Piano games for kids

[mistresstogould]

Hi all, I have a 6 year-old-student who seems to be becoming more obstinate with every lesson and does not practice (nor do her parents get involved with her practicing). Of course I need to speak with them about that, but I am trying to think of ways to loosen tension if she begins to get rebellious during her lessons again. I am not very good at entertaining kids; does anyone know of any games or stimulating activities for them? Also, I am a new teacher and not accustomed to children being moody or ones who seem to lose interest (I teach mostly adults): I suppose I should only be worried if it becomes worse with every lesson or if it happens often?

[miriamko]

I feel like coming right over and giving you a hug!! I know exactly what you are going through. Children are so used to being entertained that the lack of it makes them very uncooperative. I follow the "Sesame Street" idea. I make up a song about anything and take no responsibility for literary downfalls.
 
"here's the first line, there's the space
let's put F into it's place
first we'll draw it then we'll play
F is full of fun today"

I swear I just made this up this minute. It is awful but it is better than a grumpy child.

I do not ask the child to practice or ask parents to work with them. It should be more an introduction to piano than lessons in playing. At some stage during the year there will be a student concert. They'll practice for that, for sure.

I had one little 6 year old who spent more time coloring the pictures on top of the piece than actually playing them. We played with flash cards (making the games up as I went along) and I worked a lot on his hand positions and relaxation. He came back after the summer vacation as "enthusiastic" as he had been beforehand. I was just about to give up when suddenly he became crazy about the piano and now he is a fantastic student.

I think once I had removed any expectations from parents (or myself I must add) I was more relaxed about it all. Little kids are as cute as can be and I love them. Teaching them is a problem especially as you are used to teaching adults. I would love to hear how you are getting along and if you discover something new please pass it on to me!! Good luck

[lovettmusic]

I have been teaching young children for a little over two years, and have run into this problem before. (Fear not! It's far and few between. Kids will amaze you!)

There are all sorts of fun ways to reinvigorate a young student's interest; perhaps suggest writing a song with them? No matter how ridiculous a melody they may come up with, if you write it down for them on staff paper as they play, you can then add a corresponding bass chord and their eyes will light up. They will feel the satisfaction of having created a piece of music and also feel the desire to want to write the music down themselves.

If they're not interested in that, or you have a child who is a little TOO creative and playful at the piano to focus on the lesson, you may want to confine things a bit with a game. It's amazing when you ask a student to identify a note, and they are bored by it, but if there are points involved, or an iPhone, they suddenly become extremely excited! I highly recommend the apps Nota and Dolce Music Flashcards, which you can find in the App Store. Nota I will use for slightly more advanced students; it is note identification, but timed and scored competitively. It also contains a large reference section, and can be an invaluable tool for visual representation. Dolce Music Flashcards are great for younger students, and you can add and remove sections based on what you want to quiz them on; from symbols, key signatures, and note identification. You can even concentrate on only bass or only treble clefs! What's great about this app is that although it has a time clock, it is only for the teacher to see how long a delay it takes for the student to answer. Also, you can change your answer before submitting, which is great for little kids with clumsy fingers.

Keep it fun, and good luck!