Piano for Kids

Back when the Animal Notes were in their “infancy” the first of four siblings started lessons with me.  He was five years old, and the Animal Notes made so much difference in his learning and attention span.  Nineteen years, and three more siblings later, all starting with the Animal Notes, the last of the four played her Senior Recital.  All four started at five years of age and took lessons from me through their senior year.

Not long ago, I received a lovely set of letters from them, each writing their own personal thoughts about music in their life.  They are gifts I will cherish forever.  I would like to share part of these thoughts with you.

From the oldest:  “I was able to learn and enhance a talent I may never have found.  Piano has become my passion, as well as a great stress reliever when I need to clear my head.  I’ve also been able to share my talent with friends and family, playing in college talent shows and family get togethers.”

Number two shared with me: “I developed a lot as an artist each year through your teaching, and I have so many wonderful memories to treasure now from the years we have shared.”

The third child wrote:  “My experience with the piano and guitar, I’ll never be able to thank you enough for the gift.  Today music is very important to me and I have continued to teach myself by looking back on all that you taught me.”

And the last:  “Thanks you for what you have done for me.  Not only have you taught me how to play beautiful music, but you have taught me how to play it from my heart.  Every lesson you’ve given to me, I will hold dear to my heart for the rest of my life.  No matter how hard of a day I have, I can at least look forward to coming to the piano and playing all my troubles away.”

I am thankful that I have been able to give the gift of music to these young people, the gift that has kept on giving.  The Animal Notes enabled each of them to have a start in music that did not intimidate and frustrate them.  They were able to progress in a fun and interesting way.  Sure they did not always practice as I would have liked, but they stayed the course and I have won a priceless prize.

Music education has been proven to be of great value in a child’s education.  However, when times get tough it is often one of the first things to be cut in educational institutions and even in homes.  This is a tragedy for the future of our children and our nation as a whole.  An early music education stimulates the left side of the brain which is important in the individual’s ability to use good logic in their thought patterns. We need good logical thinkers in our future as a nation.

The new Animal Note method of teaching music makes it possible for you, as a parent or grandparent, to carry on and provide this vital link in a child’s education without too much pressure on a slim family budget.  Yes, it will take a little of your time and patience, but this method is easy to understand and teach so a person with no musical training can help a child learn.  This will not only give your child a beginning music education, but will contribute to positive family time, a value that cannot be over emphasized. 

Your first order should include at the least, the note reading book and a set of flash cards.  A keyboard chart comes free with your first order, and it can be used for the keyboard to practice each song, if nothing else is available.  The book teaches your children the relationship of nine notes to the Grand Staff and to the keyboard. The Animal Note/standard note flash cards allow for reviewing the word clues of each of these nine notes and applying that knowledge to the standard note.

The next step would be to order the Timing Book that helps your child understand rhythm and beat.  As the child progresses, if you do not have a piano or keyboard in your own home, ask a friend, neighbor, or a church if there is a piano your child could use once a week.  Small keyboards are not too expensive and can often be found in the classified ads of your local paper or at a “Goodwill” shop.  When a instrument is available, even on a very limited basis, order a Fun Song book for your child.  It makes any child feel great to play a song they and others recognize. 

The Animal Note method is not only simple to understand and learn, it allows for a successful transition to stand music notation and a successful music experience.  Yes, a music teacher might be out of your price range, or you cannot afford lessons for all of your children, and/or  the school has cut piano from their budget, but that should not prevent you from giving your children the precious gift of music that just keeps on giving for a life time.

Last summer, three sisters joined our music teaching studio.  The older two girls, ages 11 and 7, had taken for two years from a teenager, who had quit teaching because she was going to college.  The youngest, who was at the time 3½ years old, would be a beginner.  The oldest of the girls was already firm in her note reading and timing and was ready to move on in her music.  She loves jazzy pieces and does quite well with them.  However the 7 year old was not a note reader at all and was developing a real fear of failure.  She only wanted to play her old pieces that were in her comfort zone.  I asked her if she would like to try playing in the Animal Note books.  With a big smile and an enthusiastic yes, we started working on note reading.  Each lesson, we worked with the flash cards and the word clues, applying the knowledge to the standard notes on the reverse side of the each note’s flash card. During this time, she enjoyed playing the songs in all of the Animal Note Books.  She loved to come to her lessons.  I introduced pieces from the new book I am working on where a short song is first written in the Animal Notes and then the same song is written in standard music notation.  She had no problem with these, so it was decided to move on to the original book she had used before starting with us.

Whoa, that is a horse of another color.  “I can’t do this, there is no way.  I don’t know what that note is!!?”   I asked her, “What is the note doing, does it have whiskers like a cat, or is it digging like a dog?”  “It’s a dog,” she replied with a big smile.  Slowly we worked through the song and she conquered it.  Each song was, “No, my other teacher decided it was too hard for me!”  However, thanks to the word clues and the animal they reminded her of, she could master each new piece.  Last week at the music store, I bought a book of five finger popular pieces for her.  She looked at the book with, “I love this piece, and this one, and oh, this one is great!!”  I let her select the one she wanted to play first.  This time there was no hesitation, she note read the piece with joy.  Her stumbling block had been turned into a stepping stone, thanks to the Animal Notes and their simple method of introducing music to younger children.