I have been teaching my five year old daughter piano since November, using the Bastien Piano books that I have used for twelve years.

She has whizzed through the first two Primer Books in 3.5 months and is about to start Level 1 - it takes my usual pupils 18 months to get to the same standard and whenever I teach her something new she picks it up so quickly that I feel like I'm just reminding her of something she already knows. She never needs telling anything twice, unlike my other pupils who need it drilling into their heads over and over.

And she's has been asked to play the piano in assembly next Wednesday!!

She's the best pupil I have ever had and I am so proud - I'm even thinking about Chets in a few years! And she's still only 5.

Good on you! (and your daughter!!)

Wooo

You are truly blessed if this is your experience. If she's starting off in this promising way, her progress ought to be meteoric. Naturally talented and "prodigy" are words which spring to mind. I say this without any hint of jealousy, though I tried to teach my older child and it didn't work out; it simply didn't happen in our case. She dropped it after just one grade's piano.

I wish you and her continued success. Reach for the stars!

LR

I'm having to tread carefully as she doesn't like it when it gets 'hard' and I don't want to put her off. She also cries and says she's rubbish when she doesn't play something perfectly straightaway.

So I have told her how great she is and that my big girls aged 10 and 11 who have been playing for over a year can't play what she can - she likes that.

She's also nearly finished the "My First Theory Book" - which she loves. In fact she prefers doing the theory to do the piano!!

She also comes to me with little chord-based compositions and teaches them to me!!

How nice that she's enjoying it that much! and so nice you can share a passion with her!
all the best to both of you

I'm just visualising tiny hands on the keyboard...aww!

Well done for her, but don't push her too much! Just keep it fun I suppose(which I'm sure you're used to)!

If you have the knack of being able to teach your own child without it all ending in tears, then it's well within reach for a child with some natural ability to reach great heights. Many of the greatest musicians of all time were taught by a parent to start off.Mozart was taught by his father!

I tried teaching my son violin when he was 6-7 because he suggested it. It started off OK but deteriorated over the months because I just don't have the right qualities for being a parent/teacher. He started to argue with me and I'd feel frustrated because none of the other child pupils will argue, obviously. The annoying thing about it was that he was doing really well in a short space of time (6 months) because he had me there to give a bit of help when he was practising. But the fact I was his mother as well as his teacher led to so much tension that in the end we had to give it up.

He ended up studying saxophone and did really well at that, telling me once that one of the things he enjoyed about the saxophone was the fact that I didn't know how to play it!

Good luck with your daughter - she sounds like she's doing fantastically so far - but be prepared for some fireworks - possibly - as she gets older.

Violinia

Thanks for the advice

I have noticed that she responds differently to my other pupils. How much of that is due to her age and how much me being her mum I don't know.

And maybe one day she will benefit from a different teacher. But hopefully we'll be able to get on long enough for me to explode with pride when she gets her Grade 5 earlier than I did.

Yes, I'm with Violinia on this one. I didn't want to say too much in my last post above, but I think you need to keep a very open mind insofar as if there are any signs that it's not working out, e.g. dictating when the lesson takes place etc, then it might be time to pull the plug and get her into someone else's way. My problem was that I often ended up sitting in on practice sessions and it just got too intense and claustraphobic. It was alright in the initial honeymoon period, the first flush of enthusiasm if you want to call it that. It's difficult to know when to withdraw and detach yourself from the child/pupil (as after all in the normal scenario there is none of this intensity.) A triangular structure of parent - teacher - pupil often works best. Just be aware of the potential danger signs. Maybe they won't arise.

LR

Congratulations, you must be so proud of your daughter!

I started teaching my son piano at 5 and he took to it better than any of my students. I always said I would teach him for as long as we were both happy. He always learn't everything quicker and whizz through all the tutor/repertoire books, he passed grade 1 at 6 and has recently passed grade 6 with high honours at 9. He is now playing anything he can put his hands on and using his skills to busk anything he wants!

I have encouraged him to move onto another teacher so he can experience new thoughts, ideas and techniques. He has so far resisted the move, although I have persuaded him to start jazz piano with someone else. I never dreamt that I would take him to grade 8 one day.

On another note.....I taught my other son violin for 4 years until he finally stopped last year when he was 10. Like Violinia son, he progressed very quickly until he decided that he knew more than me! We ended up battling everytime the violin came out and I just stopped teaching him and handed him over to someone else. He hated me for it but when he settled with his new teacher he did much better.

I have had two very different experiences teaching my children and would encourage you to keep playing music with your daughter. My pianist son and I have lots of fun busking music together, he's just got to a stage where he is critical of other people's performance including mine which is um...... quite scary!!!

Good luck and keep us posted.