5 Ways to Engage Our Younger Beginner Piano Students

Children learn by observing, exploring, listening, and asking questions. Learning is as natural as breathing which makes young children ideal candidates for piano lessons. Singing and moving comes very natural to them, and they are often very quick learners!

Let's take a look at 5 ways teachers, parents and students come together to create the best learning environment, to ensure success and a life-long pursuit of music.

I. ASSESSMENT

An initial assessment is important because by understanding the student readiness, the teacher will know how and when the lesson plan will need to be adapted accordingly. A few things to keep in mind:

1. Is the hand physically developed enough to depress the keys without tension?

2. Is the child able to remain attentive for the length of the private lesson?

3. Can the child follow simple instructions?

II. LESSONS

Once the initial assessment has been accomplished, the teacher will be able to provide the best instruction to the student with greater understanding and expertise. One important factor that can make or break lessons with young children is the teacher’s ability to adapt to the student’s personality. Music teachers cannot only be masters of their instruments. They must be master communicators, and an expert teacher knows the importance of teaching the human being first, the music second, and the piano third. This idea is different from the traditional way of teaching in the turn of the 19th century, where the student had to adapt to the teacher's method with little regards to the student's learning style. An expert instructor nowadays understands the necessity of teaching the child first and foremost and helping in their music development.

III. PLANNING

Piano lessons for young beginners require teachers to do short-term and long-term planning. It is very important to plan and prepare prior to each lesson. A general rule is to use the “age plus one minute” when planning classroom activities. In other words, a five year old can be expected to focus on an activity for a total of six minutes. Off-bench activities are particularly important because they allow them to move and engage their body with rhythm activities and games.

IV. REINFORCING

A very important element in teaching young beginners is ensuring that they understand the concepts well. This requires reinforcement by using different, so for for example, singing and moving are wonderful ways to develop the child’s musicality. Therefore, it is important to incorporate such activities in each lesson to develop their musical strength.

V. COMMUNICATION

It is very important to develop a positive rapport and relationship with the parents. Young children need more assistance during practice, so it is crucial to involve the parent during each practice session, and ensure the parent understands the weekly assignment. Inviting the parents to observe the lessons whenever possible is always a good idea to allow them to see the child’s progress and to come along-side the teacher as a team. Providing simple and easy-to-follow weekly goals to the student and the parent, along with consistent practice habits, will ensure the child’s success and musical development.

CONCLUSION

It is extremely rewarding to teach young beginners. With thoughtful planning and the willingness to adapt to each student individually, the investment given to young learners will prepare them for a life-long music journey filled with creativity, academic success and joy of learning.

If you would like more information, contact us and we will be glad to set up your first free trial lesson!

"5 Ways to Engage Our Younger Beginner Piano Students" by Piano Performance Arts Academy, LLC.

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What Is the Best Age to Start Piano Lessons?

Studying music is a wonderful activity for body, spirit, and mind. With the times we are currently facing through a world-wide pandemic, keeping children's minds occupied and doing something they love will give them a sense of normalcy and purpose in their young lives.

Learning to play an instrument early on gives children the ability to develop creativity, hand-eye coordination, critical thinking skills, and self-discipline. The positive influence of music education has the potential to enrich children's experiences, bringing the joy of music-making for a lifetime. Parents who give the gift of music education create the pathways for enriching their children’s lives into adulthood.

Many scientific studies have been done in the area of music cognition and many of them report that children who start piano instruction at the age of 6 had more brain growth and better motor skills than their peers. One common question we get from parents is “at what age should my child begin piano lessons?” The truth is there is no perfect age to begin music lessons.

Our advice is if your child shows interest in music, they should be given the opportunity to explore it. There are many amazing programs for very young children under five years old, such as Musikgarten and Kindermusik which engage them with appropriate content using singing and movement. These programs build their awareness for rhythm and pitch which are essential later on for learning any musical instrument.

In a nutshell, the best time to start piano lessons will be different for every child, but most will be ready between the ages of five to eight years old. So, how do you know if your child is ready?

Here is a short checklist:

1. Interest in Music and Desire to Learn: This is a key requirement because if the motivation to learn comes from the child it will definitely serve as fuel for their continued growth and progress. If you pair that with a caring teacher who knows how to bring out the love for music in each student, you will be setting your child for many years of successful learning and joy at the piano.

2. Focus for a Short Period of Time in Several Activities: Young children have a great amount of energy and sitting at the piano for 30 minutes is likely not going to happen. However, if they can focus on small class activities like singing with the teacher for a couple minutes, then doing off bench activities that allow them to spend some of their energy, and playing duets for another couple of minutes, then they are most likely ready to begin piano lessons. In fact, teaching younger children can be much harder than teaching older students and more advanced levels. It truly requires multi-level skills from the teacher, such as in early childhood psychology, well-prepared lesson plans coupled with the understanding to adapt to the child when needed. If the child is able to follow the teacher’s lead in these activities, then they are ready to start in their piano studies.

3. Practice Time in Smaller Increments in Between Lessons: Sometimes this step is overlooked, but it is absolutely essential in learning any skill. A student is almost always motivated to practice after the lesson, but they also have to set small victories and practice goals at home in between lessons to reinforce the skills learned. This is really a team effort between the parents, the teacher and the child. We find that for early beginners the ideal time is 5 to 10 minutes for four to five days every week. The songs are still very short at this stage and that is enough time to keep them focused and revisit what they learned with the teacher in the previous lesson.

If they are willing to practice regularly, then they are ready to begin lessons. However, we find that making it a piano-game-activity time makes it even more successful through fun week challenges given by the teacher. This is a sure way to keep them engaged and interested throughout their lessons and practice time.

So what is the best age to begin lessons? If a child meets these three basic requirements, then they are ready!

We hope you enjoyed this article and we look forward to educating our parents and students in the art of teaching and learning more about music and piano.

If you would like more information, contact us and we will be glad to set up your first free trial lesson!

"What Is the Best Age to Start Piano Lessons?" by Piano Performance Arts Academy, LLC.

#pianolessons #learntoplay #wesleychapel #zephyrhills #tampa #newtampa #riverview #brandon #tampabay

#BeginnerPianoLessons

#IntermediatePianoLessons

#AdvancedPianoLessons

#AllAgesAndLevels

#OnlinePianoLessons

6 Benefits of Online Piano Lessons

If you are new to the concept of online lessons, this page is for you!

More than 300 million students worldwide are having their education disrupted by the spread of Coronavirus. Schools and universities haven’t faced this level of disruption in generations, but unlike any time in the past, we have the ability to continue education even when schools close. In this uncertain environment, it’s important that learning continues.

In this article we want to talk about 6 benefits of online piano lessons that goes beyond our current circumstances with COVID-19, and how they are a great asset to your child's learning.

1. No geographic constrains to have access to quality piano lessons.

With the rise of great available technology for distance learning, parents and students are no longer constrained by geographic location to connect with amazing teachers. Also, when families need to move due to job situations, they no longer have to search for another teacher. Instead, they can continue their child's music education with the same quality instruction of before with the same teacher.

2. We have found that teaching is really a team effort. When parents are actively involved in their child's education, students thrive in their playing. With online teaching, parents are always welcome in the classroom. With the guidance of the teacher, they can weekly assist in setting healthy practice habits and routines.

3. Students take ownership of their on learning and progress.

Students are more attentive and focused in an online classroom setting because they take ownership of their own learning and progress. They have to make their own markings in the music and be responsible for preparing for each lesson. This promotes self-discipline and independence.

4. In a world embedded in technology, students really enjoy using tech gadgets. Teachers can utilize this advantage to interact with students in ways that are not always available with in-person lessons. Zoom is one of the best distance learning apps currently available. It offers the annotations and screen share features which allows teachers to highlight passages and instruct students how to make their own markings, cultivating their independent thinking and creativity. 5. Teacher's direct input on improving students' practice space.

A huge advantage for students and teachers that are available in online lessons, but is not always available when teaching in person, is the ability for the teacher to see the student's practice space. Sometimes piano technique problems arise because students are not sitting at the proper height or are sitting too close to the keys. In a virtual setting, the teacher can give immediate input, allowing the student to have the proper setup and avoiding piano technique problems down the road.

6. Students can review the lesson materials repeatedly.

Zoom allows for video recording on both the teacher and students' side, so students can review key points of the lesson throughout the week. This feature is unique to a virtual setting because it allows the student to revisit the lessons and be better prepared. This is like having the teacher with the student in every practice session in a video format reinforcing important concepts and practice habits. If you would like more information, contact us and we will be glad to set up your first free trial lesson!

"6 Benefits of Online Piano Lessons" by Piano Performance Arts Academy, LLC.

#pianolessons #learntoplay #wesleychapel #zephyrhills #tampa #newtampa #riverview #brandon #tampabay

#beginnerpianolessons

#intermediatepianolessons

#advancedpianolessons

#AllAgesAndLevels

#OnlinePianoLessons