Skip to content
Fitting The Piano Method To The Child
Adapting the piano method to the child is the wisest way to begin the great journey of piano lessons.
Any Child Can Play Piano
Every child can become a piano player. It's just that almost none of these kids will ever be fluent music readers. Very few amateurs are fluent music readers. Both types will be 'piano players', except that one type, the 'read it all', goes further with reading music.
There are pros and cons to each type of child. A smart piano teacher knows how to put the approaches together into a single method that inspires the child.
Make A Specific Plan For Each Child
The majority of children will never be able to read much more than a few notes of the right hand. Some children will master the whole language of music notation, although this is the exception and very rare.
Find out what type of student you have. "Never read" or "read everything." This will help you design a curriculum that makes the child play first and enjoy the beginning of piano lessons.
Two Types of Students
The child who reads everything will eventually become self-directed. They can get all the music information they need from the page. They will therefore become more and more independent and musically literate as time goes on.
The child who has never read music will have to absorb music by a mixture of different methods, none of which is conventional: through the eye, ear, etc. but you must prepare it properly.
Classical or Popular
The "singer-songwriter" method is the basis of popular methods such as Play Piano In A Flash. This is in fact the way almost all adult hobbies begin piano lessons.
Very few people end up reading the two musical languages, left and right, at the same time, with any degree of facility or enjoyment. Do not expect this from the average child, except in rare moments. The best method seems to be a mixture of the two approaches.
Games for the Piano
