Piano for Early Beginners (5- 6 years old)

My 9th child finished studying this piece at 5 years old, a few weeks before he turned 6  years old this July.  He learned it seamlessly.  My initial problems with him is his wrist and palm tend to stick to the keyboards while he is playing.  I kept reminding him to imagine a “ball” under his hand while he is playing.

The song he played above is taken from Piano Adventures Primer Level Performance Book.  It is called “Ding Dong”.

His fingers are starting to be firm and not wobbly anymore.  Though when he is focused too much on reading the notes it normally flattens a bit.

In giving some pointers to to him, he loved it when I am gentle and reassuring.   When I am stern, he tells me “one more chance, please” with his cute smile.

I enjoy teaching early  beginners.  It is not early enough to teach artistry and playing with feelings.  Do you notice how he moves his head from one side to another side?

First, we clapped the notes together.  One quarter note gets one beat and half note gets a “one-hold” beat.  Then, we counted the song by finger number.  Then, I sang the lyrics of the song while he played.

He has a huge tendency to day dream while playing.  His muscle memory on the piece can move his fingers automatically and then he realizes “where am I?”.  I give him a frown and he knows he did something bad.

It is not easy to take his video but this is the closest to perfect at the moment.  After one month of piano lessons, this is what we accomplished.  Not bad.  I love it.

For articles on piano lessons and raising children, you might like to check out the ff:

 

5 Benefits of Piano Lessons that Parents Should Know

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Teaching Firm Finger Tips in Piano Lessons

This summer, I started teaching my younger boys how to play the piano. I regretted that I waited too long. Late last year, I taught my 15 year old boy and he responded very well. Last week, I started teaching my 13 year old boy and he was too rigid. His fingers are not cooperating. But, he is persevering in his practice time though it is frustrating to hear him. Two days ago, I began teaching my 11 year old. He was patient and typical.

Today, I like to share my experience teaching my 5 year old boy. I started last week. I made many attempts to teach him last year but I was the one not ready to go back to the teaching game. Life was stressful after the cancer diagnosis of my mother and going to Canada to take care of my 104 grandma in her last months.

Last year, I was having a challenging time with my homeschooling efforts. My 15 year old is blatantly uncooperative. I prayed hard about it and discerned that God wants me to use “music and piano lessons” to get him back on track. I run this idea with my spiritual director and did not get any clear cut directive both negative and positive. So, I put this insight into action. I taught him lovingly and with patience. This was the turning point in our “mother-son” relationship. Since that point, he mellowed down in disobedience. He was more eager to respect me and let me be a mother.

Why I waited so long to teach the rest of the kids is beyond me.

I noticed that my 5 year old does not have any problems with his rhythm. He can clap the notes in good timing. He knows his finger numbers. I noticed though that he does not have the muscle support to form his tiny hands in a rounded-hand shape position. His fingers were flat on the keys and the hand seems to be not even strong enough to keep it up for a long time. He was pressing on the keys.

I taught a 4 year old many times and really, I forgot that yes, most of the time, this is normal in the first few lessons. Since, this is my kid, my heart melted and thought that piano playing might not be for him. I was frustrated because I was supporting his wrist in our first few lessons. I kept praying “Lord, grant me patience.”

My dilemma was to wait awhile and resume a few months down. However, I decided to keep going and ignore this.

Yesterday, I started working on letting him know what is the difference between firm fingertips and flat fingertips on the keys. He seems to understand the difference but still he forgets when he is too focused on the notes. But, today, I took the chance and just worked on letting him understand “firm fingertips” for each note that he was playing. I used the word “your finger is wobbly or wobbling. We want it firm and strong.”

Firm Finger Tips – your piano student’s goal

Wobbly Finger Tips

This was my chance to bring back to his attention the 3rd technique in piano secrets from the Piano Adventure Primer Techniques and Artistry book called “Making O’s.” For those unfamiliar with this piano methodology. Faber, the author, uses the example of “making a letter O with your fingers”. Visualize making your thumb and pointer finger together making a letter O. Do you see your finger tip and how it is curved and pointy on the first knuckle? This is a very important technique because once the child gets it, the whole hand lifts up with the wrist.

So each time, his finger wobbles, I tell it to him and tries to make it firm until he realized that it is not really that difficult to make it firm.

We accomplish firm finger tips technique today. And, boy, was he happy. He told his brother practicing piano in another room “I did it! I did it!”

Teaching my 4 year old to play the piano

Manipulating the sands is a great finger strengthening exercise for piano

I never forced any of my children to learn piano at an early age.  Though I am a proponent of starting them early, I cannot see myself on a rigid schedule for their piano studies.  The “yes” factor isn’t just there.

I started my Joseph when he was 8 years old and since then we had daily 30 minutes sessions every morning.  It worked fine for him.  Prior to going to his public school   7 years ago, he would take lessons from me.  I prioritized this.

With my other children, they tried to learn on my first few years with them  but they did not thrive on challenges at that time.

With my youngest boy who just turned 4 yo, I actually started teaching him informally at 3 with no set curriculum. I taught him first that pianos need to be respected.  I noticed that many kids that I have taught in the past do not understand that musical instruments are sensitive to touch and destruction.  They are not easily replaceable.

I taught my then 3 yo that this is the upright piano was his piano and that Mom’s is  the grand piano.  He is not allowed to use my grand piano without my permission.  When I was thinking of selling my upright Baldwin piano, he was so much against it that I changed my mind.

Then, I told him to play “choo choo train” in the piano.  I was surprised he caught that and he played in the piano with both hands with an expression that you can actually relate to a train.  I told him, what about a playing the “rain song”.  He did quite well too.  So for his entire year last year, we did this without formal lessons.  But, unknowingly I was teaching him the right way to treat the piano.  Also, I taught him how to sit in the piano.

Last week, I was practicing in my Hammond C3 organ.  He went up to me and he wanted to play.  So, I taught him HOT CROSS BUNS using the black keys.  I was amazed that he was so receptive.  He memorized it by 80%.  I did not insist on perfection.

Last night, we had a family prayer with singing in the family room where the Baldwin piano was, he wanted to play so I again reviewed HOT CROSS BUNS with him.  He did it.  I know he got it.

Before we slept, I told him to play it in the air while singing.  He did it again with the right pitch and movements of the fingers.

I think he is so ready to begin his formal studies in piano.

For articles on preschool piano and benefits, click below:

5 Benefits of Piano Lessons that Parents Should Know

Tips for Piano Teachers to Handle a Student Who Wants to Quit

Cellist Zuill Bailey’s Performance at Greenville, South Carolina

Piano Lessons: Is it ok to start them early?

 

Two year old son tinkles piano with full expression.

 

 

Many piano teachers find teaching children ages 3 to 4 challenging.  Actually, there are many proponents of delaying formal piano lesson until 5 to 6 years old.  This age range is the right age for emotionally maturity in piano lessons.  It will also jive with the child’s mascular development and avoid  problems later on.  

Well, I have great success teaching children in the range of 3-4 years old even before they can actually recognize the alphabet (A-G)) or the numbers (1-5).  But, was it easy?  No.  Was it worth it? YES!

When I studied in the Conservatory for my piano degree, I have several classmates who were concert pianists and child prodigies.  I am in awe at their finger’s dexterity, velocity and artistry.  There is precision and accuracy.   Even with their advanced knowledge and skill, we still get to have classes together in the subjects like Music History and other academic general arts and sciences subjects.  

They are the “favorites” of the professors because they are representing the quality of our university.  But, I tried not to be intimidated by their persona and try to mingle with them as often as I can.  I found out that they started their formal piano lessons at 3 years of age.  Their mother was their first teacher and they eventually found another teacher in the process.  

So, there is an exposure to music already.  There is also an interest.  We all know that we cannot force a 3 year old to do what we want.  

I know that at such a young age, my parents would tell me that I am drawn to the piano.  I would tinkle it and enjoy the sound that came from it.  My parents knew that I would be a pianist.  But, they could not find a teacher willing to take me in at 3 years old.  My parents have no background in music except that my father is a solo tenor singer at a Catholic Church. 

When I had my two boys, none of them was showing interest in piano studies though they were exposed to it a lot.  So, I decided to wait and not push them.  

But, when I started to convince them, my oldest son at 11 went through three levels of a typical piano method in three seatings.    My other son at 8 years old, maybe went into two levels right away.  The oldest son lost steam right away, the other son persevered and started formal piano lessons with me.  It is at this point that I decided to start accepting students other than my children. 

Three parents found me wanting to teach their children at 3 years old.  I warned them that there is a dearth of piano method for this age group in 2003.  And, that I have to do a lot of customizing the lessons.  They agreed.  

I taught these children  the music alphabet and numbers, keyboard geography, lots of movement to feel the note beats.  They also learned a lot of music theory.  But, the challenge was to make them play.    My goal is to let them touch the piano and learn a skill in every lesson.  Sometimes, the child is manipulating their parents and won’t do anything because of a tantrum.  

I persevered and the parents persevered.  It seems like a long journey but there were lots of positive developments in the child’s academic life as well.  Their math skills were taking shape and they were leading the class.  So, when I started math tutoring, you could just imagine how many students I got just from the older siblings and friends of my parent’s students.  

I have some success stories and I have failures too.  But, after two years, all these children that dropped out went back to me to resume their piano lessons.  I understood that their parents did not have the patience to stand the tantrums and emotional immaturity and pay for it.  

But, my success stories are also worthy.  Matthew is performing well in his academic life.  At 5 years old, he was tackling level 2 piano methods.  One day, he just grew up.

I plan to take only a few students in this age group but what is a priority for me is more the parent’s commitment and understanding of the process.  Their goals must be long term.