How does one teach children to read music on a staff? Well, first of all, it’s not done in the first lesson, nor is it even in the first month! It’s a long gradual process that needs to be broken out into bite-sized chunks. This lesson usually comes after 3 or 4 months of…
I’ve been talking to a lot of music teachers all over the world. A common complaint is that there’s “too many distractions” in students lives nowadays. They blame the Internet, or the video games, or soccer or Instagram or other social media. In my 8 years of running my kid-focused music studio, I have rarely experienced…
Do You Want To Build A Snowman? I can’t ever recall a time when I’ve had so many requests for the same music from virtually all of my students. Disney’s film Frozen and it’s incredibly catchy music has captivated every kid I know. And especially since the songwriters live in my neighborhood! I’ve taught Let it…
I’ve given a lot of thought to breaking down the process of teaching music and concepts to children. What most current curriculums do is pile on a lot of information in one lesson – overwhelmingly so. That only leads to confusion, frustration and often, quitting music altogether. Kids want to PLAY piano, but most teachers…
Location! Location! Location! – put the keyboard or piano in a central part of your home where everyone spends most of their time. You will be amazed at how your child will want to show you what they’ve learned! Family concerts and impromptu practice is still practice and time enjoying the instrument. So many times…
Many of my students have been forgetting some of the basics around technique. Here’s a handy chart that you can post by the piano or on the first page of your music notebook. Probably the most important one I’m finding is sitting the proper distance away from the piano. Many kids like to sit almost…
