Piano for Kids

I think every individual has memories of past events that have had lasting effects in their lives.  I certainly do–in music.  My grandmother gave me my piano.  It was a new spinet model, and it was so beautiful, and I was so proud.  My first teacher was gentle and patient with me, but I was only able to take a few lessons from her before my family moved from Northern Colorado to a very small town in Southern Colorado.  There was only one piano teacher, and she had a waiting list.  I was excited when the call came that she had had an opening.

My new teacher was not like my original one.  She was strict and proper in all matters.  I was not good at note reading. This bothered my new teacher, and me, particularly because I could not memorize the pieces, and all recital pieces had to be played from memory.

 The recital was held in the school auditorium, and a good share of the community was there.  Everyone was related to everyone else in the community. Every aunt, uncle and cousin for each student had to come, so you can imagine the crowd.  We were to go on stage, bow or curtsy, introduce ourselves, and give the name of the piece. 

It started out great, but then I forgot a part.  I simply started over as if that was part of the piece.  Because I was anxious and fearful, I again had trouble at the same spot. I left the stage in tears.  My teacher scolded me and told me how much I had embarrassed her.  I never wanted to play the piano again, but my parents always told my brother and me that if “you fall of the horse, make certain you have not broken a bone, and then get back on and ride that horse.”

 There was no way my mother was going to have my music experience end in this way.  They found a friend who had some musical training who would work with me.  She did so much to restore my love of music and taught me a lot about patience and “stick-to-itiveness.”  I took from her for several years until a new band teacher came to town who taught private lessons. I started taking lessons from him.  It did not take him long to discover that I really could not read music easily, and he found fun and interesting ways to help me overcome my problems.   How very thankful I am to these wonderful people in my life.

These early childhood experiences in music had a big effect on my life and my attitudes toward music and teaching.  I did not want any student I taught to have the problems in note reading that I had. When I was not able to help some of my young students, I had to find a way to solve this problem.  The Animal Note music teaching method is the result of that desire.

 If you were to attend one of my students’ recitals you would come to my home to a friendly, fun and warm atmosphere where each child is praised for their accomplishments and problems are discussed with love and understanding.  This is what all of us want for those we teach, and it is important to remember that learning, though an essential part of life, should be fun, interesting and associated to the knowledge base already possessed.  

The Animal Notes have an exciting future.  Yes, they are officially a business, Noteimals LLC.  You guessed it;  this  is a shortened form of Note Animals.  We are busy writing books for other instruments, so the basics of note reading and timing can be introduced to more children through more avenues.  You will note that we already have the basic book for the guitar; it is doing a great job.  All of the students started on the guitar last fall now play the melody line of songs in standard music notation.  The next book in this series will introduce chord formation based on the knowledge the children already have.  This will also give the children a foundation in chord structure which is the basis of harmony. 

We also have moved into two new schools, where the Animal Notes are busy helping young children read notes and understand timing.  One new school is in Montana and the other Brooklyn, New York.  The teachers are delighted with the material and their students‘ responses. We now have the Animal Note Flash Cards in a larger size, deluxe edition for classroom use.  The Note Flash Cards are not on the web site yet, so please contact us at glenna@piano4kids.com  if you need a set for classroom instruction. 

A new book in the series ,” Moving On,” is being developed and will be very helpful.  Each new piece will be written in the Animal Notes on one side of the page, and the same song will be in standard music notation on the back of the page.  The songs will emphasize various aspects of music theory that can be discussed as the piece is introduced and studied as the piece is practiced.  It will be available by the first of the year.

It is so exciting to see more young children begin music in a fun and encouraging way that allows a smooth transition to standard music notation, thus giving the child the gifts of music appreciation and enjoyment at an early age.  We hope you will seriously consider giving this wonderful  educational opportunity  to your young children