Piano for Kids

As parents we recognize the need to allow our young children to become involved in activities outside their home and school environment.  This is truly important to their total development.  Each extracurricular activity has something unique to offer the child, so it is very important to help your child choose that which will fit his/her personality the best and give the most satisfaction and benefits.

There are some serious considerations that you as a parent must take into account.  Don’t allow your child to get involved in too many activities at once.  To do so can lead to lack of time and energy for school lessons and family activities.  Is the activity chosen something you want the child to be interested in because it is your love and passion, or does the child show some interest in doing it for themselves?  In other words, don’t try to relive your childhood through your child, but let them live their own childhood as you, hopefully, were privileged to live yours.  And last and possibly most important, agree between both of you to support the child in the chosen activities.

As a music teacher, I often must face the problem of the mother wanting her child to learn music and enjoy the many benefits available through this activity, while the father is not fully supporting this because he wants his child to devote more or all of his/her time to sports.  Both of these activates are important in a child’s life.  Each develops special skills that can serve the individual well in adult life.  They can be enjoyed together, and the child can do well in both, but he/she needs your united support, not to be pulled in two different directions by wanting to please both of his/her parents who can not agree.  Please don’t do this to your child.

The 8 and 9 year old children are starting to acquire a good data base of information and may not need the Animal Notes to find secure ways of learning Standard Note reading techniques.  However, there are many that will progress much quicker and with more confidence if note reading is introduced to them through the Animal Notes. 

I use both “Beginning Note Reading” and “Beginning Timing” with this age group along with a standard Primer Book.  Using the Animal Note Flash Cards, we work on the word clues that will help the particular child remember the placement of the note on the Grand Staff.  We then study one or more pieces in the “Beginning Note Reading” book.  We then look at the notes we have studied on the back side of the Animal Note Flash Cards.  If the child has trouble recognizing the standard note, we flip the card over and review the word clues for that note.  Then I have them play one or more pieces in the standard note Primer Book.  When it comes time to study the “Beginning Timing “book, I again turn to the flash cards.  In each set there are three cards with the six basic note values.  We play the notes they are studying in the book and count them out carefully.  We work on listening to the various notes and training the child’s ear to hear the length of the sound of each note value.  This is then applied to the standard music book they are studying. 

This training goes more quickly with this age group, but its value in laying a strong foundation of knowledge for their future musical experience is invaluable.  The time is well spent as the child will normally be playing note reading with confidence by the time they have finished “Beginning Timing”.  You have the joy and rewarding feeling gained by how you have helped your student build a firm foundation on which to build his/her musical talent.

For most children in this age group, learning patterns are starting to change.  They are now being introduced to new knowledge on a daily bases in their school classrooms.  Starting to learn something as foreign as note reading piano music is not quite as frustrating.  However, for a large majority of them, it can still be quite a struggle, and some quit before they have a chance to enjoy the new talent they are developing.

Why should it have to be that way, if there is a fun and effective way to reach the same goal?  Honestly, does it really matter what the notes are called in the longer run?  Once the notes are learned a pianist does not think of them by name, but instantly recognizes the notes and strikes them on the keyboard.  Since this is a truth, why frustrate a young child while learning a new skill if it is not necessary?

I work with my students in this age group the same as I do the 4 to 5 year olds, but children at this age have a larger data base of information so usually learn more quickly. 
Because they are learning the Animal Notes more rapidly than the younger age group, it is of utmost importance that the teacher goes over the notes and word clues regularly using the Animal Note Flash Cards. When a note gives a child trouble, I spend extra time going over its word clues.  I have them play the key with the animal note side of the card and again when the standard note on the reverse side of the card is shown.  It is so rewarding to watch these little ones move on to standard music with confidence.  I do use several “fun music books” on the primary level with the children. These have familiar songs the children enjoy learning, and it gives them time to firmly secure their note reading before moving on to the next level. 

Most four and five year olds can recite or sing the alphabet, but have little knowledge of its use in the real world.  However, they do know about animals; that is why the Animal Note method is so terrific and practical for this age group.  They are successful. This provides a positive approach to piano lessons, and opens the doors to a wonderful and lasting experience in the musical world.  WOW what a gift!!!!!

The new Animal Note Flash Cards are really working out very well.  They strengthen the education given in “Note Reading for Very Young Children” and “Timing for Very Young Children” and allow for an easy transition to the standard notes of music.

At the beginning of each lesson, I go through the Animal Note Flash Cards of the animals that have been covered in previous lessons.  With each card, I ask the child to give the special word clues that help identify where that note is located on the Grand Staff.  I have the child play that note, and then show them the standard note on the back of the card.  This systematic approach strengthens the word clues and allows the child to become familiar with the standard note.  It takes time for a child this young to make the transfer to the standard note, so please use patience and persistence in this training.  If they are rushed, they will get frustrated. 

As a reward for the child’s efforts, I give the child the cards and ask him/her to arrange them in any order they choose on the music rack.  I then have them play the notes, in order, from left to right.  With applause, I congratulate them on their new composition.  Many times they will want to play there new song more than once.  It is time well spent as the child is strengthening his/her note reading skills.

Piano has been taught in a relatively standard method for many years.  Admittedly, there have been some who have tried new ideas to improve or change the norm, but for the most part, it’s easier to “stay the course” than to “stir the waters.”

But what is truly important — sticking to the same old way of doing things or being willing to try something different that might bring greater success to the students you teach? Sure, it is probably easier to do things as you were taught, change is never exactly comfortable, but what if there were a way to start young piano students that would be easier for them to learn, more fun for them, and still bring you success as a teacher?

The Animal Note method was developed about 13 years ago as a way to help young children relate the new knowledge of note reading music to something that is familiar and enjoyable.  A child as young as 4 can begin piano lessons using the Animal Note method.  Yes, for a child that young, progress is slower than with a child who is 8 because the older child has a larger “data base” of experiences. Also he/she has learned in school to set and work with new material.  But we are not trying to rush them into learning piano too fast, and the total benefits gained for the child are so valuable that taking the time, exercising patience, and understanding their total developmental level are easy prices to pay.

So as a music teacher, can you DARE to step out in a new direction by giving the Animal Note method a try when you start a new student between 4 and 8?  The success and joy will be well worth the effort, and what an adventure for you and your students.