I've recently begun teaching piano to a five year old, and I'm really struggling to get through our 1/2 lessons. I started him off with some simple three finger songs on black keys, which were a huge hit, but now he refuses to do anything else. He only wants to play with the three fingers on his left hand, and despite my efforts I can't engage him in any other activities. His parents aren't really encouraging him to "practice" they just want to keep him interested and having fun, which is fine but I'm running out of things to do with him.

Any tips for further engaging this age group? Maybe some games I can play with him to at least keep him busy for 30 minutes a week? At this point he doesn't have an interest in learning note names, etc. But I can get him engaged in clapping rhythms.

I have quite a few students in the 4-6 age group. i have been so excited to discover My First Piano Adventures by Faber that make it fun and creative with lots of games and imagination. It comes with a fun CD for the student to make home practicing fun.

People may disagree with me, but in my experience the most important things you can teach a 5 year old boy are steady beat and tonal development. Most 5 year olds aren't ready to begin reading music (though some are), but are eager to use their imagination and learn.

Some ideas to get you started:
-tap sticks along with a metronome. make the metronome speed up and slow down and see if the child can match it.

-sing a few notes on a neutral syllable (du, bum, etc) and have them repeat back to you. Kids at this age may have never actually taken time to listen to their own voice before, and it's an exciting opportunity to be able to introduce to them the wonders of the human voice and its ability to going high and low.

-draw together. I have a white board and dry earase markers that the kids just love. draw lines going up and down at the same time your voice goes higher or lower. Or show them how to draw quarter notes and half notes.

-sing action songs using parts of the body - particularly arms and hands. This not only improves his ability to listen to pitch, but encourages him to make music for himself and participate, AND it's improving his fine motor skills. I sing songs about finger numbers, or about 5 little ducks and the mama duck going "quack, quack, quack", wich they love playing 3 beats on the castanet. Or there's one crazy song called "Hands a-wshing" found in some Musicgarten curriculum that we sing together after they've washed their hands at the beginning of the lesson.

Focus on having fun and let him explore the piano and try things out with technique and sound. I have so much fun with the young students that time flies by. Yes, it's often exhausting, but to see their enthusiasm and hear their cute comments makes it all worth it!

If he wants to play just with three fingers you could give him some passages in baroque fingering. Have a look at Couperin's school or passages in C. P. E. Bach's Versuch. Then use all kinds of rhythms that you can apply to the passages. Play together with him using the right hand even when he plays with the left, showing the normality of using both hands. Perhaps he could hear other children playing (with both hands) as motivation and inspiration. He probably has never seen anyone playing piano before? Play him some tiny pieces every week as a way of getting used to piano music.

But at this age I think parent interest is crucial. Would they come before or after each lesson, so you would be able to explain what could be repeated at home (I think this can help everyone to get acquainted to practising)?

I would enjoy a lot if you could tell about your progresses!

I have a 5 year old student who just LOVES to tap rhythms with my baton. I also let her bring in her "friends" (stuffed animals) and we let them "help" by playing rhythms on the piano keys.

i teach a niece.. very unusual girl,very smart and very not smart in some things.

she loves to mimic and play 'imitations' and seems to have an excellent memory.

The Suzuki method is what I use for the beginner.

Basically it is the same approach as apple's*

I teach at the beginning, by modeling: good posture, a good ready position, how to move each finger independently, and listening to good tone using an upbeat rhythmic pattern that the child is familiar with by listening at home.

Two pianos help in demonstrating, but it can be taught on one. At the very beginning beginning it is taught on one piano.

Parents do come to the lesson and take notes on how to master each step.

I teach solfege, while learning the rhythmic pattern over each note.

But you could use note names too, if that is easier or what you think is best.

Young children pick up on this so fast. It is amazing.

Sounds like he is too young for piano lessons but his actions. BTW, 30 might be too long as well. Children have different attention spans at that age.

Teach music instead! and explore the piano as just part of the lesson (10 min).

Above suggestions are great. Add to them. Staying at his level. Sit/kneel on the floor and roll a ball on count 1 as you both count 1234 in time with a song being played; explore how instruments work; sing learning accents; copy/draw music signs on large sheets; recorder; marching; finger numbers; 2 little birds (2bk) fyling up and down; go-ing up (3bk), com-ing down (3bk) finding C's all over the piano (bk, C while saying that); these are re-peat-ed notes; FIND the quarter note in a puzzle that you made, a G clef, Large homemade flash cards, add 2 or 3 a week, etc.

Loads of things to do.

Try reading some preprime books, they may give ideas as well.

INVOLVE THE PARENTS!

I use the "doghouse" and "pantry" game to teach the very young ones the white key names. You all are probably familiar with this- but the game goes like this:

I tell them the two black keys are a "doghouse" and I ask them to find all the doghouses on the piano. The dog (D) is in the doghouse, so we find all the dogs. The Cat lives beneath the doghouse, and the Eagle lives above- we find all those. I have them go home and practice finding all the dogs, cats, and eagles on their own piano. When they can easily identify C, D, and E, we go on to learn about the "pantry" (the three black key group), which has four white shelves (F,G,A,B). The two shelves on the bottom of the pantry hold the sweets- Fudge and Gum; the two upper shelves hold the fruit- Apples and Bananas. We repeat the finding game. Eventually, the students can find any key they are instructed to, and can identify any key that I point to. They seem to like this game.

Once they get good at finding all the various keys, I teach them the "Play and Name" game. They close their eyes, pick a white key and hold it down, and then look and name it. They can practice this game on their own at home as well. When they come to lesson, I play the keys and they name. Sometimes we switch roles, and they become the 'teacher' and play the key- sometimes I name it correctly and sometimes not, it's their job to tell me if I got it right. They get a big kick out of that.

That is fantastic double play...thank you for sharing.

Did you think these up yourself?

My friend told me the "doghouse" and "pantry" trick. Even when older students come for their first lessons, and I'm teaching them the names of the keys, I'll say- "This is what I tell my little students so they can remember..." and I go through the whole spiel. The older ones get a chuckle out of it, roll their eyes, but although they wouldn't admit it, I think it helps them remember the keys too!

Oh, I forgot. Another thing I have the tiny ones do is play each white key, all the way up the keyboard, while saying the names... "ABCDEFGABCDEFGABC..." I think it helps them understand the repeating nature of the sequence. It's another "practice routine" they can easily replicate on their own at home.

I wouldn't recommend it. Five years old is just too young to be married.

Actully at this age it is important to teach focus, while listening and being immersed in classical music as well as the pieces they will be learning. It is very much like learning a language.

Too much game playing to me is silly and not worth the parents money.

Children do very well at observing, imitating and repeating.

This develops ability.

I agree wholeheartedly!

I agree with pianobuff. The ear is the greatest tool to achieving great musicianship. I was sharing my game playing as something extra to break up the lesson, and give the student something constructive to do on their own at home to establish the first practice habits.

A lot of what is being described here is what I think of as "music skills" teaching. Rhythm, movement, etc. My daughter did that for a year, and it was great. She is almost six now, and is starting semi-private lessons (2 children, 1 teacher). So this subject interests me.

One comment. I was talking to my own teacher today, and he had some very interesting things to say about the Suzuki method. He described it as "a death trap for pianists." He said it works ok for instruments that are basically one-note-at-a-time instruments. But he said for piano, it ruins people.

His explanation was (as best I can paraphrase): because it teaches "ear" over reading and method, there comes a point where the student's "ear" and touch will be so much more advanced than their ability to read, etc., that they will never have the patience to go back and learn the basics. This makes a certain amount of sense to me.

So I am happy that my daughter is getting the rough treatment from a Russian teacher who cares about things like reading music.

Your teacher sounds like the same philosophy I grew up with. Reading has broad based importance- it's important to serious musicians because an inability to sightread fluently is a handicap. And it's important to hobbyists because that IS what they aspire to do- to pick up music and PLAY it, whether it's to accompany a church in hymns, a school chorus, a singer, the family singalong, whatever.

Listening to good piano music played well is important. As well as developing the ability to listen to oneself. I know I've been humbled many a time after recording myself.

This thread has inspired me to make a concentrated effort to encourage my 'parents' to broadcast piano music in the home for their children as much as possible.

This is hogwash. Your teacher is stereotyping. Perhaps he cannot fathom teaching this way and is stuck teaching the traditional way.

Please do a search. I have written many posts regarding reading of music and the Suzuki method. Let me assure you my students do know how to read very well as well as play with excellent technique and ear.


DoublePlay,

I read your post about the game you play after posting my last post.
I can see how children would like to learn the letter names of the keys this way.

It is very creative. Great idea.

I personally could not do it though, or I think that is all the child would want to do.

I know of many Suzuki teachers who have wonderful students who are able to read music. It is just a different approach to traditional, that's all. **edited to add: These teachers also teach reading music alongside the Sukuzi teaching so that they don't have any catching up to do, and that reduces the frustration that can happen.

Back OT, I would like to say that I had my lesson with my 5 year old student last night who might be ADHD. I used some of the suggestions in this thread and they worked very well! She really liked the doghouse with the dog, cat & eagle! Another thing I did was I had 4 beanie babies and I put them up on the piano and put them on one end. I told her as she did something well I would slide one over to the other side, and the goal was to get them all to the other side by the end of the lesson. This really helped her keep on task, and she was very excited when they all went over.

I am firmly sold on the 'ear before eye' philosophy of teaching music. Having taught both traditional piano and also group methods like Yamaha and Harmony Road for 30 years now, I really see a difference in kids who are taught in the manner of experiencing a concept first before it's shown to them on the written page. This doesn't mean that students don't learn how to read music, but they are learning in a different way. Because parents are required to participate in each weekly lesson, they also can attest to how much more successful their child's music lessons are, compared to how they learned when they were kids.

It is true that when you introduce ear training to young children (4-5 year olds), they will pick up on it quickly and it may hinder (although I hate to use that word) their reading skills. As a teacher though, I know how to deal with strong aural skills/weak reading skills and I just make sure kids (AND parents) work on reading in class and at home.

One thing is for sure: I'd rather have a student with a great ear that needs to work on reading skills than a student who can sightread great but has no ear. You can always strengthen reading skills but developing a good ear is more difficult as a child gets older.

True dumdumdiddle regarding picking it up by ear first, but I respectfully disagree that it will be harder for them to read. I don't mean to sound (arrogant?) but I am just truthful. All of my students read music really well. Learning the notes by ear, by singing in solfege and then seeing the notes they have learned and played by ear aids them to read music. At least with using the reading book that I use. It correlates so well with pieces they have already studied.

To be honest, I've had traditional teachers that are adjudicators astonished as to how well my students sightread when being evaluated.

When we enter auditions, I have my students do the sightreading phase, because I think it is important. It is also important to have a good ear and good technique.

For the youngest children start them naturally, with listening and exposure to fine music and a good role model (teacher) that they can observe and do; they will take to it like a duck takes to water!

I'm not saying it will be harder for them to read but I think that they will naturally rely more on their ear when learning new music, and if the teacher doesn't stay on top of things the child will not exercise his reading skills. Programs like Suzuki, Yamaha and the like often get a bad rap because of the misconception that students don't learn to read. On the contrary, students who graduate from programs such as these are extremely well-rounded. It all depends on the teacher, the parent involvement at home, and the student.

The program I teach is solfege-based ('fixed do'). Ear training and notereading are taught together. Students sing the notes of every song they will eventually play. They learn to sightsing and also sightread. The ear training they've received from an early age is the key.

We’re all so blase about teaching a child to play the piano ... we presume that, because it’s all been done before (ala Mozart) ... that when we place a sheet of antiquated, distorted and illogical information in front of the little dears in the time-honoured way ... in spite of being quite at odds with anything the children crunch at school ... and then as adult dim-wits ... expect them to use their Computer Age
wizardry to make light of learning to play the piano.

But it never happens ... in signing on for piano lessons the fresh little hopeful is signing on for at least 3 years of dull weekly piano lessons
(and 30 minutes of daily practice) ... without the slightest certainty of ever being able to play a single keyboard masterpiece.

We’re killing the youthful goose that lays the golden eggs.

Anybody expecting a 5-year old to submit to the piano ... needs a sharp clip-over-the-ear reminder to get with it ... at that age the call should be for a magic carpet ride in the imaginative telling of fairy stories ...
like The Pied Piper of Hamelin ... anybody smell a rat?

This..... from someone who has obviously never taught 5-year-olds.

Have you ever taught anyone?

This grandfather, with 5 children and 10 grandchildren (youngest coming up 6 years) still has a lot to learn.

I totally agree!