Teaching 15-year-old with no music expereince...

[all_black_and_white]

I have never begun teaching a student with no musical history/understanding at this age, and was curious as to what books/method you would suggest.  I am currently utilizing Hal Leonard for my other students, but the first book is waaaaayyyy too simple for a 15-year-old!  Should I just try skipping the first book, or is there a better series out there for begining older students?

  I'd appreciate some help! :-) Thanks!

[one_wing3d_ang3l]

skip the book. jump him into grade 4 or 5

[faulty_damper]

Do you mean that he has never a8tively listened to the type of musi8 that you will be tea8hing?  If so, then have him listen to it.  Hand him *D's, tapes, make him listen to the 8lassi8al station radio, play for him, et8.

[janice]

Faulty Damper, not only is your Damper faulty, but your 'c' key is faulty!!

[Spatula]

It was more hilarious when he used "k" to substitute his "C"s, his sentences some how seemed very Germanic.

[Daevren]

Listen to music with him for at least 3 months.

[ChristmasCarol]

The adult 3 in one Leonard is fine.  I also teach improvisation right away to teenagers.   Try to establish what kind of music the student prefers and teach them a simple piece in that style by wrote.  Imagine yourself as a beginner in a new subject.  Treat your student the way you would like to be treated.  Get on the piano with the student and lay down random and various styles and show them accompanying notes to play with you.  Have you read Noah Adam's book "Piano Lessons - Music, Love & True Adventures'"?  He does a good job of describing the mindset of an adult beginner.  My focus is to get them playing something interesting as quickly as possible.  

[all_black_and_white]

The adult 3 in one Leonard is fine.  I also teach improvisation right away to teenagers.   Try to establish what kind of music the student prefers and teach them a simple piece in that style by wrote.  Imagine yourself as a beginner in a new subject.  Treat your student the way you would like to be treated.  Get on the piano with the student and lay down random and various styles and show them accompanying notes to play with you.  Have you read Noah Adam's book "Piano Lessons - Music, Love & True Adventures'"?  He does a good job of describing the mindset of an adult beginner.  My focus is to get them playing something interesting as quickly as possible.

  I will look into both suggestions!  While I have plenty of ideas, I have very little expereince with starting a child at this age, so it's good to hear what has worked for others.  How do you teach improvisation?  Do you play something and teach it to them by imitation?  
     

[ChristmasCarol]

Improv stuff might be... 12 bar blues is a good basic start and usually brings smiles.  An alberti bass can work all kinds of wonders.  Whatever has a rhythm and just let them play along on the root of the chord or whatever scale you're playing.  The point is for them to experience playing the piano.  There are truckloads of information transferred this way.  Play the first few notes of a simple minuet by bach and have them play it too.   After a couple of lessons show them how to play a scale with thirds or sixths instead of plain ole parallel scales.  I teach how to construct a major and minor chord by counting the half steps, and then have them play arpeggios in a couple of new keys every week.  

[bizgirl]

I try to figure out WHY all of my students want to learn to play the piano.  For young kids this is really difficult because they usually don't know why or, if they do, they can't articulate it very well.  At this age however, they'll probably know and be happy to tell you.  I would ask the student if there is a piece he wants to be able to play and let him play it!  There are many very popular, simple classical pieces (Canon in D, Fur Elise, etc.) that everyone seems to love.  They have usually heard them all of their life and if given the option to play them,  they are ecstatic.  To a beginner, playing a well-known, recognizable, piece is very satisfying.  I would also recommend playing working on some really simple stuff too (possibly a method book), so they can be finishing pieces.  If they just work on one piece for a long time they may not feel like they're getting anywhere.  You also want to make sure you're teaching them all the basic theory and techniques that may be skipped if you only teach what is necessary to play the piece (different time signatures, key signature,you know what I'm talking about)