Hi,

I am a Grade 7 piano student and have just started teaching the piano.

One of my students, is 10 nearly 11 years old. He is statemented at school, because he dyslexic and has learning disabilities.

I have been teaching him for 4 months from the book Me and My Piano Part 1 by Waterman and Harewood and he is just starting to put hands together. This is the book I learnt from so I am very familiar with it.

I've been aware that he is reading the finger position numbers not the notes. This has become more apparent in the last few lessons as I have tried to cover up the numbers and he has struggled to read the notes. He doesn't have a lot of confidence in himself when he makes mistakes and he feels like giving up.

I'm also worried about my other students whether this will be a problem, has anybody got any advice please? It would be very much appreciated

Hi,
Welcome to the forums!

Me and My Piano does have a lot of finger numbers in it. Now that you're aware of a possible problem, you can cover up at least some of the fingerings right from the beginning with new students. You can also get them to play the pieces with different fingerings - so when they're playing a piece with CDE, get them to learn it with fingers 234 and maybe then with 345, etc.

For your pupil with dyslexia, you may need to do quite a bit of work on learning the notes. Games away from the piano may help. This is a great site for games (though American, so watch the terminology!)...
http://www.susanparadis.com/index.php?section=1

It sounds like you're evaluating what he's doing and what he's struggling with, which is a great start. Someone who knows more about teaching piano to children with dyslexia will no doubt come along shortly. The more ways you can find to teach him the better I think - you probably want a multi-sensory approach. And be patient - it may take him a while to consolidate whatever he's learning (even when you think he's got it, you may find another week he can't remember). In the mean time, don't just stick to the tutor book, do improvisation and some rote-learning so he doesn't get frustrated.

Could your own teacher give you advice too?

Hi MissPiano and to the forum.

I'm more a violin teacher than piano, but the finger number problem still happens! Generally speaking, as soon as I am aware that there is beginning to be an issue with reading of notation, I give the child a set of flash cards to take home, and explain - preferably in parent's earshot - how he should use them on a daily basis (parent testing child - but child can test parent too!) Make sure the note name is on the reverse, in case of musically illiterate parents. With a child with the problems you describe, I would just ask him to learn one or two (say middle C in each hand to begin with). Agree with him that he can have finger numbers except for those two notes. Get him to write them every lesson for you, because that will reinforce the reading. When he's confident and recognises them 9 times out of 10, add one further note.

As Piano Meg points out, Me and My Piano has quite a lot of fingering printed in. When one of my sons used this book, we tippexed out some of the numbers so that he didn't get too reliant on them! Little and often is the way to go, and make it into a game for him so that his interest is rekindled. Could you try a giant stave marked out on the floor with masking tape? Or a matching game with musical snap cards / dominoes?

I would also introduce (if you haven't already) another book for him - Dozen A Day Mini Book begins with just two notes, and it might help to use this alongside Me and My Piano to reinforce the note-reading. A theory book, too, would help him to consolidate.

I have taught several dyslexic children, and it can be frustrating, because just as you think they've got something, suddenly they lose it again. It can also have completely different challenges for different children; no two children with dyslexia will have the same problems - even two dyslexic siblings I teach have markedly different problems. Enlist the help of the parents to help him with practice at home and (if it helps) use coloured overlays for his music.

Lots of ideas here: http://www.abrsm.org/parents/advice/item.html?id=252

Not dyslexia specific, but the books I use with anyone looking like they are starting to think in / look at numbers rather than note heads, are in the Playing with Colour series by Sharon Goodey. The principle is that each finger has a colour - so no numbers printed anywhere. The eye is instead drawn to the rise and fall patterns of the notes themselves. Pupils play in several keys and styles, and are encouraged to be quite inventive with short improv sections to some of the pieces even quite early on. Reading by the lines and spaces is introduced gradually alongside the colour pieces and then of course you can also keep trying them out on B&W copies of the pieces they have learnt previously to see how well this is going in.

Just a thought.

As an alternative to flash cards if the pupil has access to an iPad/phone etc there is a free app called Notebrainer that they can use to test themselves. They get a score based on accuracy and speed of answering. It's helped 1 of my pupils who was stopping every 3rd note to check what it was (sax so no numbers to hide behind)

I agree with others who say Me and My Piano encourages young children to read finger numbers. I've inherited a couple of children with no learning difficulties who have got to the end of book 1, barely reading a note! I never use it as a starter book unless the student coming to me is already using it.

In addition to the flashcards I'd consider changing to another tutor book. I've had great results using The Hal Leonard student piano library which includes plenty of off-stave directional exercises and takes the student through note-reading very carefully and effectively. I think Piano Adventures is also strong in this area but I haven't used it myself - I'm sure others can clarify.

Me and my piano has a ridiculous number of finger numbers in it. You will not want to be tippexing out hundreds of numbers for each one of your students. But if you don't, you will undoubtedly get some students who will play just by following the finger numbers. I discovered my son was doing that when I started him with a John Thompson book, which also has the problem of too many finger numbers.

My advice to you is to find a different tutor book. Go and browse in your local music shop or put an ad in freecycle and get a load of free, unwanted books from other people, just to see what's available.

I use Piano Adventures because I think their approach to teaching reading is so well-thought out. They use very few finger numbers at all, teaching the pupil to observe the countour and intervals between notes. I cannot say whether this would work well with a dyslexic pupil, but for most pupils this seems to work well.

Flashcards and games are good suggestions. Susan Paradis' website is wonderful.

I agree with both of those. I think the other thing is to not worry too much about it - some children take longer than others to really make the transition when it comes to reading numbers / reading notes.

I agree with everything above and just want to reiterate the post which recommended getting the child to play the same C-D-E- rh piece with 1-2-3 and then 2-3-4 and then 3-4-5.

It's also a really good exercise to get them to play the piece with just the second finger, for instance - they really have to read the notes and follow the pattern of the notes, actually moving the hand up the keyboard as the notes go up etc.

I can actually remember having this problem myself nearly 50 years ago!

At the beginning of every lesson my teacher wrote a line of random notes on two staves, some for left and some for right hand. My job was to find each note on the keyboard, play it and say it's name out loud. I've no idea how long it took, but that little excercise, just once a week, was definitely what cured me.

If you have already been emphasising reading the 'pattern' of the notes and your student is able to cope with that you could let him help in deciding which finger numbers are essential. If he is ok with seeing the direction of the notes on the stave you might be able to start by agreeing that he doesn't need finger numbers for 'next door' notes to start with.
You might have to do some more preparation work if you've not already been guiding him to read this way and/or if this is a difficult concept for him.

Hi everybody

Thank you so much for all your help and advice, I've got a lot to go away on and I'm sure the suggestions will really help him.

MissPiano

hi, check out www.dogsandbirds.co.uk = a very useful resource for beginning teachers. Plus if you get the teacher / parent notes you'll get lots of ideas on how to develop musicianship skills.

It was somebody on this forum who recommended Piano Adventures to me.
I can't remember who you are, but wherever you may be, thank you!

I had two students start at the same time this January and was warned one was dyslexic, so I started her with Accelerated Piano Adventures (she's 14) and the other with Piano Time 1, which is the usual one I use. I've found that there is a lot less reliance on finger numbers with Piano Adventures, because each piece starts in a different position and focuses on phrase shape rather than which line/space is which. I can also point out notes on the stave and she can tell me which is which instantly, in direct contrast to any of my Piano Time learners that have been stuck in 5 finger position who still desperately try to answer with a number...

The Piano Adventures doesn't look as exciting as Piano Time, but the students who learn with piano time really enjoy the repertoire in the piano adventures book because it feels like they are learning 'new notes' all the time...