What should I do when I’m teaching a child piano for the first time?
Hi, I’m teaching a 5-6 year old girl piano in a couple of days and I’m not EXACTLY sure how and what I should teach her first.
I know I’m going to teach her about fingering (first is thumb, second is index, etc.)
But should I teach her about rythym? Should I introduce her to the keys? (If so, how?)
Your help would be great.
Thanks in advance. 
1, Get a good book–Alfred’s Prep Piano Level A is good. You can simply follow the text–Lesson 1–hand position; proper sitting; finger numbers; then some basic musical terms ( Low, high, fast slow); recognition of black note groups on piano. The lesson can end with some easy black-note pieces in the book. Make sure you get some playing time into the first lesson as a reward. Smile.
Good luck.
P.S. I am a piano teacher.
Comments
Well the hand position is a start. I learned piano at a young age.The first thing that my teacher taught me was where the note "c" is.Then from there she taught the other keys on the piano.Then I just memorized the keys.She said a key and then i played that key.Also, we started matching the key to the actual note.But we only used quarter notes.Rhythm is really hard so you might want to teach her when she gets better at the keys. But, at first just stick with quarter notes.Hope this helps
References :
me and past experience
I have just re-trained myself to play Clarinet using the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year band books, meant to train preteen to teen students that have never studied music.
The method they use, especially throughout the first year’s book, is to slowly teach students both fingerings and how to read music through very simple, very repetitive exercises. In the 2nd year book, they begin to look a little more at technique. For now, start by teaching her about the staff and how to read basic 4/4 time first… but still do that slowly spread out over a few lessons as you give her exercises to help drill those fundamentals into her brain.
My advice: PATIENCE! During your first year with her, don’t expect too much too fast (you already know and this is her first exposure to music). I went through the first year book as a refresher in a couple of weeks (without daily practice) only because I’ve read music most of my life… but remember the first time students must go slowly, and repeat things over and over before they become as second nature to them as they are to us. What took me two weeks takes most first-time students 9 months of daily lessons.
References :
my music teacher had my mother purchase books. I suggest going to the music store and seeing what they have that would be a good. They have primer books for this age. I think I had a technique, rhythm, and theory book and I has homework from each.
References :
1, Get a good book–Alfred’s Prep Piano Level A is good. You can simply follow the text–Lesson 1–hand position; proper sitting; finger numbers; then some basic musical terms ( Low, high, fast slow); recognition of black note groups on piano. The lesson can end with some easy black-note pieces in the book. Make sure you get some playing time into the first lesson as a reward. Smile.
Good luck.
P.S. I am a piano teacher.
References :
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.