My daughter Ellie is due to sit her grade 1 piano exam this March and although she is fine with her pieces, scales, arpeggios etc. she struggles with sight reading.

Does anyone have any advice as to how we can improve it? I've bought her a book of sight-reading exercises which we do a bit of each morning but I wondered if anyone has any bright ideas how to make this more of a fun thing!

Thanks to anyone who answers!

Lainey W

The only way to improve Sight-reading is practice I'm afraid. The more pieces she plays the more her sight-reading will improve. You don't say what age your daughter is, but if she's quite young, she might enjoy sight-reading from Chester's Easiest Nursery Rhyme Book - hands separately of course. Most of the pieces are grade 1 standard so it would be good for her to learn the ones she likes hands together.

Thanks for your advice noodle!

She's 10 years old so I think a bit past Chester's stuff (we did have that in the early days though!) but we will keep going with the practice book - I get the feeling it's more of a panic situation with her. She's a bit of a perfectionist and absolutely hates it when she goes wrong. We're trying to get her to just ignore mistakes and above all, keep count but she goes to pieces and completely stops when she's made the inevitable mistake.

Glad to see you're against text-speak. I can't abide it either. I'm a sub-editor so if you spot any typing mistakes you can shoot me!



Elaine

Blimey...it's getting a bit violent on these forums!!

Try bribery and corruption - it always works with my pupils.

Mark her attempts out of 20 - 10 for notes and 10 for rhythm. Set a 'pass' mark and reward her with something she likes when she 'passes'.

Steve

One of the main factor in sightreading is good fingering and the ability to see patterns. For this reason I sometimes use Paul Harris book on improve your scales (Yes scales not sightreading) because enforces the patterns so often found in music.

Trinity's sightreading books are excellent - try book 1 - very sensible and logical. Encourage her to read anything to hand. Righthand parts of disney songs, carols etc. She plays the left and someone else the right. The more music she studies the better she will be hence beware launching straight into grade after grade. I would steer away from most sightreading books. Get some real music with interesting titles and treat it like an adventure - "I wonder what this sounds like...." Don't call it sightreading - how about other words like tasting, investigating, exploring, playing etc. Personally I think the way the Boards examine sightreading is enough to put anyone off.

Most children get better at sightreading quite naturally. Good Luck

PS If Ellie is taking grade 1 AB basically if she makes an attempt she is assured of at least 7 marks - strange but true!

Thanks so much for everyone's comments. I think you're right about the scary nature of the graded sight-reading pieces. We do have some nice simple 'starter' pieces at home which I might switch to with her. It's also very reassuring to know that she'll get at least 7 marks for just making an attempt. I'll tell her that! I don't want the looming dread of the sight-reading to put her off the rest of the exam!

Elaine

I like the Peter's edition books TRaK series. They guide your thinking initially, so that the thought patterns required become second nature.

I had a student who couldn't sight read at all pass her sight reading section of her grade 4 just through using this material.

Sorry, Elaine, but you did make some mistakes.

"noodle" is a direct address, and should have been preceded by a comma - "Thanks for your advice, noodle!"

I would also have put a comma after "She's 10 years old", and possibly after the closing parenthesis.

You also split an infinitive - "We're trying to get her to just ignore mistakes.." and I personally think that you should continue "and, above all, keep count, but she goes to pieces...." though I accept that this is mere personal preference.

Don't worry - I don't plan to shoot you! By the way, I'm not a sub-editor but I am pedant. And I too detest text-speak, which is allegedly prohibited on this forum.

Edward

Oh, Edwardo, you haven't corrected your signature yet! Happy Birthday!

Rats! I was hoping no-one would notice (which makes me pretty dumb for putting my birthday on my profile). Anyhoo, many thanks.

Edward

Blimey. Knew I shouldn't have mentioned what I did for a living......sorry Edward. Consider me admonished. I think you meant to say I am a pedant, didn't you? (Joke).

Heavens to Betsy, Elaine, there's no need to apologise. I think you took my (joking) critique in very good heart - there are plenty of forums (fora?) on the web where criticising someone's spelling or punctuation results in a virtual slanging match. Of course, we're much too civilised here for that sort of malarkey.

Edward

Heavens to Betsy, Elaine, there's no need to apologise. I think you took my (joking) critique in very good heart - there are plenty of forums (fora?) on the web where criticising someone's spelling or punctuation results in a virtual slanging match. Of course, we're much too civilised here for that sort of malarkey.

Edward
[/quote]

Yes, Edward, I'm on a couple of other forums and it can get quite nasty from time to time!

I've been very heartened by the replies I've had to my original question about sight reading. One particular member has sent me a very long and detailed list of ideas/exercises I can do with Ellie which sound like great fun and will, I'm sure, help her with the whole process.

Looking forward to a good safe Grade 1 pass!

Elaine

anyway ..............

I don't think anyone has yet mentioned Alan Bullard's Sight reading Source Book, which is one of my standbys (standbies??! looks odd). I find this and Paul Harris probably the two best.

I've taken to using bits and bobs as aids. I got a piece of cardboard and drew a large stave on it. Got some buttons, and then we play around with the buttons. I call out a note, they have to put the button in the right place. All the kids love it! As a piano teacher you'd have to draw 2 staves but it could be just as much fun. We do things like - I'll play a simple tune and they have to put the butttons in the right place; after that it's just a short stop to getting them to take musical dictation - a great way of learning to sight-read.

You can also get card games - I've just found a 'Happy Families' type game where you have to match a time signature with the right number of note values for a bar. You can also get Snap games - make sure they shout out the note name as well as Snap!

We also make up words and sentences with note names - they place the notes and then have to play it! Lots of giggles all round as they learn.

You can say 'a dead bee', 'a deaf bee', 'dad and a bee' , bagdad cafe (for cool teenagers who like cult movies). The list is endless - and it all helps.

Violinia

Thanks Violinia, all great ideas! Never realised sight-reading could engender this much fun!

Elaine

Hi,

If you look on the Teacher's Board you will see a post i started called "Play Piano"...

Have a read through and make sure you look at post #14 - - I just came up with a little Sight Reading brianwave that may or may not be suitable for your child - you could use any piano book with a CD backing though, it doesn't have to be the one mentioned!!

Andy x

Thanks Andy, I'll try to get hold of a copy. Sounds like fun! Mind you, whenever I put the metronome on to give her an idea of speed, she freaks out - it seems to put her off. Maybe I should just do it more often so it's not such a novelty and she gets used to it?

Thanks again for thinking of me!

Elaine

Split infinitive - pah!!!

The term didn't even exist until the end of the 19th centuary - stupid piece of false grammer dreamed up by some victorian!!