Teaching Kid’s Piano Is Impossible

by john aschenbrenner August 17, 2023

Teaching Kids Piano Is Impossible

Teaching kid's piano is impossible. Don't underestimate the difficulty in engaging today's child with the piano. Our competitors are the ipad, the internet, TV, shobiz, celebrity and a thousand other games, softwares, sites and technologies that hypnotize our youth.

Yet the piano is the world's oldest "computer," the first human attempt to digitize and simplify information. Only the abacus is older. The piano keyboard made making music easier than on any other instrument, such as the violin or flute. Even so, it is still hard to learn the piano.

Piano Is Easy

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Obstacles Faced By Kids

Here are some of the problems. Children's fingers are extremely weak, leading them to believe they cannot play. Both adults and kids struggle with the graphic language of music. It's an 800 year old language which is so complex that it manages to describe perfectly every aspect of a piece of music.

For the untrained, musical notation is a nightmare of conflicting planes and dimensions. Learning the patterns of any song takes repetition, and lots of it. Adults have a tremendous advantage in learning the piano, because their brains are fully developed. Kids are trapped by the development of their brains, and their skills are dependent on their age.

Next comes personality and how well the piano method fits the child's needs and interests. Some kids are not suited to old-fashioned repetitious study at the piano. They need a teacher who will bend over backwards to get the child the experience and facility they need.

Sometimes kids don't get that sympathetic teacher, but rather a pedant or a slave driver.

Consider Piano Method And Piano Teacher

Next consider the method used to teach the student, and the teacher. Try to steer clear of inflated expectations. You have to select a method exactly suited to the child. For some kids, the best method is right out of a book. For others, they need the teacher to make up a curriculum that engages and excites the child, perhaps not using a book.

All of the above difficulties are why I developed Piano By Number. To me, there was a missing step in piano lessons. It seems foolish to start out with the difficult language of music notation. You need to give the child a chance to simply make music first. Let them use their brains, eyes, fingers and common sense.