Piano for Kids

In my next few blogs I want to discuss with you some of the techniques I have found useful in teaching the various age groups.  You will find many more of your own, but I find having others share their experiences with me is very helpful in my own teaching. 

I have worked to a limited extent with children under four, but I have personally found that most children in this age group are quite successful in finding the Animal Note’s picture on the keyboard chart, following it down to the actual key and pressing it.  They love it when I try to make the animal’s sound or ask them “Who is knocking on my door?”  This is a good exercise for them, but most are not ready to start reading music.  Yes, there are exceptions and if a child in this age group can go further how wonderful it is that there is now a method that can be used to help them advance.

Many four year old children have developed the level of concentration required to look at each Animal Note on the piece of music and then find the note on the keyboard and they love it.  They do not seem to tire playing the little pieces, and I have had a couple four year olds work ahead in the book on their own.  However, I find it is best to go slow and steady with this age group.  I do a lot of reviewing of the songs successfully passed. It is too much for them to play all the old songs once they have learned 5 of the Animal Notes, but one or two from each set of songs associated with each Animal gives them both a good review and a sense of satisfaction and pride in how well they are able to play these pieces. 

I begin using the Flash Cards with my young student as soon as Cat has been introduced.  We talk about what the animal is doing on the Grand Staff and how to find it on the Keyboard.  I always show them the Standard Note on the backside of the card. It is interesting to me that most of the children associate this note as a “backside” of the Animal Note.  With constant review, it becomes as much a part of their world as the Animal Note.  Until they are five, I have not pushed them to play the Standard note without first seeing the Animal Note.  I find this age group is also very creative.  They make interesting games with the Flash Cards. 

Be relaxed and have fun with these little ones.  It is so rewarding to see their progress and delight in what they are learning.  Most important you are giving them a firm foundation in music before they are so involved in other outside activities that they feel they do not have time for music.  Instead it is a part of their world that they will always be able to enjoy.

The Animal Note method of music education for young children is based on Associative learning.  The oval shape of the standard music note becomes the head or body of common animals that are familiar to young children.  It is possible to have fun little stories for each of these animals to help the child learn the notes placement on the Grand Staff.  Stories can also help them remember the animal’s home on the keyboard.  Repeating these stories, when talking about the notes, strengthens the child’s knowledge of the note.

The Animal Notes/Standard notes Flash Cards are a very important link in this learning process.  When the first note is introduced, the flash card should be introduced for that note and the stories concerning its location on the Grand Staff and the Keyboard should be talked about.  As each new note is added, a new flash card should be added to the review pile that you go through with each lesson.  If your student is 6 or older, start turning the card over and introduce the associated standard note and repeat the stories so the child becomes familiar with the standard notes along with the Animal Notes.  By doing this, it is possible to have a 7 to 9 year old child ready to play standard music by the time they finish the timing book and possibly a fun book of songs.  Children under 6 will need more time than the older group and the introduction to standard notes must be gradual, as many children in this age group need more time to learn using the familiar Animal Notes.

Please consider ordering the Animal Notes/Standard notes Flash Cards set when you order the beginning books.  They will help you so much as you move your young student into music with standard notation.

The Noteimals music education method for young children almost seems surreal to me.  As a young piano teacher, I so wanted my young students to avoid the problems I had as a child in learning to read notes and get control of timing.  I tried every fun way I could think of to accomplish this goal.  Today I work with what I think is a wonderful method every day.  I see its successes, and I strive to add additional beneficial materials to the program.  It is exciting and fun to watch children as young as four succeed with this method when before only a very talented and gifted child would have been given the opportunity to learn music at a young age.  It brings me such pleasure to see my students leave their lessons with a big smile on their faces. 

I told you I had been using the method in a school piano studio with third, fourth and fifth graders.  On my last day, three of the children came up to me and told me how much they appreciated this method because it had taken the frustrations away that they had been feeling toward piano and music in general.  They were all proud to tell me they planned to continue in piano because they really enjoyed it now.  What a wonderful reward for the Noteimals. 

The fact that I am associated with something that is simple, fun and really works is the part that is surreal for me.  I wanted it so badly.  I did not want to lose students because I could not teach them note reading, and they would quit in frustration.  I am very thankful to God for making me part of it.  Try working with the Note Reading Books, Flash Cards, Word Clues, and Timing Book. I feel confident that you too will smile with a great feeling of success and accomplishment. 

I am working on a music theory book, which I am calling “Moving On.” The purpose of this book is to provide additional help in smoothing the transition from the Noteimals to standard music notation while introducing some other important elements of music. I am excited about it, and I think you will be too.

The Animal Note method is designed so anyone can learn the basis of note reading and timing without prior knowledge.  The Piano Note Reading Book introduces the first nine notes that are most used in early piano music.  They are placed on the keyboard and the Grand Staff.  Each note is introduced starting with middle C, which is a caricature of a cat’s face.  The cat has whiskers and likes to play in the box between the Treble and Bass Clef.  This fun story helps a student remember the note location on the Grand Staff and transfer that knowledge to standard music notation. There is only one song following the introduction of middle C and one with the introduction of D. More songs are used for each additional note introduced.

The Guitar Note Reading book has a large graph in the front of the book that shows the notes used on the guitar and their location on the upper neck of the instrument.  There is also a list of helpful word clues to help the student learn the note location on the grand staff, and to be used with the flash cards for easy transfer to standard music location. There is a small graph at the top of each song showing the notes used in the song in their appropriates location. The music is written on the normal Grand Staff allowing the student to learn note reading from the first lesson. 

A set of Flash Cards show the Animal Notes on one side and the corresponding standard note on the other.  By using the stories associated with each Animal Note, reviewing the notes learned with these word clues, and then using the word clue with the same standard note, it is amazing how quickly your children will learn the notes. A list of word clue ideas for all 21 Grand Staff notes is included with the cards to help learn all the notes in standard notation.

We also highly recommend the Timing Book, which is also written in the Animal Notes.  Because the notes are easily recognized the children can concentrate on the timing.  Note reading and timing are the basis of all music.  Any instrument can be learned with this knowledge. Note reading is also very valuable in singing.

We have two “Fun Song Books” to support learning and make it more fun.  Every child likes to play a song they recognize and others hearing it will enjoy and give favorable comment.  For a child six and under, it also gives more time to learn and feel comfortable with note reading and timing.

Many parents have already ordered the books and have told me of the fun and success they have experienced teaching their own children.  We hope you will seriously consider doing so as well.  Remember you can always e-mail us for help and support.

The last three weeks have been so exciting for me.  I was invited to introduce the Piano Note Reading Book to a third and fourth grade piano class at a Magnet Art Elementary School.  The Piano Studio has 25 electric pianos for the children’s use.  They have an excellent teacher with over thirty years of teaching experience, both in public school and private lessons.  It is a real joy to work with her, but what is exciting, for both of us, is how well the children are learning their notes.  We work with both the Flash Cards and the Note Reading books.  The Keyboard guide, which I include with each beginning book, is carefully placed in back of the black keys of each instrument.  Each lesson we review, using the Flash Cards, the notes we have already learned.   We then review a couple of old pieces, and learn a new song and sometimes a new note.  They have class twice a week. 

The fourth graders have mastered five notes and the third graders are close behind with four.   The Animal Note method enables the children to learn the location of a note on the Grand Staff, use the word clues to help recognize the standard note on the Grand Staff, find the note on the keyboard, and play a song from day one.  While they are practicing a song, I have time to walk around the room, helping and correcting any problems with each child.  I give extra help to the children I sense are having more difficulty once I have given all the children my undivided attention. 

It is so rewarding to watch the joy in the children’s eyes because they are successfully playing “music”.  It is also helpful and rewarding to be able to work in a classroom situation so I can learn what products I might be able to alter or create that will help the teacher provide the best instruction possible in beginning music classes.

Note reading is the basis of all music education.  The Animal Note method starts from this point.  The first book for piano teaches the first nine notes on both the key board and the staff.  Each note is a caricature of a different animal whose name starts with the letter of the alphabet normally used in American music.  Each letter is introduced with a story that becomes a word clue for that note, like middle C is a cat with whiskers living in a box between the clefs.  At least one song follows each note introduction.  After each note is introduced it is used in all subsequent songs.  Youngsters enjoy this as the notes are easily read, and they are able to play right away.

The Flash Cards should be used as soon as three notes have been introduced.  With the Animal Note side of the card facing the child, remind him/her of the word clue associated with that note; then flip to the standard note side and ask them to play that note.  My students call the standard note the rear side of the animal.  There are lots of fun games that can be played with the cards, and gradually the student becomes as comfortable with the standard notes as the Animal Notes.  The word clues are the secret to the transition.

The timing book is so helpful.  The notes are easily read as the student knows the Animal Notes and can concentrate on learning and listening to the length of the notes and how that makes a special melody.  Again the timing is introduced in stages starting with the whole note, and then the quarter note is added, etc.

The Christmas Song book is the only fun song book on the site at this time.  Another one should be available in the next two weeks.  Children love being able to play a song they have heard before.  These books are written in the Animal Notes, with words for singing along.  When you are working with children between 4 and 8, please consider adding these books to your teaching collections.  Children this young need more time to be comfortable with standard music notation.  Most eight year olds make the transition within a year of starting and move into five finger music books quite easily and love it. 

Following the Animal Note series, select a standard note instructional series you have learned from or like.  There are many good advanced teaching series available.  The Animal Note method is valuable and important as it takes the frustration out of learning to read notes.  So many youngsters quit because they just can’t learn to read notes and hate playing an instrument because of this.  The Animals are friendly and comfortable for the children, which makes learning fun instead of frustrating.  Using the Flash Cards for this instruction is also very important.

With the Animal Notes and their word clues, it is possible for a teacher, parent, grandparent , other relative, or a thoughtful friend to teach piano to a child as young as four and guitar to a seven year old.   The books and learning tools designed by the Noteimals allow young children to take small, steady steps toward learning the location of the notes on their instrument and the Grand Staff.  The word clues for each of the Animal Notes allow the child to have fun with learning the notes and have a way to recognize the note in its standard notation.  The child feels good about what they are accomplishing.  There is very little of the frustration that is encountered when starting a young student in beginning music using standard notation.  The Animals are familiar and friendly.

When teaching any young child, it is very important to put information on their level of understanding.  They have not had time in their short lives to experience all that a teenager or adult has.  I have found that tying new information to something comfortable and familiar helps them understand and learn new information.  For instance:  To help my young guitar students understand why the low E is on the top when the guitar is in playing position, we talked about this note being a Father Note Elephant.  Daddy’s might come home from work and need to sit down in the bass clef for awhile, but they still must be up mentally to help their family and friends below him on the guitar neck to provide them help whenever needed.  This simple idea has helped each of my young guitar students accept the fact the fact that the lowest note in guitar music is closest to their face when the guitar is in playing position.

The Animal Note approach to note reading and learning an instrument at a young age is fun, creative, and, in the majority of situations, very successful.  Music adds so much to any individual’s life.  Why not try it with your new young music student?

In my March 10, 2008 blog, I shared with you that my four year old granddaughter had decided she wanted to play the piano in her church talent contest.  Her mother thought she was comfortable enough with the notes used in the song “Peace like a River” to be able to play it.  I arranged the song using the Animal Notes for her, and she practiced hard.  Yesterday was the big District Competition.  It was held in a large church with many participants. There was a large grand piano at the center of the auditorium stage.  Several children performed before it was her turn.  She watched and listened patiently.  When her turn finally came, her mother went up first to put a pillow on the bench and the keyboard chart behind the keys for her.  My granddaughter then took a copy of her music to the judges’ stand, walked to the stage, took the microphone, and gave the audience her name, the title of the piece, what church she was representing, and her age.  Returning the microphone to its stand, she walked to the piano, climbed up on its bench and the pillow, and played her piece without missing a note. 

To her delight, she was awarded a first place metal.  For weeks she had practiced and dreamed of hanging a ribbon on her bedroom wall in a place where she could see it when she went to bed each night, and when she woke in the morning.

The fact that a four year old child accomplished this is so wonderful.  What a future lies ahead of her.  I am so very proud of her, her mother, and the work and dedication they put into this effort.  I am equally delighted and thankful that there is now a way that a child so young can learn to play an instrument and develop good note reading and timing skills early in life.  The Animal Note method of early music training will open new doors for children, allowing them to develop, enjoy, and share their talent for a life time.

Many times in the last 40 years of teaching, I have been asked by my younger students, especially the boys, to teach them guitar.  I have succeeded with the older children, but for the younger children the guitar is a very confusing instrument.  First of all it is upside down when in playing position; the high notes are on the bottom strings and the low ones are on the top strings.  Even a very young child can tell you that one must go up the hill to get a higher view.  Then there are two E’s among the open notes two octaves apart; the high E is on the bottom string and the low E is on the top string.  For a child, that is just “mind boggling” and crazy.  An adult who has had any musical experience can figure this out, but for a child, it just does not make any sense.

Many times a teacher will approach this problem by teaching chord positions, but a young child wants to play a tune they know and that will impress their friends.  That is something that is not possible with a young child playing just chords. 

I have an eleven year old grandson who tried hard to learn the guitar only to quit in frustration.  His four year old sister is using the Animal Notes to learn piano, and that gave him an idea.  “Why don’t you write a book using the Animal Notes to teach the guitar?  He wants it so badly that I decided to work on it for him.  The new book on this web page is the result of this endeavor.  I am teaching six young people, including my grandson, using this book with good success.  Two of the children are teenagers who are good note readers thanks to band, but told me they just could not seem to understand the makeup of the guitar.   When learning about the Animal Note method from one of my student’s sisters, they asked me to teach them guitar.  They are having a lot of fun, and they tell me that for the first time they understand how the guitar is organized.  They are delighted because at last they feel like they are learning to play it.

If you have a child who wants to learn the guitar, or is having difficulty learning with standard methods, I hope you will give this book a chance.

Right now I am working with my graduating senior piano student on the music she is preparing for her Senior Recital.  She has selected a wonderful program of music that cares the listener through the historic development of music.  It has given us both a great opportunity to discuss the development of music through time, including changes in music education.

When I started teaching some 40 years ago I used the same beginning books as I used when I started lessons in the third grade twenty years earlier.  I still use some of the Schaum method as my students move from the Animal method into standard notation.  The basic method of this series of music education books has changed little since I studied them as a child.  Historically, changes in music education have evolved slowly.

Because standard notation is difficult to for most students to understand at first, a lot of music teachers do not accept a student until they are 8 and/or in the third grade of school.  The Suzuki method of teaching does work with very young music students by developing their listening skills, but does not start note reading until later in the student’s musical training.  There are so many advantages for children to have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument early in life.  However, for most instruments note reading is at the very basis of becoming an accomplished musician.  The Animal Note method is the “new kid on the block” of music education.  It is one of those steps in the history of music education that allows children as young as 3 to become acquainted with music notes, and by 4 years, play simple pieces on the piano.  This is really a new idea, but I have worked with it for 15 years with positive successes.  With the word clues that are fun for the children and the Animal Note/standard note flash cards moving to standard notation is not a problem.  It does take longer for the youngest children to make the transition; that is why I am working on “fun music” similar to the Christmas Book.  This allows a child to have fun playing songs while growing more comfortable with note reading and spending time  reviewing the word clues, and the flash cards.  It is great; give it a try!