7 year old beginner getting bored...

[green]

Have a new 7 year old girl student, she has pitch, is flying through the beginner book B of Hal Leonard, the blue all in one course. I do improvisation with her, which she is quite good at, often I will play the accompaniment which goes along with pieces, and have her make up her own tune based on the notes used for that piece. I test her ear, playing notes and having her say and play the note back, thats improving quickly. We do the theory stuff in the book, but we have an hour lesson, and for the past couple lessons when we hit the 30 minute mark, I can see her turning off. We just started learning to read 'skips', before we had just step motion which she mastered quickly, and she will roar through old pieces while I am trying to introduce something new...I'm huessing, and from talking to her mom, that there is resistance to learning the skips because she doesn't really get it, and it is suddenly making what was easy...hard. So that is part of it, but also I feel that I need to do something different, to break up the time a bit. Any suggestions for other activities or games that I might try? Thanks

[timbo178]

A few possibilities:
- teach how to play major and minor chords
- play in chordal accompaniment style + singing. Use simple piece like 'Hallelujah' by Leonard Cohen
- practice counting + tapping out rhythms (there are a couple of books called Flip-a-Rhythm which is good for combining this skill in both hands)
- There's a step-skipping game that I use often from the Susan Paradis website. Move forward on the game board if it's a step or skip up. Move back (or stay where you are) if it's a step or skip down. Make it harder by getting the student to name the notes as well as identify the interval.

[sucom]

An hour lesson is a very long time for someone so young.  To concentrate on one subject in a one on one situation must be extremely difficult for this student, so rather than looking for activities to fill up the hour and relieve some of the high concentration and focus, I would be tempted to shorten the lesson to half an hour and within this time, change activitites whenever you notice the student's concentration lapsing. 

When I feel a student is becoming restless, I get them off the piano stool to perhaps, for example, do some conducting while I play, allowing them to change the speed of my playing at will.  This moves away from the mental activity for a while and offers some physical activity to reduce the length of time sitting still for long periods.  It also helps them to recognise two and three time.  Or we might do some simple aural tests, singing notes, clapping rhythms.  Another favourite is drawing treble and bass clefs, notes, etc.  Anything, really, that allows them to alter their point of focus.  I don't think any of my younger students would manage a full hour's lesson.

[mahlermaniac]

I'd also be inclined, as the previous poster suggested, to go for a 30 minute session if it's agreeable to her parents.