The Animal Music Notes and Four Year Old Piano Students
A lot of four year olds can sing the “Alphabet Song” perfectly, and some can give you all the names of the alphabet letters in order without the song, some of the time. However, they do not have much concept of how these letters are used and only a few can recognize them on the printed page. Yes, we do have the few who are starting to read at four, but they are the “exception not the rule.”
Music training in many parts of the world is based on the first seven letters of the alphabet, so when a four year old starts piano lessons without the basic knowledge and recognition of these letters, the teacher must first teach this skill and then associate it with the notes. Many times the child becomes so frustrated with this process they will not pay attention and do not want to cooperate with you.
Notes can be called by any name; it is the recognition of their placement on the Grand Staff and the location of that note on an instrument that is important in developing musical skills. Animals are not only familiar to a child; they are also something they enjoy. Fun stories, that give memory clues, can be associated with the animals and where they are located on the staff. These memory clues help the child build a basis for future reference as they move on to standard notes; thus enabling the child to concentrate on learning to play the piano even before they have entered kindergarten and formal training in reading.
|
|
