All About Choosing Piano Schools And Teachers

[metz]

Imami:

Apologies but this are I really need help - how to motivate the child?

I seem horribly unimaginative in this aspect - to motivate. But on the other hand, I could already imagine what could possibly happen - I drag my kid to his piano lessons with him brawling at the door, every attempt to get his little fingers on the piano is a hair tearing episode. :stupid: :stupid:

If that happens, then the kid is sending a very strong negative signal. You will need to find out the cause or causes why he's reacting so negatively. Is the pace too fast or too slow for him? Could it be there's no chemistry between the child and the teacher? That happened to my son was he 4.5 yrs old. One trial lesson with an inexperienced piano teacher was enough for him to hate piano. For more than a year, he wouldn't go near any piano.

But be ready to back off the idea if the child genuinely dislikes the instrument.
[quote]I have a feeling that I would need to really push my kid to learn piano. But the last thing I want is to force piano on him. It should be about what he likes. My role should be to provide what is needed (find a good teacher, buy a good piano, get the needed material) and to be a cheer leader.[/quote]Going through the various piano threads, you will realise some parents have no issues with motivation. They are fine with their children progressing at their own pace. Some kids took 3 years or more before embarking on their first exams. Are you comfortable with such progress? If not, are you ready to commit your time to learn and practise with your child as what some parents have suggested? If you can make a decision on the direction to take and your expectation, there will be fewer issues to struggle with.

This morning, I asked my daughter what prompted her to practise on her own when she was just 4 years old. She said she liked the tunes that the teacher taught her very much and wanted to be able to play them herself. Perhaps, one way of getting the children motivated is to start them on tunes they like or familiar with.

[Yazhini]

Hello alng,


Please send me the contact of the piano teacher …? Is the teacher male/female …? Thanks

[pirate]

chamonix:

This morning, I asked my daughter what prompted her to practise on her own when she was just 4 years old. She said she liked the tunes that the teacher taught her very much and wanted to be able to play them herself. Perhaps, one way of getting the children motivated is to start them on tunes they like or familiar with.

Getting motivated to learn to play the tunes is one thing, but getting motivated to play the tunes to the standard required for exams is another. I have no problem getting DD to be motivated enough to learn new tunes. But getting her to practise the same 3 exam pieces over and over again until all the little details are considered to be 'mastered' is quite another.

She would rather be playing the other 6 pieces in the ABRSM book or exploring the pieces in the ABRSM book one grade higher. You know, all those other things that are available for her to explore but are not formally taught in lessons.

How to motivate a young child to practise Hanon? I could get away with Czerny because she thinks they are pieces and not merely exercises.

My feel is that she is bored playing the same exam pieces over and over again. My worry is that if I push her too hard to polish up those 3 pieces, one of these days she is going to lose interest in exploring on her own. It would be ironic if choosing exam pieces end up being the kiss of death for those pieces. Anybody has any idea how to overcome that boredom?

[Imami]

sleepy:

Imami:

Yes, I have explored that too - group lessons. But the few schools I have checked with are all more keen to enroll my kid on the one to one basis.

Haha, I had similar encounter! I checked around quite a number of music schools in my area. Apparantly 5 years old is considered rather late to begin group lessons. Eventually I signed dd2 up at Seimpi, the only center in my area that's still accepting 5 years old kids for group lessons

Imami:

His eyes only lit up again when We were shown the drum room. Like i have said, he's seems more of a drum person.

Why not start him on drum then?
Not every child takes on to piano.

My dd1 is a string person. Piano is a big no-no to her.
Doesn't matter to me which instrument, as long as she enjoys it

Indeed so - not everyone takes on piano.

I Got son a trial lesson for drum a couple of months back. The instructor was very frank but kind - he pointed out my son's prob (unable to coordinate three way beat) and said it would be a waste of time to start so young.

I forgot to mention another instance in which my son's eyes lit up during the medley music school tour - there was this room in which they used for performances. There was a grand piano inside. That's the other instance when his eyes lit up - at the sight of that black beauty. He literally ran toward the grand piano, much to the fright of the staff and stunned his mum rooted on the spot :slapshead: luckily, no mishap - he just stopped right in front of the grand piano and stared at it.

[waiyean]

pirate:

chamonix:

This morning, I asked my daughter what prompted her to practise on her own when she was just 4 years old. She said she liked the tunes that the teacher taught her very much and wanted to be able to play them herself. Perhaps, one way of getting the children motivated is to start them on tunes they like or familiar with.

Getting motivated to learn to play the tunes is one thing, but getting motivated to play the tunes to the standard required for exams is another. I have no problem getting DD to be motivated enough to learn new tunes. But getting her to practise the same 3 exam pieces over and over again until all the little details are considered to be 'mastered' is quite another.

She would rather be playing the other 6 pieces in the ABRSM book or exploring the pieces in the ABRSM book one grade higher. You know, all those other things that are available for her to explore but are not formally taught in lessons.

How to motivate a young child to practise Hanon? I could get away with Czerny because she thinks they are pieces and not merely exercises.

My feel is that she is bored playing the same exam pieces over and over again. My worry is that if I push her too hard to polish up those 3 pieces, one of these days she is going to lose interest in exploring on her own. It would be ironic if choosing exam pieces end up being the kiss of death for those pieces. Anybody has any idea how to overcome that boredom?

Don't choose the 3 pieces until 4-5 weeks before exam date. Some piano teachers may probably disagree with this, but this is what my DD has been doing for her previous exams, and current preparation. Play all the 9 pieces in the book, plus selected alternative pieces as well. This will certainly overcome that boredom. It also gives the added advantage of getting to choose the best 3 pieces for the exam. Time spent on the other pieces will not go wasted as there are probably some learnings in all the pieces.

On Hanon, DD don't follow the instructions on the book. We limit it to just 6 exercises per day. Also, she plays it in different articulation and dynamics, sometimes legato, sometimes staccato, sometimes loud, sometimes soft... just to add some \"spice\" to it.

[XiaoXin]

Imami:

... he just stopped right in front of the grand piano and stared at it.

So cute. Maybe, you should just get him a Grand Piano at home. hehe...

[Imami]

bhchng:

Imami:

Hi bhchng, how did you get your son started? Mine is also 4 this year.

I am just too scare to move, for fear that I kill his interest with my own hands.

Imami, my son started his Baby Music Course at about 18 months. Progressively to Group Piano Course at 3 years old. He started his Individual Piano Course about 2-3 months back.

I have been with him throughout all the Music Courses. He is not alone. I am learning together with him. So, he doesn't feel scare and lonely as well. Experience Music Teacher is important as they know how to deal with young children. It is important to be with your child on the Individual Piano Course. Else, how are you going to practice with your child at home? Unless, your child is a Music Genius at birth.

Next, you will need to ask yourself. Is it you who wants the child to learn Music or the child who is interested to learn Music? I also get to know that some children are interested in other Music instruments like Violin or Flute than Piano. Have you tried other options?

Every child is different. I understand that my elder son is interested in Music so we continue the path. Not sure about my younger son who is 2 years old now. But we will still go via the same motion identify his interests. Just sharing our experiences. For your reference only.

Nothing is too late. I have also just started learning Music! :rahrah:

FYI. I have also helped my son to remember the musical notes by printing the flash card from this website. I cut them out individually and help him to remember.

http://makingmusicfun.net/htm/f_printit_lesson_resources/flash-cards-tc.htm

My son always asking me to help him. So, I tried my best to find materials for him.

Bhchng, thanks for your reply. Much appreciated.

Actually, I would love to be sitting in every class (any subject) that my kid is attending. Unfortunately, that is not possible all the time (mostly because the schools/teachers are against it). I would be most happy to sit with him through his music classes as long as the teacher allows and my kid is cool about it.

It is me who wanted my child to learn music. He, on the other hand, just behaves like a kid – having a natural curiosity in everything. And it is precisely because I am the one who is more keen in getting him to learn music that’s why I am moving so cautiously. It should be what he likes, not what I like. But I would really want to give him and piano a fair chance to get to know each other better. Like love, it cannot be forced upon. But how does one falls in love, if one doesnt even get to know the other better?

I never had a chance to pick up music but I would really hope to at least offer my child an opportunity at this. I am totally cool if he doesnt pick up piano eventually. Not everyone picks up music, no big deal.

I got him a trial class for drum, like I mentioned earlier. The instructor said “come back again”, which I would.

The thing about my kid is, his attitude towards music is inconsistent. He enjoys classical music (those on CDs), like I do, and would hum them in great length. Whenever we walked pass live performances, he would stop and stare for a long time until they ended. But he is never interested in upright pianos, only drum sets.

[Imami]

jedamum:

bhchng:

[quote=\"waiyean\"]I wouldn't recommend that for parents who want child to have serious education in music. No control over quality of lessons in preschools, parents also cannot monitor and sit in the classes. I have heard of music teacher in a reputable and expensive preschool who cannot sing in pitch. Also progress is extremely slow as the teacher has to consider all children in the class, not all of them may be musically inclined.

Yup. I won't go down that path if the child is serious into Music.

Aiyo, how to know if kid is serious when not even start music lesson of any kind?? Unless one has the funds to send
Kids to professional music centres, those who intend to their kids learn music but not sure about their interests, my suggestion is just an alternative.t least it works for us who let our kids pick it up , not to learn professionally[/quote]Weayean and bhchng are the “been through already” parents. Their kids have already established the interest and are already on track, taking lessons etc. My case is a little premature, I am not even sure if my kid is interested, which is why Jedamum offered an suggestion.

All of you meant well :grphug:

[Dreamaurora]

pirate:

chamonix:

This morning, I asked my daughter what prompted her to practise on her own when she was just 4 years old. She said she liked the tunes that the teacher taught her very much and wanted to be able to play them herself. Perhaps, one way of getting the children motivated is to start them on tunes they like or familiar with.

Getting motivated to learn to play the tunes is one thing, but getting motivated to play the tunes to the standard required for exams is another. I have no problem getting DD to be motivated enough to learn new tunes. But getting her to practise the same 3 exam pieces over and over again until all the little details are considered to be 'mastered' is quite another.

She would rather be playing the other 6 pieces in the ABRSM book or exploring the pieces in the ABRSM book one grade higher. You know, all those other things that are available for her to explore but are not formally taught in lessons.

How to motivate a young child to practise Hanon? I could get away with Czerny because she thinks they are pieces and not merely exercises.

My feel is that she is bored playing the same exam pieces over and over again. My worry is that if I push her too hard to polish up those 3 pieces, one of these days she is going to lose interest in exploring on her own. It would be ironic if choosing exam pieces end up being the kiss of death for those pieces. Anybody has any idea how to overcome that boredom?

Well, to be honest preparing for exams can be dry and trying to bring those exam pieces up to a high standard can be daunting. But there are quite a few tricks teachers and parents can employ to make the preparation much more bearable.

Students can choose not to use official ABRSM book for the pieces; students need not be aware they are actually playing exam pieces. Most of the pieces in the book can be sourced elsewhere if resourceful enough or can play mostly alternatives. This works with students who have negative association with exams. After the pieces are learnt to a good standard, then can reveal to them that they will actually be taking an exam.

Now, one thing I have learnt to accept as a teacher is that sometimes even if I want the pieces to be as detailed and as musical as possible, the students may not be capable to fully realise my vision. This can be because of a few factors such as technical deficiencies, lack of musical maturity, insufficient practice time, etc. So as a teacher, I need to be realistic and be honest to the students what they can achieve currently. Even for pieces, sometimes I let students choose exam pieces they love even though I know they may not be able to do full justice to them.

So as a teacher, I need to be very skillful in introducing the details gradually in a comfortable pace, especially if the students are very young. I need to make sure they can actually hear 'inside' the details I want them to make before asking them to do it; and they must be convinced that the details are necessary to make the pieces sound better. A wise teacher once said to me: You can only play what you can hear. I also will not push the kids to execute details beyond their capabilities. Some teachers just force feed the details just to squeeze those extra last marks without consideration whatsoever for the students. Even the students can play those details, do they understand the reasonings behind them?

For home practice, you can alternate the pieces in practice to keep things fresh. So for example, Monday can work on A piece, Tuesday can work on B piece. All pieces should be played once a day but only one or two should be worked in practice sessions. Once pieces are more or less completed it should be enough to just play them through once or twice a day to keep them maintained.

I try to mix non exam pieces and duets whenever possible along standard exam pieces. I personally don't think it's healthy to work on just 3 pieces per grade. Maybe you can request the teacher to go through other pieces in lessons?

Hanon can be made more interesting by trying to play the exercises in more creative ways e.g. in different keys, different rhythms. Though in my opinion, Czerny and other composers' etudes are more than sufficient for technical exercises and many younger generation teachers are abandoning Hanon.

[Imami]

chamonix:

Imami:

Apologies but this are I really need help - how to motivate the child?

I seem horribly unimaginative in this aspect - to motivate. But on the other hand, I could already imagine what could possibly happen - I drag my kid to his piano lessons with him brawling at the door, every attempt to get his little fingers on the piano is a hair tearing episode. :stupid: :stupid:

If that happens, then the kid is sending a very strong negative signal. You will need to find out the cause or causes why he's reacting so negatively. Is the pace too fast or too slow for him? Could it be there's no chemistry between the child and the teacher? That happened to my son was he 4.5 yrs old. One trial lesson with an inexperienced piano teacher was enough for him to hate piano. For more than a year, he wouldn't go near any piano.

But be ready to back off the idea if the child genuinely dislikes the instrument.
[quote]I have a feeling that I would need to really push my kid to learn piano. But the last thing I want is to force piano on him. It should be about what he likes. My role should be to provide what is needed (find a good teacher, buy a good piano, get the needed material) and to be a cheer leader.

Going through the various piano threads, you will realise some parents have no issues with motivation. They are fine with their children progressing at their own pace. Some kids took 3 years or more before embarking on their first exams. Are you comfortable with such progress? If not, are you ready to commit your time to learn and practise with your child as what some parents have suggested? If you can make a decision on the direction to take and your expectation, there will be fewer issues to struggle with.

This morning, I asked my daughter what prompted her to practise on her own when she was just 4 years old. She said she liked the tunes that the teacher taught her very much and wanted to be able to play them herself. Perhaps, one way of getting the children motivated is to start them on tunes they like or familiar with.[/quote]Oh, I was just saying it generally…. Haven’t even included factors like child-teacher chemistry etc. Dare not even think about those factors yet. But yes, I know such incidents/unforeseen factors may affect the kid’s interest.

I am actually very happy to read (sorry, couldnt remember who posted that) about how one parent said she/he was not interested to put the kid through piano exam, just wanted the teacher to teach the kid to play pieces that he/she wanted. I think this is what I want. Whether my kid would eventually pursue piano exams or not is not very important, at least at this point in time. If he likes piano enough and wants to pursue further, I am sure we can make it happen (i.e. letting him go for grading and etc). But first, we need to establish his interest in music.

Actually, all I hope for is to introduce at least one musical instrument to him. If it is drum, so be it. Likewise for violin or whatever. Piano is chosen because it seems to be the most popular instrument among beginner.