Hello!

I'm teaching a middle-aged lady with Pianotime book 1 (she's been told to ignore the pictures!) and she is progressing very well. She also brings along her 5yr old daughter whom she would very much like me to teach. I try to involve her for just a few minutes in each 1/2hr weekly lesson (spelling games, some improvisation, a little bit of clapping to notation) but I feel that I'm failing her by not providing enough games or productive ways of teaching such a young mind. I'm a new piano teacher and have yet to study the Kodály and Dalcroze methods of teaching, but is there a 'quick-fix', perhaps in the form of some games/tasks I could give her, which would keep her interested and progressive until I can devote sufficient time to studying Kodály and Dalcroze? Or, indeed, any snippits/basic themes gleaned from these areas of study which might help me?

Just on the side, any ideas on an appropriate book to replace Tunes for Ten Fingers for an eager, intelligent 7yr old boy with a musical mother? Pianotime pieces bk1 and Piano Progress bk1 both seem too hard and his motivation is dwindling!

Your help is VERY much appreciated; there's an awful lot of experienced grey matter swirling around these forums!

have you any access to some of the Kodaly and Dalcroze books?

William - if you have a look at the Piano Party series of books you might find some games which would appeal to the five-year-old.

For the 7 year old - do you mean to move on from (ie at book two level) or to use instead of TTF but at the same level ?

Possibly book one /two as appropriate of Piano Magic (it's by Jane Sebba).

Perhaps you could get her singing! Just very simple songs to begin with (2/3 pitches and simple rhythms). This will provide her with some musical material with which you could work later - playing the tunes in different keys on the piano, learning the rhythm names for the song. If possible the songs should have movements so that she can experience the pulse with as many different movements as possible. Get her to find her heartbeat and show the speed by opening and closing her hand and saying, 'bmm, bmm' in time with it. Ask her to show a faster or a slower heartbeat. Ask her if she has a heartbeat then if she thinks a song has a heartbeat - demonstrate to her that music has a heartbeat too and that a song comes alive in this way when you sing it and move to it.

Lucinda Geoghegan's 'Singing Games and Rhymes for the Early Years' (published by the National Youth Choir of Scotland) has a lot of excellent repertoire. The book also makes clear what concepts and skills are being developed by each song or rhyme. Most importantly you need to develop her feeling for pulse, an understanding of the difference between pulse and rhythm and the ability to differentiate between pitches. These skills will prove invaluable for when she starts learning the piano.

You could tell her a story which you 'illustrate' with improvisations on the piano - a Dalcroze colleague of mine used to tell one about being in your bedroom late at night and not being able to sleep. So you got up and opened the curtains and looked out into the moonlit garden. You crept downstairs and out in the garden where you skipped and played with various animals - then retraced your steps back to bed. Everything had its own piano 'signal' - ie a sound for opening the curtains, another for the moonlit garden, another for creeping down the stairs, various ones for the different animals etc. and the child 'acts out' the story to the musical signals. This story is particularly good as it then works in reverse and you eventually don't have to tell the child that this is the creeping back upstairs part as they will just recognise the music and act accordingly. Brilliant for developing musical memory, differentiation of various types of music and responding with movement to the sound heard.

You could improvise a melody of just crotchets for her to walk in time with - quavers indicate jogging, dotted quaver/semiquavers indicate skipping and minims are striding/slow walking. You could incorporate this rhythm identification and movement into the above story (or your own/her own stories).

Those are just a few Kodály/Dalcroze suggestions - hope this is helpful.

I use a great series for small children, Music for little Mozarts by Alfred. It starts off stave-I used to really sceptical about this but it has worked with those I have tried it on-and introduces concepts of high/low loud/soft etc before it actually introduces notes. It then goes on to the black notes and has very simple tunes with some jazzy accompaniments. The series is based on two characters, Mozart Mouse and Beethoven Bear who are learning music by sneaking into the music room when no one is watching-you can even buy the soft toys to go with it. It also has related work books and activity books. I can see that this may not be everyone's cup of tea but my little ones love it. If you go to www.sheetmusicplus.com you can look inside the books and see what you think. In this country you can get the whole range from www.musiccorner.co.uk

What about the John Thompson 'Teaching Little Fingers to Play' for the seven year old? It moves a lot quicker, something new on every page. I find it good for young, bright beginners.

Try Denes Agay, learn to play the piano series, it teaches the intervals along side the notes and gets them alternating 2 hands very quickly as the first notes it teaches are C&D RH and C&B LH

Thank you all for your response! Regarding the book, it's intended as a 'book 2' step up from TTF. TTF doesn't seem to reach the same level as Pianotime book 1 but I don't think it would be a good idea to go into it now, do you? I don't know how many of your suggestions stand in view of the above, but I've jotted them all down and will have a look at the music shop today - thanks!

I really must get down to the library to borrow some books on Kodály/Dalcroze soon, but I need to finish the other teaching books I have first. I will very soon! Until then, thanks very much for the suggestions on implementing these ideas into my lesson. The only problem, which I think I failed to mention in my original post, is that the young girl is VERY shy. I don't know whether singing might just lead to more embarrassment. I will certainly try it today, though, and spend a lot of time thinking about your other story-telling suggestions and recommended books for the young. Thanks! (Oh, and Suzuki is on my list too!)

Re the shyness - I can only suggest that you encourage, encourage all the way about singing and never show that you think singing is scary or difficult! If the song has a game this really helps as the child just thinks about the game and not about the fact that they're singing! If you can involve the mother here that will really help too - as will the use of puppets. Sometimes a shy child will sing through or to a puppet.

It's very good to hear that you are interested in different music education approaches, William, and I hope you'll get to go on some courses soon (very difficult to learn any of them from a book!).

Best of luck - you are clearly a thoughtful and dedicated teacher already!

Regarding the book, it's intended as a 'book 2' step up from TTF. TTF doesn't seem to reach the same level as Pianotime book 1 but I don't think it would be a good idea to go into it now, do you? I don't know how many of your suggestions stand in view of the above, but I've jotted them all down and will have a look at the music shop today - thanks!

You're welcome. Piano Time 1 does go quite a long way, and I nearly always find we need other material about 3/4 through the book, but I have found it can follow on quite well from Tunes for Ten books (even book one I think) if you have a bright pupil, since it does start at the beginning. I'd recommend a look at the first half of the book and see what you think.

Another one which comes to mind is Chester's Easiest book 2 which might suit your pupil - quite fun pieces and easy notes but does start by getting two hands to play together. He might enjoy the change of appearance from the Oxford books.

Good luck with all of them !
(edit) you'd need book two of the Piano Magic series I think, or possibly the accompanying pieces book to tutor book one.

I don't teach music, but being the Dad of a very shy boy, I can sympathise (his brother's the complete opposite!)

One trick I often use is to 'pretend' to be pretty lousy at whatever I'm teaching and to look in astonishment when he gets it right. Then I ask him to show me and express frustration at not being as good as him.

It's amazing at how a child changes when he/she thinks that they're better than the teacher at something.

But it only works up to a certain age. They're not daft!

Steve

Thank you very much everybody! Cyrilla, I try to be but sometimes I feel very inadequate!
In the end we opted for More Tunes For Ten Fingers as it seemed that the pupil had really got 'into' the style, colour and progressive layout of TTF. Also his mother was very keen to continue with the series. So far all is well!

Back to the main topic of the 5yr old girl and her mother, I'm looking into a book (if that's not too heavy a word for a young learner!) which we can go through in the lesson. I'm thinking Piano Magic bk1, Piano Party and gleaned a few ideas from http://forums.abrsm.org/index.php?showtopi...ery+young+pupil

Does anyone have a preference? I'll be spending some time in the music shop tomorrow but it'd be nice to know what others are using before going.

Thanks very much!

William, believe me, we ALL feel inadequate to a greater or lesser degree! I found that the more training and studying that I did, the better I felt about myself and my teaching abilities - so lots of luck and hope to meet you on a course one day!

Cyrilla is your expert when it comes to Kodaly, but it is not the only solution with 5 year olds. TTF works equally well, and as "mummy" is learning to then you can develop a senior learner/junior learner approach with both supporting each other.

However do use Kodaly for Rhythm, and encourage her to sing her pieces. I'm not a kodaly teacher, but do spend some lessons singing continuously to my pupils. I also like clapping games.

If you are trying to teach note names, be careful with solfege as introducing the two together can be confusing. However it is a useful skill for later on when it come to aural perception, so don't completely dismiss it!

If you want to learn more about kodaly and kodaly training in your are, do pm cyrilla who will be happy to help. However do not feel inadequate by not using kodlay/dalcroze methodologies if you find another that works!
Jo

I don't think Kodály and Dalcroze are mutually exclusive, nor is a teacher excluded from working with these ways of thinking alongside books such as 'Tunes for Ten Fingers'. I certainly don't see them as 'different methodologies' as a tutor book is very different from the primarily aural (at this age) Kodály and Dalcroze experience.

I wouldn't be using rhythm names or solfa with such a young beginner as there are so many things that need to be experienced and understood before you get to that stage.

I've also never found either Kodály or Dalcroze to 'not work'. Both teach musical awareness, skills and understanding in the most natural way possible and, when taught well, make the learning process a totally natural and organic one.