do gradually try to extend that period of concentration over time, but always encouraging / positive and never angrily. 

What I would suggest is to find / invent a number of activites that give them change of place and focus - at and away from the piano - while trying to ingraine a single concept.  Work on 2 or 3 concepts in a lesson.  For example, when teaching the reading of Middle C I might give them a card with the note as a picture, have them do a scramble on the floor with a pile of cards to find the letter and the note and match them, have them play the note at the piano with the metronome on different tempos, give them a keyboard or music staff on the floor where they can run all over it and locate the note, get them to close their eyes and stand if I play the note or bob if the note I play is lower than C, colourt in a picture of a keyboard and find all the Cs, get them to show their parent how to play the note, that sort of thing.  I think that if you try to contain a child's restlessness for too long you will either not succeed or they will be thinking about trying to keep still rather than thinking about what they are learning.