Which method?

[princess_bear]

Hi!  I'm a fairly new piano teacher, with just a handful of students.  Due to circumstances, my four current students are using four different methods.  I have a trial lesson with two more students this coming Friday, but I'm not really sure which methods to try with them, since I haven't met the students yet, and they're ages I'm not yet teaching.

Right now I have:
-  a young 8 year old girl in Faber PA Primer
-  a 10 year old girl in Alfred Basic Level 1A (parents wanted to use what they had on hand, I'll be moving her over to PA when we're done her current book)
-  a 12 year old boy using Keith Snell's Prep level books (he has a history of Suzuki)
-  a 15 year old girl in Helen Marlais's Prep level

My new students are a 6 year old boy (who is apparently nearly 7) and an 11 year old girl.  I'm not sure if I should use the "My First PA" with the 6 year old, or start with the PA Primer.  If I start him in the PA Primer, then I need a different method for his sister.  I'm worried that Helen Marlais might be too "mature" for an 11 year old, so I'm not sure what to use with her if her brother is using PA.

I have heard that the Alfred Premier stuff isn't too bad, and I've also seen (via Googling this already) that some piano teachers will start their 12 year old beginners in the Faber's Accelerated books, but I wasn't sure if doing that with an 11 year old would be wise?

Anyone have any ideas?

[pairra]

Definitely use different methods for them both. Since you're new I would suggest continuing to explore different methods.
How about Music Tree Part 1 for the 6 year old and Joy of First Year Piano by Denes Agay for the 11 year old. Those would be my suggestions

[princess_bear]

Hmmm... I've never actually heard of either of those.  Well... I think I've heard of Music Tree ONCE.  I'll have to look at those further!  Thanks for the suggestions!

Anyone else? 

[lostinidlewonder]

Also don't feel like you have to teach everything from one book. Sometimes you can use multiple books for the same student and choose selections that you judge will help them the best and ignore/skip things which are too easy or too hard. Yes young students work well with structure and if they can see themselves progressing through a book it is encouraging for them, but you should also be able to teach them from other resources, printed works from the internet, music that interests them. Don't restrict them to just learn from course books.

[princess_bear]

Thanks for the encouragement, lostinidlewonder. 

At this point, I'm still most comfortable sticking to one curricula per student (and hopefully using the same curricula with non-sibling students), but what you said about choosing music that interests the student really did resonate with me, since I remember my own piano teacher doing that with me when I was in high school.  I'm just not sure how that would work with my students at the moment, since all but one of them are brand new to the piano.

[pairra]

Hmmm... I've never actually heard of either of those.  Well... I think I've heard of Music Tree ONCE.  I'll have to look at those further!  Thanks for the suggestions!

Anyone else?  

Definitely do look into them. Maybe I'm weird, but I love exploring all the different methods out there... and analyzing them... and experimenting with them... ...

As for supplements, I would purchase the bulletin from the Federation of Music Clubs. I use that to supplement in my own studio. Their lowest level is Pre-Primary, though that's for students who've had about a year or so of lessons. These pieces revolve around middle c and c position. Only a few have no position or are in different positions. Look Who's Visiting My Garden by Poe (I believe) is a great collection of pieces that has the student moving all over the piano.

Hal Leornard's showcase solos also work. Level 1\Early Elementary is a step below the Pre-Primary pieces. And it has a bigger font.

I would also supplement with the Faber Series - pretime, playtime ect. The pre-time levels are easier than the Level 1 HL. So for a student with about six months of learning, this would work. These pieces also revolve around middle C, but are short. No more than sixteen measures with bigger font.

And the last thing, would be the pre-notation pieces from Hal Leonard.

A lot of methods do indicate supplemental pieces. Double check the table of contents or online resources. I'm pretty sure alfred indicated supplemental pieces. Though, I'm not sure about the others.

If you're really at a loss you could just say where a student is in a particular book, or what skills they have accomplished, and we could recommend something for them.

[princess_bear]

Their lowest level is Pre-Primary, though that's for students who've had about a year or so of lessons. .... So for a student with about six months of learning, this would work.

All of my students have had less than six months of lessons at this point, and the four I have starting (hopefully) over the next several weeks have had no lessons at all.

[pairra]

Then definitely use the HL pre-notation stuff. These pieces use either finger numbers or notes with the letters names inside.

As for the new students, search the forum for Chinese Clocks - a song that Bernhard posted.

Also, don't neglect teaching them pieces by wrote: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Ode to Joy, Mary had a Little Lamb. Or writing your own. If a student knows only C on the staff, you could easily write a song called Sharks! Just add some sharps in there.

I have a popular piece called that Matador that I wrote and use with my students. It only uses three notes, flats and natural signs. It's fast and sounds cool, though it looks hard. It's really not because it's so repetitive, especially if you break it down correctly. The earliest I've started this piece was within two months of beginning lessons. Downside is it could be extremely challenging for you to tackle as a new teacher.

[princess_bear]

Yeah, I saw Chinese Clocks on the forum already.  I think I'm going to print it now and use it on Friday at my trial lessons. 

I decided to start with what I know, and that is Alfred, and Faber.  I'll see where the students are at on Friday, and how quickly they seem to catch on to things, and go from there.

[cjp_piano]

Good suggestions given, but remember: it's more about HOW you teach and WHO you are when you teach rather than what BOOK you're using. Two different teachers could use the same book but have totally different results. It's more important how you introduce and prepare new concepts, how you help them figure out how to practice the pieces, etc.

[dinulip]

Based on the age and *personality* of my new pupils, I select any one - or two - of the following methods:

ABC - by Boris Berlin - 6-7 y/o to 9 y/o
Step-by-Step - by Edna Mae Burnam - 6-7 y/o and over
Easiest Piano Course, by John Thompson (Willis Music Cie Publishers) - 5-6 y/o
Teaching Little Fingers To Play, by John Thompson (Willis Music Cie Publishers) - 5-6 y/o
Hal Leonard's Piano Method - 5-6 y/o and over
The Joy of First Year Piano, by Denes Agay - 8 y/o and over

I always add to this 'A Dozen-a-Day', by Edna Mae Burnam (5-6 y/o up to adults) and a basic Hanon book (8-9 y/o up to adults).

I prefer not to stick to only one 'recipe', as hearing the same tunes over and over all week long  would assuredly drive me nuts!  I am always on the lookout for some new and interesting ways of introducing music to my pupils.

There are also some excellent European methods on the market -- very much worth considering.

Good luck! 

[rocklandpiano]

The Suzuki method (Suzuki movement) is a method of teaching music conceived and executed by Japanese violinist Shin'ichi Suzuki (born 1898, died 1998) dating from the mid-20th century. The central belief of Suzuki, based on his language acquisition theories, is that all people are capable of learning from their environment. The essential components of his method spring from the desire to create the "right environment" for learning music. He also believed that this positive environment would also help to foster character in students.