Hi,

I just started teaching my daughter. Her teacher for the last year moved out of state. She was almost through Bastian Primer B. I helped her every week learn what she needed for lessons, and spent a lot of time on fundamentals such as notes and rhythms. I wanted to review and not continue on as she is playing far beyond her fundamental understanding. Why is she not successful at simple things like play bass clef with the left hand or that C is not middle C. She comes to the right answer if I talk her through how she should figure it out. Then we do it again the next day.

I am a music educator and have taught primarily 6th-12th graders. I have a lack of how to teach a 1st grader effectively. Should I focus on making it fun and not worry much about progress and wait for "it to click?" Or keep forging ahead with a little bit of review? She has been getting frustrated because she realizes she should know simple things like which hand to use and where to find notes on the keyboard. Any advise on what to do when she gets frustrated? She has learned 3 hand positions, but can not tell you or show you which hand position to use when I show her music, even from book 1.

Please help, all I want is for her to love to play.

Thanks,

Tat

This is likely purely developmental.

I would switch courses at this point -- it will make review more interesting and fun and ultimately, may help her grasp the concepts by using a totally different approach.

I suggest looking at Music Tree (Time to Begin is the first volume), or My First Piano Adventure. Both have teacher guides that you might find quite helpful.

Thank you! It is a perfect time to switch as she is almost finished with her current book. I hadn't thought of that. It might be just the thing!

There are situations in which I would not know what hand to use either. This can be very complicated in music at the highest levels as well as at the lowest. For example, in a complex toccata by Bach, it might be difficult organizing your hands to play very fast passagework, which Bach likes to do in the middle of the keyboard where you have to use both hands.

Well, getting a little off-topic here, but you do realize WHY Bach wrote that way, right?

tat--

What's glaringly obvious to you and me may not be so glaringly obvious to a first grader. Every kid develops differently, and I agree with Minniemay that the issue may be developmental. In fact, having taught several students who are truly, truly developmentally-challenged, I can say that some kids may want to wait until they're 9 to start piano. Seriously.

Be more patient. Repeat instructions often. Apply more imagination with names. I remember my teacher at that time used an endearing terminology:

middle C = "little child" C

treble C = "mama" C

bass C = "papa" C