SOME BENEFITS OF PIANO HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH PIANO
If you look at a child’s piano lesson and ignore the piano part, what you have is a laboratory for fun problem solving.
Everything at the piano is a problem to be solved, and a performance of a piano piece is really nothing more than an assembly of many different problems into one whole.
It’s very important for kids to get the feeling of trying things out, failing, and trying again with almost no pressure to succeed. So much of their lives at this point are about accomplishment and mastery, and it’s easy to overwhelm them if there is a sense of pressure.
How does one solve any problem?
First, the problem has to be defined. This is the teacher’s job. To a child, you would do well to make the problem to be solved as easy as possible. One does this by breaking things down into tiny actions that any child can grasp.
Once the problem is established, you need to make sure that the time spent solving the problem is both interesting and entertaining. If you cannot make it fun, you really cannot teach children.
Enlightened repetition is often the only way to get a child to solve a problem. Remember that each subsequent attempt is difficult for the child if they repeatedly fail at it. If the child repeatedly fails, it is a sure sign that your “game” is too difficult for this child’s particular needs, and must be broken down even further.
For example, suppose you are teaching fingering to a child, and they cannot grasp the idea of habitually starting out with the right thumb. Since the dominant finger is the index, they need work and experience with the thumb.
In this situation, I would simply ask them to have a race with me, and the first person to play Middle C with their thumb wins. Make it a silly race, with jostling and cheating and uproarious fun.
A child made aware of their thumb in this fun way will never forget it. Why? We made it into a game that was fun, and let them play it long enough to be certain they had the idea before moving on to more difficult tasks.
Name the thumb, call it Mr. Splooky or some such ridiculous name. Each time they fail to use it, say, “Mr. Splooky forgot to play!! Let’s try again.”
To amplify this idea, now move to other notes and make them play the child play them with the thumb.
The result is a child who is prepared to use their thumb.
But the real point is that we now have a child who is solving problems at a level that is comfortable to them, and is ready for more problem solving, even at a ridiculously simple level.
If you think of every problem as a potential game, you are on the right track.
PIANO IS EASY BOOK PACKAGE INCLUDES:
PIANO IS EASY (ISBN # 0-9718936-1-6) Sturdily bound, durable, colorful 120 page illustrated song book with 50 songs such as Jingle Bells and London Bridge, Play Along Audio CD and removable numbered stickers.
Every book package order of PIANO IS EASY includes a copy of I CAN READ MUSIC. This fun, easy-to-understand music activity book is the best way to start children reading music. Click here for sample pages.
Every book package order of PIANO IS EASY includes a FREE copy of the 56 minute DVD video from TEACH YOURSELF PIANO. This video will have you playing chords (three piano keys played with the left hand) and fun, familiar songs with both hands right away. That's a $16.95 value free!
2 BOOKS, PLAY ALONG AUDIO CD and DVD
Click here for a list of songs. Click here for sample pages.
PIANO IS EASY BOOK PACKAGE $39.95
You can also purchase individual books with CD $24.95
For Younger Kids see also CHILDREN'S MULTI BOOK PACKAGE and PRESCHOOL PIANO PACKAGE
For Adults see also ADULT PIANO PACKAGE
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