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A Pleasant Piano Lesson Atmosphere
Lesson 13: A Pleasant Piano Lesson Atmosphere
A light and comical atmosphere will instinctively reward the teacher with greater attention from the child. A child will work much faster and better with a congenial teacher who engages them and treats them like a person.
Constant Attention Is Required
There’s no doubt that learning the piano requires attention. One must attend to the page, the keyboard, the hand and the fingers just to keep the basic motions going. And attention can be hard for a little child to muster up whenever you command. Finally, will you, as a teacher, know what level of attention to settle for and know how to nurture that attention into a few minutes of solid, memorable study?
Maintain Calm
Some children are naturally quiet and calm, and are thus easy to show the rudiments of piano -- if the teacher is willing to guide them slowly enough through the dense maze that is music theory. One way I maintain a calm atmosphere is to constantly review basic elements at the child’s pace. For example, suppose a song involves the child finding Middle C, but they seem uncertain of where Middle C is. I don’t tell the child, but clearly the song we are going to play requires knowledge of Middle C. So, without drawing attention to it, I digress and make sure they know where Middle C is using a set of silly games.
Piano Is Easy
Preparation Leads To Poise
When we return to the song with the Middle C, they are prepared to find it easily after a couple of tries. The most essential point here is to observe the child closely during the act of reading music. You must find the point at which they can take no more, and then walk away from it and play a game.
In terms of proportion, reading music and other stress-inducing activities should be pursued about a third or less of the allotted lesson time. It’s better to take a simple concept and see if that can be absorbed that day. Then, the next time perhaps they will remember that concept. If not, introduce it again as if you had never done it before.
Try A Piano Fingering Game
Every group of three notes (1 2 3 ) is played by the first three fingers (1 2 and 3.)
Threesies
| 1 2 3 | 2 3 4 | 3 4 5 | 4 5 6 | 5 6 7 | 6 7 8 |
Avoid Direct Failure
Avoid the feeling of failure at all costs. It ruins the learning atmosphere. If the child fails to learn something either because of behavior or lack of skills, ignore the failure and try again later with no reference to the failure. Sooner or later, the idea you are trying to teach will sink in, and you can build on that idea with another.
Mask work as play, and play with zest in between the work. A smile will get far more from a child than a frown, at least in a one-on-one situation like a piano lesson.
COURSE ONE: TEACHING TOOLS
#2 WHAT A CHILD SHOULD EXPECT FROM PIANO LESSONS
#3 WHAT IS FINGERING AND WHEN DO WE USE IT
#4 PIANO BY NUMBER AND OTHER STARTING METHODS
#6 MINUTE BY MINUTE PIANO LESSON
#7 TOYS AND ACCESSORIES FOR FUN PIANO LESSONS
#8 READING MUSIC FOR KIDS STEP BY STEP
#9 THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WORST AND BEST TEACHER
#10 A CHILD’S CLASSICAL MUSIC LISTENING LIST
COURSE TWO: TEACHING BACKGROUND
#11 A SHORT HISTORY OF THE PIANO
#12 A SHORT HISTORY OF PIANO METHODS
#13 A PLEASANT PIANO LESSON ATMOSPHERE
#14 ADVICE TO A YOUNG PIANO TEACHER
#16 A PIANO TEACHER’S EMOTIONS
#17 PACE AND CHILDREN’S PIANO LESSONS
#18 CHILDREN’S PIANO MOTOR SKILLS DEFINED BY AGE
#19 CHILDREN’S PIANO FINGERING OVERVIEW
#20 GUILT IS THE WRONG WAY TO BUY ATTENTION
COURSE THREE: PIANO GAMES
#21 FOURS, A PIANO COUNTING GAME
#24 THE USE OF HUMOR IN PIANO LESSONS
#25 HAPPY OR SAD: EAR TRAINING FOR KIDS
#26 FOLLOW THE LEADER: VISUAL PIANO GAMES
