Why Teaching Steady Beat First Might Not Be the Best Approach for Young Pianists
preschool music, piano lessons, beginner piano Kay Lowry preschool music, piano lessons, beginner piano Kay Lowry

Why Teaching Steady Beat First Might Not Be the Best Approach for Young Pianists

Did you know that steady beat is not the first thing you should teach to a young child? Although it’s the first lesson in many piano books, it’s not the ideal starting point for a child's musical journey. Instead, the first thing a child needs to learn is how to listen to long and short sounds

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What you need to know - Kids have GAPS in piano learning
Kay Lowry Kay Lowry

What you need to know - Kids have GAPS in piano learning

Gaps show up in piano lessons all the time.

Here are some examples of places gaps can arise: 1) notation. Notation is an abstract representation of sound. Kids are literal.

2) rhythm. Some kids just don't have rhythm experience in their bodies, which leads to difficulty in counting and playing.

3) technique. Playing the piano with proper technique is a foreign feeling.

4) listening. Some students have difficulty hearing and discriminating pitches, rhythms, timbre, or form

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I’m not practicing much, either :(
music education, piano teacher, piano teaching, kids activities Kay Lowry music education, piano teacher, piano teaching, kids activities Kay Lowry

I’m not practicing much, either :(

These days, it’s hard for me to find time to practice. Between work, family, and a little self-care, time at the piano has dried up.

Maybe I need a motivator. Like what I recently did with my students!

Last week, I presented during the Practice Space webinar. Have you seen it? Here is the link to the replay if you missed it (my part is around 30:40)

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