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By Courtney Hall
Playing an instrument IS:
HOME ENVIRONMENT:
QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
WHEN FRUSTRATION SETS IN:
MOTIVATION IS KEY:
SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT:
GRIT
Tips adapted from Suzuki Method of Education:
Other notes:
I also HIGHLY RECOMMEND purchasing this children’s clarinet with 8 color coded keys prior to starting piano lessons. Your child should be able to independently read the “notes” to the song and play them in the correct order and should be willing to play songs through 2-3 times in a row to “practice.” This is a great demonstration of cognitive ability, attention span, fine motor skills, left and right coordination, and musical interest that are all needed in piano playing. If they are unable to complete this with the children’s clarinet, it is very unlikely that piano lessons will be successful. Download the songs to play here.
Piano Lesson Readiness Checklist
Although it’s not impossible to start lessons without these skills, if your child already possesses the few academic & fine motor skills below, they will progress MUCH faster and you will get much more for your money when enrolling in lessons. It is very beneficial to work on these skills at home to increase the productivity during lessons:
□ My child can recognize & confidently name written letters of the alphabet (particularly A-G for music)
□ My child can recognize & confidently name written numbers (particularly 1-5 for music)
□ My child can confidently name their right & left hand
□ My child can identify and label different fingers on their hand (specifically, piano finger numbers that can be found here: https://lessonsinyourhome.net/blog/teaching-piano-finger-numbers-piano-lessons/ )
□ My child can tap on a table with each finger using just ONE finger at a time
□ My child can easily recognize patterns (for example, if you put the same objects in a line arranged in groups of 2-3-2-3-2, the child can complete more of the pattern and also point to just the groups of 2 and just the groups of 3 like the black keys on the piano are arranged)
□ My child can sit and focus on an activity for at least 15 minutes without getting up or asking if they’re almost done
□ When I play a sequence of 5 piano keys, my child can copy what I just played accurately
□ My child already has a piano or keyboard with full size keys to practice on at home and has had at least 3+ months to play around on it prior to beginning lessons (the longer the better!) **Required!**
Welcome to our Family Music Play Group!
What the Class Is:
This is a recreational and casual music class for ages 6 months- 6 years old to participate along with an adult whom may be a parent, guardian, babysitter, grandparent, or other relative. This group gives children the opportunity to explore different instruments, have fun dancing and singing, have an opportunity to work on social skills such as sharing & turn taking, and be introduced to some loosely structured group activities.
What the Class Is NOT:
This class is not the same as instrumental lessons where they are learning how to play a particular song on an instrument. We recommend private lessons start at age 6 and up. Until then, instrument exploration through play and listening/moving to music is one of the most beneficial precursors to learning how to play an instrument.
What is Expected of the Parent:
The Hesitant Child
All children greatly vary in development, personalities, courage, and participation levels. It can be frustrating or discouraging when everyone else in the class jumps right in and participates while your child refuses to join in. Be patient! This is a brand new atmosphere with brand new instruments they may have never seen before and brand new people they are not familiar with. (Also remember that some children may have already been enrolled in previous semesters & their comfort level may be different.) It’s ok if they only cling to you the whole time– they are still taking in the things around them and absorbing the music! Just gently encourage them and keep modeling the activities yourself to show them it’s ok. Over the years, I’ve had some students who took almost a year to warm up, but once they came out of their shell, music class was one of their very favorite activities! I’ve also had students who looked like they were paying NO attention at all in class but would go home and start singing the hello song and repeating activities we did in class. Please know that it is NOT my expectation with this age range that everyone should perfectly participate & have a wonderful attention span. Instead, I would just like them to have fun and enjoy the music, and they can each do that in their own way!
If you misplace your schedule at home, you can look it up on the website: http://www.creativecanton.com
At the end of each semester, you will be given first priority to keep a spot in the class and continue. Please RSVP in a timely manner so that if you are not continuing, that spot may be given to someone else.