Young Children Music
By janice | July 4, 2008
If you have a little toddler around who you are interested in getting started in playing the I’ve come up with a couple of ways for you to get started which requires no previous experience in playing and no reference to using note names.
These ideas are just a starting point, so I hope they make sense and if you need
any more info, just feel free to leave feedback or comment in the box below. I would be more than pleased to help with any questions you might have.
What I’ve always found in working with toddlers is that they aren’t able to
usually cope with sitting at the piano for long periods of time. They tend to show tonnes of curiosity in the anticipation of playing and don’t worry if it Disappears quickly when she gets to have a turn. It is quite normal at this age to have a 2 minute (or less) session playing the piano, before you move on to
something else. If they don’t play for long, it is not an indication that they are not enjoying the activity or music, it’s just being a toddler!
What I have prepared for you are two starting playing ideas and tips for the first
sessions together.
I totally understand that you may not need all the activities that I have written down in the exact order, so feel free to use the ones that suit you best in any order that suits your children and change and adapt the ideas as you need because you will know better than I do as to what your children love to do most.
Idea#1 – Getting Used To The Piano- Little Bear, Big Bear and Mummy Bear.
I’ve always found that children are just itching to “have a go” and they need to
just get it out of their system, but in a controlled way so that they understand
some boundaries about playing instrument.
Step1: Sit on the piano seat closely together as if you are about to read a book
together, and just have a little tinkle, positively reinforcing all of the sounds
that your child makes. Loads of children are naturally worried to hear
themselves make a sound on the piano at first until they know its okay. If she
gets too heavy, just show her how to play a note gently and just say “gently” as
you show her.
Step2: Once you know that your child is playing gently, you may enjoy making up a little
story. You could call all the high top notes “Little Bear” all the bottom notes
“Big Bear” and all the middle notes “Mummy Bear”. (Calling all the top notes “High
Notes”, all the bottom notes “Low notes” and all the middle ones”Middle Notes”
also works well.)
Step3: Sometimes at this point, children may want to do it all by themselves.
Sometimes they will make a gesture to move off the seat or will tell you. Just
move aside and either stand or sit away a little bit, but still be close so that
you can positively reinforce “gently” and say how good it sounds. If you want to
keep them playing for longer, just sing along her favorite song as she plays.
Something like “5 Little Ducks” or “Baa Baa” should work well and just sing along
to whatever notes are coming out.
This idea is just a starting point, but toddlers can keep busy doing this for many sessions and doing it over and over again really builds their confidence at sitting and making sounds at the piano. Feel free to skip this idea if you’ve already been doing this type of thing and you need an idea, which is a little more in depth, see idea #2.
Idea#2 - Wheels on the Bus
Here’s a free recording and some easy instructions for you to use.
This song lends itself to being a great first song on the piano and children usually already know the words and actions, which makes it easier for them to play. Here are some easy steps to follow to help you get a toddler to play it.
Step1 Do the actions to the music –
You probably already know how the song starts. It’s like this
Verse1 The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round
The wheels on the bus go round and round all day long
Verse 2 The horn on the bus goes Beep Beep Beep, Beep Beep Beep, Beep Beep Beep,
The horn on the bus goes Beep Beep Beep – all day long
I’ve included only two verses here because these are the most important ones use in order to play the piece. I’ve given verse 1, because this is the main tune to the piece so it helps you get the tune in your head, but verse 2 is the verse which is best suited to use in order to help children to play it. The children play on the underlined bits.
You could practice playing at the right time by singing the verses and clapping your hands or use an instrument like a shaker or drum to play at the underlined bit. This helps them get the rhythm and confidence in their timing without having to think about all those keys on the piano first.
Step 2 – Getting your fingers ready
The fingers you need to use for the song are your pointer finger and middle finger of your right hand and you play them at the same time. On the disk provided, you’ll hear where to play because there are some piano notes to play along with. This just gives the confirmation to a toddler when to play and gets them used to hearing the sound. To start with, just have a little practice on the floor playing with those two fingers at the appropriate time and without any sound. Toddlers get put off and overwhelmed really quickly if they go up to the piano too quickly and make a mistake. So this intermediate step is an important one.
Step 3- Finding the notes and playing along on the piano
On the piano, you’ll see groups of 2 black notes together and then groups of 3 black notes together. For this song, you’ll need to play the two black notes closest to the center of the piano.
Help your children find the notes and sing along and play together.
I hope you enjoy these first little concert ideas with your children! These ideas
usually keep them occupied for a while before they’ll need new songs and as I said
before, it’s only a start. I hope you enjoy your music together and if you need any
more ideas, just let me know, I’ll be more than happy to help.
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Topics: General Advice, Piano Lessons, Young Children, introductions, practice, questions | No Comments »
Schools out for Summer Holiday Fun with the Piano
By janice | June 16, 2008
Are you looking for something fun to do with your children in the long summer holiday?
There is a non-violent computer game called Piano Wizard which is loads of fun, which will keep children occupied for hours, and the greatest benefit is that it really does help them with their music learning.
We purchased this computer game last year, and when our nieces and nephews (who range in age from 11 years down to 2 years) come over, they always say “Can we play that game with the exploding eggs?”
That of course, means Piano Wizard. The game involves playing the piano notes when the “egg” or other object reaches the top of the screen. Of course, the children don’t know it.. but they are really learning valuable musical skills, and its great fun as well!
This is not a substitute for real piano lessons of course, but it does break the monotony, and for some children it can get them re-inspired to practice after they’ve felt a bit unmotivated.
Have a look at the video I found on youtube to learn more about it, and then check out the piano wizard website.
Now is a great time to get started with Piano Wizard, because you can get a 10% Discount on any version of “Piano Wizard” until 30th June.
Simply click here to visit the piano wizard online store, and all you have to do is enter the promotion code “SUMMER08″ during checkout to get your discount.
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Topics: Piano Lessons, Young Children, games | No Comments »
Should my child learn on an Acoustic or Digital Drum Set?
By Kevin | May 12, 2008
Having been a drum teacher for over 10 years, and using both Digital and Acoustic Drum Sets during that time I think that this is a subject which I can present some useful information for you.
Electronic Kits have their advantages, and their disadvantages - so in this article I’ll just outline the pros and cons of both digital and acoustic drum sets for students.
Firstly - Acoustic Kits:
Pros:
1) Entry level price is quite low (you can pick up cheap, student model drum kits for under $300), however that being said you wont get much for that! An acoustic drum set which you gradually “add to” is like a money pit - you’ll add bits and pieces to it over the years, and you are really far better off buying a good one to start with! (theres enough for another whole post on this topic, which I’ll do at a later date)
2) Your child can have excellent musical expression with an acoustic drum set. The Acoustic drum set provides the best possibility for musical expression, as its dynamic possibilities are completely endless. You can play really soft, really LOUD and everything in between with acoustic drums
3) Your child can learn good sound production techniques. Sound production is really important for drums - the cymbals and drums have a large variety of sound possibilities which are infinite on an acoustic kit. On an electronic kit the sound production is different - You don’t learn to place the cross sticks in the right place, and play the bells of the cymbals in the different ways to make the variety of sounds.
Cons:
1) Acoustic drum sets are LOUD! There is no way around this fact. In fact, if your child is learning Rock Music, they simply wont be able to “play soft” due to the nature of the music they are working on. Its very difficult to soundproof a room for a drum set - I’ve tried to do it and its very expensive and difficult to do. If you child is really serious about playing you’ll have to really find a way around this problem. A certain amount of soundproofing is possible by putting them in a room with solid walls and then lining the walls immediately around the drum set with Mattresses - but even still the drums will still be heard in the rest of the house, and even outside the house.
2) Acoustic drum sets are very expensive to get to sound good, and they require a maintenance budget! Sticks and Skins are the most important factor, and they are still really expensive. Just a full set of skins for a drum set can cost over $200 - and they really should be replaced every year, depending on the amount they are played of course!
3) With their metal rims, acoustic drum sets also are more wearing on sticks than electric kits. Rock Drummers have been known to go through a pair of sticks every rehearsal or gig, because of the Rimshot sounds they use on the snare drum.
4) if your child gets to doing Rock Gigs in a band you’ll have to deal with getting a good sound on stage - with Mics and PA systems… Its really not an easy thing to do to get an acoustic drum set to sound good, particularly in a small room with a budget sound system and no “sound guy” to look after it.
Electric (digital) drum sets
Pros:
1) You can use headphones to practice! This advantage is huge - this means that you can practice at Midnight if you really get the inspiration, and someone in the next room might hear one or two little thuds - but you certainly wont disturb the neighbors!
2) Electric (digital) drums are really easy to amplify for gigs - you simply plug them in and you should be able to get a good sound through the PA system. Particularly if playing in a cover band this is a huge advantage - its quick to set up and you can get a good sound every time.
3) Electric Kits are pretty low on the maintenance budget! They usually don’t require replacement skins and they are quite easy on sticks (compared to acoustic kits and their metal rims!)
Cons:
1) they are quite expensive, even at the entry level. The cheapest electric kits will still cost you more than an equivalent acoustic, or if they dont they are just a toy! If you really want a good electric kit you want one that has mesh heads, rather than rubber, as these feel like real drums to play, and they don’t make much of a “hit”. Some of the rubber style drums make so much noise they’ll still annoy the neighbors and others in the household, even if the drummer is using headphones!
2) Students don’t learn the variety of sound production techniques that they can learn on an acoustic drum set. The musical expression that they can learn is severely limited by the sounds that the drum set can produce. Even though they are getting better and better there really is only one or two sounds per drum - and its impossible to reproduce the musical possibilities that the acoustic drum set provides.
So.. the bottom line?
If you’ve got less than $1000 - and you dont live in an apartment, and you’ve got space to put a few mattresses around its still better for the beginning drum student to use an acoustic.
If however:
1) Money isnt an issue and you would like to give your child a good practice instrument.
OR
2) you live in an apartment or situation where noise is going to be a major concern
then a digital drum set may suit your child to learn with.
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Piano Video Game
By janice | May 5, 2008
As parents we know that music is a wonderful activity that incorporates many benefits for children such as encouraging creative thinking, developing math and reading skills and boosting self confidence.
The reality for children is that sometimes they see playing the piano as a chore - another job to do on top of everything else and sometimes they just want to have FUN!
Would’nt it be great if you could have something where you could learn to play the piano using a COMPUTER GAME?
Well, the great news is ….now there is !
In our household, we’ve just started using a new game called “the Piano Wizard” which is hours and hours of fun while you learn.
We found that the children that have used it at our place (friends and family) absolutely loved it - and even children who didn’t know how to play the piano picked it up within minutes!
I don’t think it necessarily replaces music lessons - however if:
- Your child is learning piano, but is demotivated about practice
OR
- Your child is learning another instrument, and you’d like them to learn piano AS WELL
OR
- You’d like the whole family (including yourself) to have a non-violent, educational activity that you can do on the computer…
then check out how we’ve used Piano Wizard at:
http://www.funmusicco.com/pianowizard
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Topics: Piano Lessons, Young Children, games, practice | No Comments »
Reading Musical Notes
By janice | April 28, 2008
At the Parents Music Guide we hope to be able to provide a complete and practical guide to Reading Musical Notes for Parents.
If you need help with your children knowing which note is which we want you to be able to find clear and easy to read diagrams within these pages.
What we need is your help - if you don’t see what you need, then contact us via the contact form on this page and we’ll post exactly what you need.
If you can let us know is there is a particular book or thing that you don’t understand, we’ll do our best to find out exactly what it is and post it up on these pages.
So far we’ve put together two pages
Click here for the guide to how to read musical notes (the pitches of the notes, C, D, E etc)
AND
Click here for the guide to reading musical notes (the rhythm of the notes - how many beats etc)
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Piano VS Keyboard
By janice | April 21, 2008
Should I buy a piano for my child?
Will a Keyboard suffice for my child’s music lessons?
What’s the difference anyway between a piano and keyboard?
This is a question that we’ve been asked many times as music teachers, and that most music teachers have a different response to, so we can’t provide specific advice to your situation.
However we can give some general advice about what the differences are between pianos and the different types of keyboard available.
A real acoustic piano is a wonderful musical instrument, and a beautiful piece of furniture for the home.
Pianos, certainly good ones are also very expensive. They are a major investment for a lifetime. For example, our piano cost nearly $8000. New pianos range from around $4000 to $100,000 + for a concert grand piano.
The major piece of advice when considering a piano… don’t buy a cheap one!
You’ll find pianos offered for $50 in garage sales… Are they any good?
One can say with most certainty…probably not!
Pianos can have a range of problems, from cracked sound boards to broken strings and incorrectly set pins… so if you get one for $50 you’ll be likely buying one or more of these problems.
As a rough guide you should be looking to spend a minimum of $1000 on a piano if you really want a serious instrument.
A good piano technician will cost you a minimum of $100 per visit, and they’ll be able to tell you about the potential problems with any piano. If you’re seriously considering any second hand piano its worth getting a technician to look over them. Simply look up the piano tuners or piano technicians association in your local area and you’ll be able to get someone to look over a piano that you are thinking of buying.
You also need to consider the long term cost of ownership of a piano. Pianos should be tuned at least once a year, in order to keep them sounding tuneful. It is not pleasurable to play an out of tune piano - so even if you can’t hear anything wrong then it doesn’t mean that it is in tune. Your child will not develop a musical ear if they are playing on an out of tune piano.
All your child will know is that “it sounds different at my teachers house” and you’ll find your child being reluctant to practice at home.. this is an indication that your piano is out of tune! Music professionals and teachers can tell of course, so ask your child’s piano teacher to drop around and check if you are uncertain if your piano is out of tune.
Keyboards… different types
Where do you start here?
You can go to your local convenience store these days and buy an “electronic keyboard” for under $20!
You don’t need me to tell you that this WONT be suitable for your child to practice on!
Keyboards range from those super budget models, right up to full keyboards with all the “bells and whistles” that cost thousands of dollars.
Here is what you DO need if you are thinking of getting a keyboard for your child to learn music on:
1) you need FULL SIZE KEYS
A child (however young they are) should never be expected to practice on an instrument that doesn’t have the correct key size! The keyboard will say “full size keys” on the box, and if it doesn’t, don’t buy it!
2) The instrument needs to have a stand and a bench to go with it
The child must learn to sit up correctly. You simply can’t go without the stand and correct height bench! Children CANT learn piano sitting the keyboard on their bed or on their desk. Sitting at the wrong height and with poor posture will result in
3) The keyboard should be touch sensitive
This means that when you play a note softly, the sound comes out soft, and when you play a note loudly, the note comes out loud.
The very first keyboards did not have this facility, and its only become standard in the last ten years. Nowadays you can get a fully touch sensitive keyboard for around $200 in most places around the world.
The piano’s longer name is pianoforte - which means that it has the ability to play “loud and soft”. So to buy a keyboard that doesn’t have this facility is going back around 300 years in technology, where the harpsichord had the same problem.. It wasn’t touch sensitive!
4) The keyboard should have weighted or semi-weighted keys
This is the major difference between the $200-$300 keyboards, and the ones that are typically called “digital pianos” and cost around $1000 minimum.
They have an action in them that is similar to a real acoustic piano in touch. They also sound much better than the cheaper keyboards.
$1000-$2000 is probably as much as you should spend on a keyboard like this.
You don’t need the bells and whistles - they won’t get used!
If you are considering one of these types of pianos - there is a criteria you should use… go for the ones with the least number of buttons!
More buttons, more sounds, sound recorders.. all those things don’t help your child!
The music shop salespeople would hate me saying this, but don’t waste your money!
If you’ve got a choice between an 88 note fully weighted key digital piano for $2000 with one sound, and an 88 note fully weighted key digital piano with 1000 sounds, a sound recorded and disk player for $4000… then get the $2000 one and save the difference!
Those extra bits won’t get used! You’ll only need the basic piano sound and those things listed above.
One MAJOR advantage that digital pianos have over Acoustic pianos is the ability to use headphones for practice.
If you’ve got a busy household with multiple activities going on then it can be difficult for the piano to get practiced, particularly if its in a busy area in the house, such as the lounge room or dining room.
The ability to have headphones is a real advantage. think about it!
This is one thing that your childs piano teacher wont take into account when giving you advice…. so take it into account for your own sanity!
A fully weighted key digital piano is just as good as an acoustic according to several of the examination organizations around the world.
If youre reading this article, then obviously you are a parent looking to get the best for your child.
Why not consider renting?
Many companies offer renting either a nice quality acoustic piano or fully weighted key digital piano at quite competitive rates.
If you do this you’ll be giving your child the best chance of success in music!
If you buy a $200 keyboard you’ll be effectively giving your child a much reduced chance of success with music. They’ll be unlikely to want to practice on the keyboard long term, they’ll eventually get discouraged with the lessons and will quit.
This could happen if I spent $4000 on piano couldn’t it? True! It can happen, but at least you’ll be giving them the right start.
You wouldn’t expect an athlete to prepare for the olympics without proper running shoes would you?
So consider renting - at least at the start. It does make sense, even if the monthly fees seem quite high.
I hope this article has given you some food for thought on this issue, and whatever you choose I know that you’ll make the best choice for your child.
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What is the average cost of piano lessons?
By janice | April 14, 2008
What should my piano teacher be charging me?
How much should a regular piano lesson cost?
Whats the average price and cost structure - by the week?, by the month?, by the term?
I wish that we could give you a better response to this question! We’ve surveyed and researched the internet to find the average prices as advertised, and we’ve really found that asking this question is a little bit like asking……….What is the average cost of a car?
A car can vary from a twenty year old beat up mini to a brand new ferrari.. so asking the question is really quite pointless!
However, you can ask of course what is the average price of a two year old ford focus, and you’ll get a much more suitable response!
Therefore, when asking this question you need to take into account:
1) The experience and qualifications of the teacher
2) The success that the teacher has had with similar aged children to yours
3) What you want to get out of the lessons for your children.
Our research on the internet shows that in the United states (as well as many other places around the world) lessons range from $15 to $30 per half hour, and when offered hour long lessons can be $50 - $100 per hour. IN the UK we found that lessons were offered from 8GBP - 30 GBP.
My advice would always be to focus on point #3 above… what you want to get out of the lessons for your children.
If you know this before you start, then you can find an appropriate teacher that will be able to get your desired outcome.
For example, some piano teachers are excellent at preparing students for examination, and really know exactly how to get excellent results for their students in exams.
Other teachers are excellent with young children, and know how to communicate the fundamentals of music to them in a young child way.
It doesn’t take a genious to work out that if you choose an exam teacher to teach your five year old who really prefers working with older children that you won’t get full value for money.. despite the fact that the teacher is extremely well qualified and a very gifted teacher.
The reverse is true - if you are trying to prepare for an exam with an inexperienced teacher in that area then you’ll find that your money is not as well spent as it could be
I suggest that you ASK the teacher when you start.. and take their advice. If their advice is not to start lessons before 8 years of age.. then follow their advice and don’t start them (with that teacher) at five!
If however you are lucky enough to find a teacher who teaches loads of five year olds.. then go to them for a few years, and then back to your preferred teacher at the age of eight!
Remember to focus on the child.. and what the child needs.
Music is a wonderful thing for children, and it has been proven to in numerous studies it has been shown to improve their thinking and reasoning skills.
So stop worrying about dollars.. save some money on other things and make sure that you put your child first!
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Is there more to games than just having fun?
By janice | March 28, 2008
There is something about the word “game” that motivates children and adults alike. When you say “lets do some work now” how does that compare to “lets play a game now” – I’m sure you’ll agree the differences in enthusiasm are enormous.
If you’ve ever wondered:
- Why your child is playing games in their music class instead of learning their instrument
- what benefit a game may have on your child
- If there is more to a game than just having fun
- How to make and use your own games
- How you can get your child practicing without playing
Then I have found an excellent article called ” Come Play” which explains step by step how and why games can help your child to learn and retain more. The article is written for educators and business leaders in inspiring them to make their events more meaningful to their participants and explains that games are not just “time Fillers”, but can play a more meaningful role in helping to motivate and to problem solve.
The article also tells us that games are not just about fun despite what they look like from the outside. To a parent sitting on the sideline watching their child playing a game instead of playing their instrument this may be hard to believe, but games are actually linked to positive emotions and that is why games are so impactive.
”Students who are having fun generate positive emotions, exhibit reduced stress levels and are more willing to pay attention and participate”.
The article also states:
“Games challenge our curiosity, invention and creativity and often bring intense enjoyment and laughter. Laughter is tied to strong positive emotions that allow the brain to make better perceptual maps”
So there you have it - next time you see your child having fun playing games instead of playing their instrument, instead of saying to yourself why am I paying all this money to see my child play games perhaps ask how can I get my child to play games like this in their home practice. Perhaps practice will become less of a chore and will become much more meaningful!
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What instrument should my child learn?
By janice | March 21, 2008
That is a question that is not asked often enough!
Often parents are pushed into choosing an instrument based on the child’s choice - rather than what is the right instrument for their age.
At our music school we were often asked if children could play the drums or guitar at an early age (say around 4 or 5 years of age).
At this age children simply don’t have the co-ordination developed or the physical characteristics required to play those instruments. Certainly they can have toy guitars and drums, and encouraging their enthusiasm for the instrument is the right thing to do, but…
You should definitley not consider private tuition in anything but these two instruments under the age of around ten years old…..
Those two instruments are the Piano and the Violin.
The piano and the Violin are the only two instruments that children have the physical size and ability to cope with at an early age. All the research I’ve read, every other music teacher I’ve talked to and my personal experiences as a music teacher back up this opinion.
If they do attempt an instrument that they don’t yet have the co-ordination or the physical strength for they’ll quickly get discouraged, as they wont be able to progress fast enough to enjoy playing.
The net effect of learning these instruments at an early age, and THEN going on to play drums, guitar, bagpipes or whatever the child wants to learn when they have the physical ability will result in a much greater musician in the end.
Now of course you can ignore this advice, and go and get private guitar or drum lessons - however if you are really interested in them playing long term then I suggest you find a specialist early learning piano course, such as found in a Yamaha Music School.. This is what our daughter will be doing when she turns four!
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Parents Ask your music questions here!
By janice | March 12, 2008
Parents - this page is for you!
At the Fun Music Company we created this page so that we can help you help your child with their music lessons. We have created resource pages which tell you about the different note types, and we have questions and answers which help explain everything about music, hopefully in a way which you can understand - even if you’ve never read a note of music in your life!
What do you need to know to help your child with their music lessons?
Do you need to know what instrument to buy them?
Do you need to know how much they should practice?
Here is the place to ask. This Blog is in a question and answer format - send your questions to parentsguide@funmusicco.com and we’ll answer them and post the answers on this blog as soon as possible
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