I have a piano student that just turned 10 and is in the Bastien series, level 2. She constantly struggles with her notes, and I've run out of ideas to help her learn them. By now, I think she should be able to point at a note and quickly say what it is. She's can't. I've tried notespeller books, flashcards, and writing them out but she still continues to struggle. I can't keep her moving through the books without knowing her notes well. And ideas or help would be appreciated!! I have only taught for 3yrs. so am still a "young" teacher

I said this once - to the parent and the child, together. I said we will not be learning any new pieces until she knows her notes. Gave the kid a set of flashcards (mine were homemade, but you can just give her a link to print off her own if you'd rather.)

Kid knew all her notes the next week. (Had to pull this trick again later, after she should have learned more notes.)

thanks, maybe i need to try that approach!

This is an issue I've struggled with for many years now. It seems that a lot of kids need constant reinforcement of note-recognition, while others just seem to 'get it'. Some tactics I have learned to employ are:

I don't tend to start with a tutor book anymore. Rather, I print off my own simple pieces and I take care to print as few finger numbers as possible. Much as I admire John Thompson's piano courses, for instance, I have found that they use so many finger numbers that the kids will always focus on those first, which becomes a real problem once they move beyond a five-finger position. Having said all that, I've just started my 7-yr old daughter on his First Grade Book (Modern Course), as I found the pieces in that so inspiring when I was her age - however, before I gave it to her, I went through and tippexed out all of the finger numbers except for the first in each line!

I always get my students to try and work as much out for themselves as possible. So, in their first lesson, I would introduce them to Middle C, but when I write D next to it on the whiteboard, I get them to think about what it might be called, and so on for the notes up to G. Any notes I introduce after that, I try to stick to the same rule - I'm a firm believer in the notion that the more the student discovers for themselves, the more likely they are to understand the process by which they came to know something.

For a good while after they progress towards a more extensive knowledge of the keyboard and note-recognition, I get them to call out the note-names of a piece before they play it or hear it. I also tend to get them to have a go at playing every new piece before I play it to them - if a student has a relatively good ear, they will often just copy the teacher rather than work it out properly from the score. I think this is what I tended to do as a child, and why as a result my own sight-reading ability is way behind what I'd like it to be.

Also, have you tried getting the student to write her own notes? I often let mine come up and draw them on the board nowadays - they absolutely love it, and it also gives them another way to process the same information.

She's only written her own notes pretty much in theory books I think. Maybe a combination of the different ideas will help and yes, I agree with you, students need to "think it through" on their own- I think they would understand it better. For right now, do you think I should pause her where she's at? I'm thinking I'll probably do that and say just do a few songs and really work on notes for a few weeks.

How about initiating a challenge with a small reward once it is completed?

At the moment I have a "Beat the Teacher" challenge, and I ask my students to spend several minutes per day playing an online note recognition game.(There are plenty to choose from)

I have my own score written down for them (I took it fairly easy - but enough of a challenge that they really will deserve it when they beat me), and when they think they are ready they take the timed challenge.

If they beat the teacher, they get a couple of Freddo frogs and bragging rights written up on the white-board for all to see.

It seems to work well for me.

To the OP, I would not halt progress in the current method book (unless you were considering changing to a new series). Sometimes "difficulty" with note reading indicates lack of interest in the music presented; the student may not really be struggling, but rather bored with the pieces in the current method. If the books are well suited to the student's taste and your teaching style, then perhaps, as mentioned above, try reinforcing note reading by having your student call out note names prior to playing a new piece. Some of my own students are presented this activity as a "60second challenge"; they are always quite satisfied when they beat the clock, and I find them more careful to actually play the notes which they named aloud.

~mstrongpianist

So there are flash cards, tutors on websites, worksheets and many ways to teach visual recognition and we ask the kids to do and use these things at home to help them to be able to "read" their music at lesson.

Are we missing the idea and connection that this reading on the music page designates a particular always the same "pitch" on the piano keyboard. I think the finding of the keyboard location with it's sound needs to be happening - not just a dry run of trying to prove note recognition.

In Preparatory Level, I use landmarks of 1 C (thumbs on middle C)for 9 note recognition
This becomes 3C's of 2 octaves in Elementary Level
5'C's in Intermediate Level
8'C's is the completion of studying C's as landmark notations

Along with the octaves of C's our students should be shown a graphic of the registers of the piano simply marked - there are various ways of marking registers for quick comprehension. That could be a discussion area for teachers in another topic.

Training young arms/hands/fingers in movement to finding these notes is important part of teaching/learning. We want to teach and train repetitious pphysical movements that are accurate.

If the student learns to center himself at Middle C every time he plays the piano, his reaching out to the key will trace the movements of the last time he did this. Sitting "wherever" on the bench changes the angles of reaching out and touching a key and allots for "carelessness" in finding notes on the piano.

About the very best thing that was added to my teaching many years ago was saying "D" is in the middle of the 2 black keys. From there it's possible to find any of the 7 alphabet natural notes/keys on the piano.

I believe there is a lot of confusion in our students minds about what they are seeing and how to explain what they are seeing and doing. Confusion remains until the student is "keen" enough to take on the "game" of doing and finding at the keyboard.

There are only 9 letter names within the treble clef lines/spaces
3 notes at the Middle C area
9 more letter names in the bass clef.
Keep the dimension of the area small for first attempts. The mnemonic is fine to use but only after learning individual notes in the first place does it completely make total sense to kids.

Inner leger lines give students lots of trouble and must be told they are the lines and spaces from below and above that are being "borrowed".

Draw an "empty" keyboard for kids:
1) |__________________|

2) | | | | | | | | | | |

3) Add black note groups

4) Find "D"

5) Add in all the other letter names

6) Show how this happens in all other keyboard locations and play the notes to hear their sounds - To their left from Middle C:lower and lower, To their right from Middle C: higher and higher

7) If necessary use a "fit behind the keys" keyboard chart with identifying letter names with a corresponding music staff that connects a note written on the staff with the keyboard as an always there referance for a month or so. Does this help?

If you haven't worked with them in several different ways of presenting the keyboard correlations to the music staff they are not likely to get the message and be able to use it accurately.

"Lost" is not good.

While my on-and-off trials did no problem in knowing 5 C landmarks, the confusing part was in relating other notes from that *fast enough*. Under 1 second, even 0.5 s I can, still too slow for reading most serious pieces (16 or 32ths).

A confounding problem I protested loudly (and weirdly for that age) against at 8 years was the alternating coding between lines and spaces for each even and odd octave. e.g. C,E,G,B on lines on middle, -2, +2 octaves but on spaces in +1, -1.

Like Betty, veteran teacher Martha Beth Lewis emphasises the link blob > specific key and I think that's more important than saying letters. Where I found letter patterns useful is in recognising harmonies even as inverted chords (B,D,G = G Major or V of C Major etc) and I can do this as real-time redundance and reinforcement that what I'm reading is "right" for that passage.

Since I'm new here....I'll start with saying "Hello"

I enjoyed reading the replys and thought they were all such good ideas and thoughts. I use lots of those suggestions with my students. I do love the use of flash cards and love to play as many games as I can with the kids. One flash card game that seems to be a favorite is : I have them close their eyes and I hide the cards all over my music room. Then I set a timer and they open their eyes and run around the room finding the cards. (one card at a time) They find a card, run to the piano , say the name of the note and then play the note. It's especially fun when two students race. (overlap in arriving and leaving)
Anyway, I'm a fan of flash card games.

As a strong proponent of solfège I disagree with this point of view.

Pronouncing the note names is of fundamental importance, and producing vocally the corresponding pitch.

The do-ré-mi nomenclature is a great advantage in this domaine. The a-b-c system lends itself to confusion on a musical level for a beginner.

Here is a method I have used with some students who struggle getting to know the notes. I get them to learn one note, and to learn it thoroughly. I teach them to think of the note they are learning as their special friend.

The student probably knows middle C well. Choose another note, maybe E to become their special friend. Spend some time teaching and talking about E. Make a fuss when E appears in a piece. Get the student to describe where their friend is on the music and where it is on the piano. The goal is to become so familiar with this note, that it can be recognised instantly on the music, it can be named without hesitation, and it can be found immediately on the keyboard.

When learners are trying to become familiar with many different notes it is difficult. It is much easier for them to develop a close relationship with one note. When they have achieved this they will have made real progress. When they meet this friend in a piece of music they will pleased. They will know immediately who it is and where it is. So they keep reading music just as they have been, but now there is one note that is easy.

When this friend is thoroughly learned and completely secure you can introduce a new note to become a new friend. Eventually the student will have maybe 20 friends. Don’t rush. Get really close and very familiar with each friend before moving on to the next one. It may take anywhere between one lesson and several weeks for each friend.

All I am suggesting is a plan for students who have a problem learning the notes to break the task up into smaller and easier chunks. The teacher and the student will be able to easily see and measure the progress which should provide encouragement.

Ron

I do something similar. I tell the student his job this week is to become an expert on this note (or whatever he's learning this week.)

One thing I find helpful is to keep a book of advanced music nearby. When a student is learning something new - whether it be quarter notes, or a specific note, or accent mark, or chord.... I pull out the harder music - music that makes them gasp by all the "black" on the page - and let them find that single thing. Find all the middle C's on this page. Find all the dynamics on this page. It seems to help the kids get a glimpse of the bigger picture. That what they are learning today is going to matter for a long time. That they aren't just learning something to get them through this piece, or this week's lesson, but something that they will keep on using.

Kinda like the students in math class who say, "When are we ever going to need this?"

It's one more way of reinforcing the idea that a treble G is on the second line, for example. So much "noise" on the page forces them to focus on that second line.

And it generates a little bit of excitement in them when faced with this page of hieroglyphics and they are able to pick out something they recognize.

We are looking for accuracy aren't we.

Sometimes "approximately" has to come first before accuracy is gained. Being in the proper register for instance is more positive than not knowing at all where on the keyboard a note from the music staff is located.

Making mistakes is forgivable as long as the mistake is not engrained.

Confusion does exist in some of our students and must be replaced by retrievable and working knowledge (knowing).

Sometimes progress is made by association. If this is "D" what are the names of the notes before and after "D". (CDE) If-then correlations.

Thinking backwards in the alphabet is important to be able to say and do on the keyboard. Practice the saying of the alphabet first without keyboard or music staff connotation. Then apply it to the keyboard even if using only index fingers to find descending notes. Learn to start anywhere on the keyboard and recite note names backward.

We can't expect flash cards to work on the keyboard simply by naming them from their staff locations.

When it comes to finding root chords (identifying the name of the inversion) students simply need to be able to spell the chord by placing it on 3 adjacent lines or 3 adjacent spaces. The quick conclusion to that is to notice whether it's lines or spaces that there are more of in the chord - convert the 3rd note which there is only one of (either a space or a line) to what the other two notes are so that all notes are on adjacent lines or spaces. You now look for the bottom note for identifying the chord name. (Knowing the intervals that shape a chord in root position would be a higher leverl step to knowing the chord to be major/minor/diminished/augmented. This happens in a timely way after all of this prerequisite single note naming and finding on the keyboard is accurate. Next would be 2 notes in harmony to identify before moving on to chords (triads).

It's always a case of knowing what comes first before adding new information.

So if the student can simply find 8 C's on the piano keyboard and recognize them on flash cards that is 1/7th of naming the natural notes A-G (no accidentals) on the piano. You then have 8A's and 8B's and 7D's, 7E's, 7F's, 7G's to find.

Just trying to reduce notation teaching down to simples forms for communication. What we say and how we say it does need to be spoken in the way that the student understands best.

If nothing else works, try drawing a line and placing a whole note on it. If this is line A - what are the names of the spaces around it? Draw 2 lines and place a whole note in the space between the lines. If this is space C - what are the names of the lines around it?

Start simply. Restart with different explanations and examples as much as is needed using one new concept or approach at a time. At what point does the student "get" the information?

The "global picture" is the entire staff with possibilities for 88 notes (black and white keys).

Or, you can start with one note and define where you are on the music staff and on the keyboard location.

If you look at the music staff from a side view, you easily see the equidistance of placed notes on the music staff moving away from Middle C. (Read it left to right - to the left is bass clef moving upward to the right becomes treble clef, higher, higher.) This view best aligns the music staff to coincide with the keyboard.

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This is a huge revelation for some teachers to make - I remember my own discovery with awe - and it really helps kids to maneuver the keyboard and relate to the music staff better. Orient your student to the keyboard and to the music staff! You want them to "own" this information not simply "parrot" back to you.

We are working toward "cognition".

wow, thank you all for your many ideas and advice... I have a lot to digest but this should definitely help me!!