Transfer student cannot read music!

[vivace]

Knew I'd run into this someday...

I recently picked up a 10 yr old sister and 12 yr old brother who had been taking lessons for 5 years. They had been taught mostly by rote, it seems, with very little note-reading. 

The youngest needs the most help with reading skills.
Using the Faber Series: Note-reading she's at about a Primer Level; the memorized music she first played for me was at about a Faber Level 2.

How do I approach this problem without boring or frustrating these kids? Should I continue rote-style in addition to the Faber Primer book? Or should I find a level of music that is a median between Primer and the student's rote-playing skills?

Heh, not to mention the parents...("Why do they have these books? [Older child] can play Fur Elise")

Please forgive me if there is already a thread on this subject--I searched and couldn't find anything...

[anja]

What I would do is have a total of three books. I don't know about the Faber method, but for me, I'd find one book that has challenging music, one that has slightly easier music, and one that is really a Primer but that you call their "exercise" book. (In this book, you can take them right back to the beginning, and stress even tempo, the ta-ya system of counting rhythm, phrasing, articulation, grace notes, and reading!) The 10 yr old girl would have a primer that is one lower level than the 12 yr old boy. I'd use Leila Fletcher Book one for the girl and Book Two for the boy, or Boris Berlin's ABC Primer. 

The bulk of the lesson is spent on the two other books, of course, and over two years, you try to catch them up.

I would avoid rote altogether.

[maryruth]

Have you looked at the Faber Accelerated Beginnger book?  That might be a good place to start with the younger child.  It moves faster--it starts at level 1 instead of the primer level and doesn't do much in the form of pre-staff notation.  It gets right to the Grand Staff.  I use it with four first year students that I have that are in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade.  They are all doing well on it--if the students can already play at this level, she should be able to cruise right along as she learns how to read the music on the page. 

I have a student who's ability to play is ahead of her reading skills.  I have one "fun" book for her that has a CD of the songs.  Her reading is slow because her ear's so good.  She hears something once and can practically play it--doesn't need the music again.  So, the "fun" book lets her cheat and not read the notes....

[vera]

The greater the difference is between the reading skills and the playing skills, the greater the challenge for the teacher, unfortunately. You have to make it look like you are teaching them "new " things. Often they have not been taught properly' how to use the pedal. A good opportunity to find the easiest pieces with broken chord formations and teach them to use the pedal, after dealing with notes first of course, and say that the pieces must be easy, otherwise they would be too hard for learning the pedal.  In Thompson:Grade one studies" there are two such studies, and they sound nice too. Look for more of the same kind, from attractive study books, copy them in a special folder, so the students cannot see, from which book they come.
Find other deficiencies in their technique and find easy read studies to fix that. Again you can pretend, it is for a certain purpose,you do not have to say, that reading easy material is good for them. Students and their parents do not like to be "put back".

I would try the Microjazz pieces (Christopher Norton) also, good for rhythm and notes, there are not too many notes in those at the simplest level. They probably have not played that sort of music and that age group usually likes it. I am talking grade 1 and below, if you take the easiest ones.

Last but not least, the easiest sightreading books, you can find. That will be a totally new game for them, no doubt.  Cover up the notes as you go, forcing them to look ahead. You have to start at rockbottom level. Again, if that is a "new" activity, they should not object. Definitely no more rote-learning. Good luck with that. Vera.

[faulty_damper]

Transfer student?  Taught by rote?  Is it possible that they were taught using the Suzuki method?

[vivace]

Great ideas everyone!

I like Maryruth's idea of a "fun" book--I hope to incorporate this idea of playing familiar pieces at a level closer to the student's playing (as opposed to reading level). I was thinking of rummaging through the Faber "Popular" Books to see what I could find.

Vera, thank you for suggesting the Microjazz music--I have heard positive remarks about this music and definitely will look into this for my students. 

The greater the difference is between the reading skills and the playing skills, the greater the challenge for the teacher, unfortunately. You have to make it look like you are teaching them "new " things.

  You are right about this!

Transfer student? Taught by rote? Is it possible that they were taught using the Suzuki method?

I don't think a standard method like Suzuki was used. It seemed more obvious to me that these students were unfortunately the product of some lazy/poor teaching. After I realized the 10 yr old could not pick out a single note-name, I asked her if the previous teacher would mostly play and she (student) copy; she said yes. The books they brought in were a part of the Alfred Prep Course series--you know, a series for preschoolers. The older boy had better sight-reading skills, but the first piece he brought in from his previous teacher had many basic mistakes that were unbeknownst to him--notes, rhythm, absent articulations.

Well I have a second lesson with them tomorrow. Guess I will see soon how it works out!