Using Rhythmic Phrases to Teach Syncopated Rhythms

Tinkerbell is 7 years old today! She's very young & I often struggle to find a way to help her to understand some musical concepts. She loves music & loves interesting rhythms, however she just can't read them as traditional written music. So how do I teach her to read the music in a way that's interesting for her, & in a way that she can retain it?

The piece she's currently learning is Elissa Milne's 'Tango for Starters' in the AMEB P Plate Piano Book 3. She loves it - she's capable (with work) - but she has trouble understanding it in the traditional way that we expect as piano teachers. Thanks to some earlier gains with her big brother, I tried to match the rhythm with a related phrase that means something to her. We wrote the phrase on the music (as if it's a lyric) to connect with each of the notes. For example, in the first phrase our 'lyrics' were 'Please don't yell out loud Thomas!'.

We clapped this rhythm, played it on percussion instruments, I played it while she played the rhythm on percussion instruments & we also practised saying the phrase out loud with the right inflections. Not surprisingly with this little girl with a strong aural sense, it's working (the actual notes were a cinch).

This week at home Tinkerbell recognised that 'Tango for Starters' has an ending like the beginning. So she returned to me able to play both the beginning & the ending (GREAT! 2/3 learnt :))

So this morning we start to attack the middle! My question was 'how do I teach her how to play the overlapping rhythms (2 hands)?' Surprisingly, it wasn't as hard as I thought! In 30 minutes we managed to accomplish the first phrase of the middle section by overlapping the lyrics with what she knows already! (now why didn't I think of that before? LOL)

So the first phrase lyrics were 'My head is so sore!' with 'Please don't yell out loud!' overlapping so that 'sore' & 'please' are played together. When I watch her playing it I can see that she has a clear sense of how to play it.

Traditionalists may wonder whether I'm simply reinforcing her reluctance/inability to understand written music. From my point of view, the learning curve for Tinkerbell will be long (as it is with all of us). She learns violin using the Suzuki method. Her aural sense is finely tuned. Unfortunately note-reading is her weak point. I can't hope to fill this gap in the short term in a highly active 6-7year old. However I CAN use her strong aural sense to ASSIST in the music reading. Reading music (& navigating the keyboard) has improved & remains a work under construction. In the meantime, she's having fun learning new music & progressing at the same time.

Enthusiasm Gained By a Piano Lesson

I always feel enthused & excited after attending a piano lesson. Yes, I teach AND I learn. Life is full of lessons. My teacher always manages to get more out of me than I think I can give. It excites me & makes me want more. How about you???

From the mouths of babes..

When Sarah had to play the song 'Twinkling Planets' with 3 notes (Bass F, Middle C & Treble G) she asked her mother 'Do I LOOK like I have 3 hands???' In answer to my question, 'Where is Treble G?', Sarah replied, 'Well that's the PROBLEM! I just don't know!' LOL

AMEB Exam Results

Yesterday C & W sat their AMEB Piano Exams at Newcastle Conservatorium of Music. It was pretty nerve-wracking but exciting at the same time! Both had taken a long time to prepare with lots of hours of practice. I'm excited to announce that they passed with Honours & a Credit! Commendable results for both!

As a teacher, it takes a lot hard work & attention to detail to prepare a student for an exam. There's also an aspect of psychology involved. Coaching, motivation & mental preparation are as important in the weeks leading up to an exam as polishing scales or brushing up General Knowledge.

During the week or two before the scheduled exam, it's not unusual for a student to 'lose the plot' & question their own competence. At that point the piano teacher is also nervously assessing whether the student is experiencing pre-exam nerves or really is ready to attend the exam. Illness in the week of a exam, or the week following is also not unusual.

On the day of the exam, if attending the venue with the student, the piano teacher is attempting to 'steady the ship'. At this point, it's too late to worry about anything more, especially if the student is a child. It's time for positive coaching & instilling self-confidence. After the exam is time for positive feedback (regardless of the result) & a short de-briefing before hopefully parents can take the child for a celebratory lunch or ice cream. In the de-briefing I merely assist the student to understand what their report says, then help them to now look forward with excitement to new music (always a joy).

At the following piano lesson, the student is always more ready to talk about their experience. This is when I often model some technical point that the examiner has remarked upon. Then we just simply enjoy the experience of new music - a joy for us both!

Tia's Enya Experience

Last night Tia needed a new relatively easy relaxing piece of music to learn. I played Enya's Watermark song & she was captivated by it. A melancholy looking Tia looked like her old self again when she declared that she really wanted to play it. Enya's music is not that hard to learn, & is a beautiful addition to relaxing repertoire fo those days when you just want to create some breathing music. My instructions to Tia - just play it in time with your breathing. Can't wait to see Tia develop with this song. School & study is a bit too much right now & I want her to see that playing the piano is a real way to de-stressing & grounding yourself when life is a bit too much.

A Musical Snap Morning & An Alice Achievement!

This morning I played Musical Snap with Alice. We won 1 game each. She earnt 200 points for playing The Boat Dock with the CD at the performance tempo. She was SO excited!

What date is it today?

I asked a 6 year old piano student today whether she knew what the date was today. From her gummy toothless little mouth came, 'I don't know! We didn't do spelling today!'