Bring Holiday Cheer to Your Young Beginners with 'O Christmas Tree' Pre-Reading Duet
Pre-Reading Christmas Bundle – A Time-Saving Solution for Holiday Fun!
Is Technology Taking Over Our World? How Music Teachers Are Navigating the Digital Shift in Music and Books
I’ve made my new preschool method book, Little Red Piano, available in both digital and paperback.
This book has been a hit with my youngest students. They love playing the same songs over and over (which is fine by me—they’re still learning!), and their faces light up when they see the colorful graphics and cute characters. Having the entire book available as a studio license has been a game changer for me. The PDF comes in two formats: landscape for printing and portrait for use on a tablet.
Why Would Anyone Teach Preschool Piano?
Why teach preschoolers? Aren't there hands too small? And, they can't read? What can we possibly do in piano lessons that would help?
In this article, I share the story of how I got started with young kids. I share how it transformed the income I was making. I also share how, when we change the goals, the outcomes can be very beneficial to young students.
Our preschool materials can really help! Read on......
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
How I Started Teaching Piano to Preschool Children
Finally, a music exploration book for young kids!
Research shows that music is beneficial for the developing brain. Music helps children with: motor development, social skills, speech, language, memory, confidence, and creativity.
Piano teachers can use this book with young students to give them a foundation for musical studies. Using this tool is a wonderful way to give kids a fun and accessible entry into music.
Special needs students can also benefit from this book. Children like the way the concepts are broken down into steps they can achieve
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
New Preschool Piano Book Coming Soon!
In a previous post - I shared how I went from playing on a toy piano, to becoming a piano teacher.
My heart is for the kids that are young, have special needs, or just need to fill in the gaps. Most books go too quickly for young kids, and they are not suited for them. I want a book that will meet kids where they are at!
I am writing and beta testing a method book that will be NOTHING like anything you have seen. Yet, the format will be such that you can pick it up, and without much trouble at all, just open it and TEACH. And, it won't be expensive. And, it won't be hidden behind a paywall or subscription service. Your hard-earned money is just that; I feel the same about my dollars.
It all started with a little red toy piano.
I was three years old. I received a red toy piano for my birthday.
I can't describe how fascinated I was with this little instrument. It was as if this toy was calling to me.
I really wanted a teacher. Of course, being a child in the 1960s (oops - now you can guess how old I really am!) meant that no one would take on a child that young.
On top of that, my dad was in the military - and overseas in the Vietnam War. Not a good time. My parents were not particularly musical. They were very PRACTICAL. Being in the military meant moving around. Pianos were big and heavy at that time.