Piano for Kids

Book one of this unique music teaching method was designed to help beginning music students from ages 4 to 9 learn to read notes.  This is a difficult task for many music students, especially for this young age group.  Children learn by association.  There is nothing simple in their short lives that make it easy for them to associate the standard notes on the Grand Staff to anything familiar. This method of early music instruction uses caricatures of animals as the note heads.  These friendly little creatures are something familiar to the child.  They are something simple and fun as well as useful.  Unique word associations can be developed for each note; and by frequent use of these word clues along with the specially designed Animal Note Flash Cards, transition to standard notes is simple and comfortable for the child. 

Good note reading requires the individual to not only recognize the note on the staff and associate it with its tone and location on an instrument, if necessary, but its timing or length held.  The first creates a song’s melody and the second its rhythm.  Book two introduces timing, using the same animal friends.  Since the child quickly recognizes the note, they can concentrate on its value.  It is important training for every individual, but the Animal Notes make it possible for a young child to develop a workable knowledge and use of timing from the beginning of their musical training. 

Be creative and have fun.  This music was designed to make your job of teaching young children and succeeding with them not only possible, but a real joy.   

A strong, well-built foundation is essential under any building that will last through time.  The same is true of an individual’s education.  Music should be a part of a child’s education.  Music is all around us.  The modern inventions of our time have made music more available than ever. If we have been fortunate enough to have received some music education in our youth, we are able to enjoy and more fully appreciate music as adults.

Music is very complex and deep.  Some individuals have spent years, if not their entire adult life, studying, researching and evaluating music.  How thankful I am to these individuals who have made available the fruits of their labor. Because of their efforts of through time, teachers have a vast resource of information available to them to share with their students.

However, the basis of music education starts with a solid understanding of note reading which requires two talents.  First being able to read the note on the Grand Staff and determine its tone and second to read its value or timing.  These two essential parts of music create the melody and rhythm of any song.

As teachers of beginning music students, it is so important that we build a strong foundation.  To do this we must see the challenge before our students through their eyes.  They learn by associating new knowledge to what they already know.  Working with 4 through 8 year old age group requires special attention, because many are not ready to accept the abstract concept of standard note reading.  That is why the Animal Notes used in the books and flash cards featured on this blog are so helpful.  Each note head is a caricature of an animal whose name starts with the alphabet letter normally associated with that note.  Young children can learn simple word associations for each animal that will help them locate the standard note later on.  For the youngest in this age group, it takes more time, more songs and constant reminders of the word clues, but for the older children this simple process will move more quickly.  Through this method, a strong foundation of note reading and timing can be built.  I have personally worked with it for 15 years now.  I know some of my students, that are now fine young musicians, would likely have quit early because they could not read standard notes as a young student.

Last weekend my husband and I attended a wonderful performance of a youth musical put on by the school children of our area.  The adults that worked with this group of youngsters did a terrific job, not only with producing a great evening of entertainment,  but they also instilled in these children good work ethics, cooperation, respect, and creative thinking. 

The work of parents, teachers, and other youth leaders is so important and valuable to this nation, that its worth is immeasurable.  The youth of this nation are its most valuable resource and asset.  The future is in the hands of these young people.  Children learn, not only what is being taught, but from the actions, attitudes, and enthusiasm of the adults that are involved in their lives. 

Any raw resource that is developed into a useful product must be refined, shaped and molded.  It takes many hard working individuals with creative minds, patience and positive effort to produce a product that is well designed and of benefit to society.  So it is with the children of this nation.  The future of America, and in some part, the entire world lies in their hands. 

The work you do with the young people in your life is the most important job you will ever have to do. Give it your finest effort, using creativity, a positive attitude, and patience. Don’t let the children in your life or your nation down by not doing your part.

The ultimate goal in teaching young children music is a sound working knowledge that will be part of their life, not just in the short run, but in the long run.  How fast they learn is not critical, but the support factors used are very important. 

Be PATIENT with them.  They are learning.  Maybe they are not learning as fast as you want them to, but they are learning.  In reality, the Animal Note Method may be much faster and more efficient than the common Standard Note method.  Be patient with yourself as well.  You will need it as you go over the word clues that will be the child’s support system in identifying the notes on the Grand Staff.  To keep the child’s attention to the tasks at hand you will need to be creative and allow yourself to have fun with the child and with what you are teaching.

Be POSITIVE as negativism crushes the child, causing them to put up a shield against what you are trying to teach them.  Our natural response when they make a mistake is “NO, that’s not right.”  No is a negative word.  You might say instead, “Think about that a minute; what is that Animal Note doing?”  The child might want help remembering the correct clue, but when he/she does get it correct, you have a great opportunity to give positive praise.

For efficient learning for young children the ideas must be kept SIMPLE.  The Animal Notes are simple characterizations for that reason.  The word clues must be simple and fit each Animal Note’s task on the Grand Staff.  For all of us it is easier to build from the simplest facts to the more complex, and music certainly can be quite complex.  Having a strong foundation built on the simple basic facts allows for acceptance of more complex information as a new brick of learning is laid. 

These basic principles apply to beginning note reading as well.  Taking time to give the child secure knowledge of the basics will allow for a future love for the many facets of music. 

There are a few gifted people in this world to which timing in music comes naturally.  For the rest of us, it is a struggle, conquered only with time and patience. 

I was working with one of my young boys this last week who has really struggled with the concept of timing.  When he plays a tune with which he is familiar, his timing is better, but not totally correct.  He has moved from the Animal Notes to standard music notes, so recognizing the note sometimes affects his timing.  We decided to backtrack for a little while and again study timing in “Beginning Timing for Very Young Children.”  When we had worked in the book earlier, he really did not care a whole lot and did not honestly work on the concept of timing, but now he wants to play the popular songs he is working on correctly.  He wants his friends and family to truly enjoy the music he is playing. 

The Animal Notes made note reading effortless at this point in his musical growth, and he could concentrate on recognizing the timing value of the notes.  He is a bright little boy and willing to work, but he had never realized he must read each note for two things: tone and timing.  We had discussed this when we started studying timing, but it did not seem important to him at that point.

We are making good progress this time around.  There is a big lesson for us as teachers; don’t hesitate to back up and review old material on a level that is comfortable and friendly to your students.  If handled with a positive approach and honest praise for progress, the student will find joy and satisfaction in the experience.