Tips on Teaching Youngsters
It's always both a joy and a challenge to teach really young children piano. Their attention span is much shorter than adults, they lose interest a lot quicker, and sometimes they enjoy being unruly.
But for all that, teaching young kids is a real joy. Their little minds are like sponges, and they tend to learn much easier than adults. And sometimes - every once in a while - you get a very young pupil who just has a passion for learning the technicalities of piano. These students are so much fun to have; they are self-motivated. They actually enjoying practicing the rote assignments like scales and arpeggios. And they genuinely look forward to their lessons, often feeling disappointed when you have to reschedule.
Perhaps the most important lesson I've learned since teaching piano to young children is variety. Young kids get bored easily. Therefore, it's key to vary up the lessons from time to time, so that they don't become stale. In addition, kids actually flourish more when there's structure. Even though they may act up from time to time, they perform better when the teacher sets very clear expectations. Finally, it helps to be consistency in your lesson times. If you are scheduled to meet with a youngster at 6PM every Wednesday, be there at 6PM every Wednesday. Believe it or not, your young ones look forward to seeing you at a set time each week, and when you change that up on them, they can get quite bent out of shape.
2 Comments:
Hi,
I'm a piano teacher in Tallahassee, Florida, and author of some wonderful piano stories to encourage young children in piano to work hard to achieve their musical potential.
Children love stories, and they are a great way to teach important lessons and motivate young girls and boys. I find that most young students who are starting music lessons have lots of questions, and all beginning students must learn how to develop good practice habits. My stories, Piano Bears Musical Storybooks, provide a wonderful way to inspire young piano students and help them succeed. These books use the characters of Little Bear, who is just starting to take piano lessons, his friends and family, and Mrs. Treble Beary, his teacher. In the stories, Little Bear, with the help of his family and friends, learns how to overcome his worries and set positive goals to achieve his musical dream.
In my studio, I give these books to all new students aged six to eleven at their first piano lesson. These fun stories help our students understand what piano lessons are like, resolve their worries about starting something new, and help them begin to develop the practice routines and habits that are so critical to their success.
These include the following materials.
1. Little Bear's Musical Garden.
This beautifully illustrated story sets young students at ease and gives them confidence in their own ability to learn piano. The story follows Little Bear as he begins piano lessons and asks questions that all beginning students have. Children enjoy reading the storybook with their parents and grandparents, who learn great ways to encourage their children in piano.
Little Bear's Musical Garden CD-ROM allows children to hear a narrated version of this story. The CD-ROM also includes a fun, interactive quiz that helps students remember the important story concepts that will help them succeed. (AND BTW - YOU CAN ALSO GET IT ON DVD!)
2. Little Bear's Piano Goals.
This beautifully illustrated story continues Little Bear's adventures as he learns how to tend to his musical garden and achieve his musical dreams. Little Bear, with the help of his family and his neighbor Mr. Green Bear, a master gardener, learns how to set and work toward the goals that will lead to his musical growth and success.
3. Piano Bear's Musical Storybook Journal.
This illustrated journal provides a fun way to keep track of weekly piano assignments and goals. It also provides big keyboard pictures that make it easy for their teacher to indicate hand positions, scales, chords, and fingering. The journal also includes pages for recital photos and achievement stickers, and provides a wonderful memory book for students and their parents to keep forever!
Any teacher or parent can find these these materials on my website at www.PianoBears.com
Warm regards,
Cynthia Marie VanLandingham
Thanks, Cynthia. How's the teaching going?
Post a Comment
Please leave a comment.
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home