Know Your Young Music Students
I cannot stress this subject enough; it is so very important. Every individual on earth is created to be unique. Because of this fact, it is impossible to teach every child in exactly the same way. Siblings can be very different. I teach a brother and sister. He is three and she will turn six next month. He is very focused for his young age, but his sister must constantly be reminded to focus on what she is doing. Both are very bright and good learners, but the little boy can actually make better progress because of his basic nature. However, he is not yet ready for more than about a 15 minute lesson. He accomplishes a lot in his time at the key board. He can already recognize some of the standard notes on the back of the animal note flash cards, and he plays his pieces with pride. However, because of his tender age, it would be wrong to expect him to work beyond his natural interest period. His sister on the other hand could spend hours with me making up fun games with the flash cards, so I have to sneak in the learning sides of this activity. She can play quite well, but really does not care much about concentrating on timing. I can get her to play one piece seriously in each lesson. I am thinking of timing games that might help her work on this problem. When I succeed, I will definitely add the information to this website as I know this can be a problem for other children as well.
I have two sisters who take lessons from me. The older child is the more focused of the two, but very sensitive and shy. With her, I must be gentle. I teach in a gentle, calm voice and give her proper encouragement. She knows when she receives encouragement that is not deserved, as this is actually an insult to her. Her little sister is almost as “wild as a March Hare.” Getting it done is what is important, even if it is not correct. Her attention span is relatively short, but she is very smart. She could really care less if she receives a compliment. She is doing very well and loves to play her animal songs, but she is a challenge to teach. I do much better when I work with her nature than against it. She started when she was four and will turn six in a couple of months. She is ready for the “Moving On” book in her ability, but not in her stage of personal development. We will stay with fun songs a little while longer.
The Animal Note method is truly wonderful as it allows children to begin music at a young age. The success rate is terrific, but that success depends on knowing and working with each individual child’s personal rhythms. For some young children, beginning music with standard music notation is a road to failure as it requires too much concentration and abstract thinking. Since animals are familiar and friendly, they can succeed, and music can be an essential part of their future. Study your child and give it a try.
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