I am a piano teacher but also have two daughters who play, including a quite keen 9 year old.
I've entered a few pupils for our upcoming local music festival. My own daughter did quite well in it last year, so we've entered quite a few classes. However, in a moment of madness, I put her in for a sight reading class (which she did agree to do). This was mainly because no one ever does the class and pupils of mine who entered it in the past have always come away with a trophy OK, I'm shallow, I know it!!

Well, we have the programme through and she's the only one in the class. But it's straight before another class she's in with 13 entrants, in the same session, so the world and his wife are going to be watching her and suddenly she doesn't want to do it so much any more. But we can't drop out because we she wants to do the other classes.

She's not even a very good sight reader I know, what was I thinking!!

So I was wondering if anyone on here has any tips to imrove her sight reading fast (we've got 2 weeks). She can read music, but she's a memorizer by nature, so she tends to read it first time round and never look at it again, which means that when she does read music it is very halting, unless she knows the tune, in which case she whips through it by ear.

So far we have done the improve your sight reading books Grades 1 and 2, though 2 got a bit beyond her. I've got her to play a piece of music from a beginner book each day (different one a day), and I've done flashcards. I've tried getting her to sight read duets with me, but that just ends in tears. So, any other tips as we really have to improve it before we put her in public! I try getting her to keep the pulse and momentum going, but she just can't, she isn't confident enough. In normal life she plays pieces of around Grade 3 standard easily (she passed 1 and 2 well - except for the sight reading), but it's always by memory, so her sight reading doesn't improve much normally. My only consolation with this whole thing is that she's in an age 8-9 sight reading class - how hard can it be??

Any tips gratefully received!

How about just arriving late and looking dishevelled after the next class has just got underway?

Edit - Sorry - not helpful, but worth considering! I can understand how she'd really not want to do it with such an audience. But if she does - just tell her to somehow or other make music out of it; the audience at least won't have a copy of what's in front of her, and if she plays what sounds half reasonable with as few as possible hiccups and repetitions they'll just think the adjudicator's really harsh if she doesn't get a good mark!

If she's the only one, does it really matter what she plays? There won't be anyone else for the audience to compare what she played with what everyone else played. Perhaps you could get her to look at the first and last notes and just make up the middle.

Although I suppose it also depends on whether the adjudicators comment in front of the audience on what she's just played or whether they just write it on a comment slip.

Edit: I just posted this as Dulciana was adding her edit.

Do you have any tutor books with CD accompaniments? I have been using these for sight reading (I lend them out) - explaining to those concerned that I realise that they are way beyond their playing level and that they are solely for sight reading use. I have found them very successful once they get the hang of it - they are forced to look ahead and keep up with the CD. The easy music content means that they don't have to worry about notes too much, thus removing one of the things they have to think about, and confidence improves. I use the Alfred's Premier series, which is very well thought out, with logical step by step progression. I also use a very old John Thompson book "John Thompson's Modern Course for the Piano" (no CD - but you could make your own!) which also has good logical progression, and includes keys with sharps and flats early on. I'm not so sure about ploughing through the standard sight reading books, worthy though they are. You can instill the same rules by using other material and it's often more interesting.

Whatever you do to try to improve, there's going to be a limit to what can be achieved in two weeks - so I still think the best option is to concentrate on producing something that sounds reasonable, whether or not it bears much relation to what is on the page. This might be good practice in itself, as some might argue that it's the preferable way to go if it's a choice between doing this and stumbling and repeating continually to get notes right.

A quote from a Joan Last book that I have, with regard to a pupil of hers sightreading in a festival or exam: (The adjudicator's comment): "I have never heard so many wrong notes played so beautifully."

I think it is too much pressure for your daughter, especially if she ends up in tears. Many people find it difficult to perform a piece they know in front of an audience let alone an unknown piece. It might be that your daughter would like to pull out altogether if you find that the time is limited to put any useful tips you get well into practice. Best wishes.

There is the answer to the problem. Tell your daughter to launch into it, play it, then sit back and forget it.

The Judge is not going to be cruel. The Judge is going to be highly appreciative of your little one's efforts. I would be prepared to bet money that she will come out of the experience a happy girl, given the standard of modern judges.

Just don't enter confirmed memorisers into a sight-reading class in the future, ok?

They won't do it at your daughter's level but at our regional music competition for any sight reading class aged 12 and above all the competitors are taken out of the room, out of earshot.

Then the judge explains exactly the style, timing and just how the piece should be interpreted AND proceeds to play it!! (bet they've practised it too )

Then one by one competitors are brought back in to play the piece.

It makes for a very interesting class for the audience but a spectacularly humiliating one for the entrants I've been one .. believe me .. I know

Maybe just start for a couple of days with building up her confidence by giving her pieces that really are easy for her to sight read, at a level much lower than what she is used to.