<![CDATA[Piano 0 grader]]>Hi there,


:?: Could someone please shed some light as to what is cover under 0 grade? :oops: How to get from 0 grade to grade 1...

Thanks,

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/topic/21076/piano-0-graderRSS for NodeFri, 19 Jun 2026 14:06:36 GMTFri, 08 Apr 2011 07:23:39 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Piano 0 grader on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 03:47:19 GMT]]>Dreamaurora, Jce,

Thanks for sharing the wonderful tips! ๐Ÿ˜„

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/603291https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/603291Wed, 05 Oct 2011 03:47:19 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Piano 0 grader on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 01:17:31 GMT]]>Itโ€™s good that he wants to try other pieces, as he explores he will pick up more and learn more, good for sight reading too. As for not curving his fingers, yes, it is a common problem but you will have to remind him, otherwise it will just get worse as he progresses and this will hinder his technique and tone at the later stage. My take is this, remind him, once or twice each time he practices, once before he starts and a second time when he does it again during the practice. Afterwhich, stop pointing it out. After practice, if he had forgotten about curving the finger after the reminders, then remind him for the third time, but this is at the end of the practice. If he tried to curve then praise him for remembering and point out to him how nice the fingers looked when he did that and that the tone was nicer too. The teacher should work with you too on this issue. Hope that helps.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/603065https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/603065Wed, 05 Oct 2011 01:17:31 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Piano 0 grader on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 01:17:20 GMT]]>

jedamum:
jce:

I'd say 10 mins each day for starters. Try to get a routine going. Can start with 3 times a week, 10 mins each time. Then increase to 4 times a week then to 5. Afterwhich you can start increasing to 15 mins. At \"grade 0\" the main thing is exposing to the various elements of music. Exploring. Sing along with your child. Get him to sing too. Clap. That way, 10 mins will feel very short.


jce,
after 3 months, we had established a routine and my boy is no longer relying on his 'playing sticker chart' :rahrah: . we are doing 15-20 min session daily after breakfast and dinner. but practising on his primer B book only takes like 5min ๐Ÿ˜“ he spends his time trying out children songs i printed off the internet.
my concern now is how to get him to curve his right hand because the more he practise with this issue unresolved, will it get more difficult to change this habit in the long run? (sometimes he get upset when i tried to correct him - either the rhythm/beat or his un-curved fingers - when he is engrossed in trying to play the song). his music school teacher said it is not a concern and a common 'problem' for beginner learners. what are your views? should i be strict and correct him now?
many thanks.

The problem with very young children is that they are normally just very excited to play piano so they may just ignore basic things like curving fingers properly. Afterall, curve or no curve for them still produce the same sound (not exactly the same sound, but to them it's still the same). His music school teacher is right to say it is a common 'problem' for beginners, but to say that it is no concern is a gross misconception.

Unfortunately though, to get children to start off with good technique requires close supervision from the parents. I encourage parents to sit down with the kids when practicing. Don't scold the kid if he uncurve the finger. What you can do is take a ruler and hold it below his forearm while he is playing, this will force the arms and hands to be parallel with the keys hence naturally they will want to curve. Get a tomato/tennis ball ready also beside the piano. When he uncurve the finger, just ask him gently to pause and hold the tomato again before continuing to play (this really works!). The teachers can also give some finger exercises that involve five finger positions with one finger held down (Joseffy's School of Advanced Piano Playing and Dohnanyi's Essential Finger Exercises have them) for daily warm up exercises. Hanon or Czerny SHOULD NOT be attempted until the kids can achieve good hand shape and curve.

But do bear in mind, it will not be an overnight change. Some students faster, some students slower. From my experience can take from half year to up to 2 years to internalise the curve and position. So, don't get frustrated if they can't remember yet. Just remind them if necessary.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/603064https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/603064Wed, 05 Oct 2011 01:17:20 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Piano 0 grader on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 17:04:53 GMT]]>

jce:
I'd say 10 mins each day for starters. Try to get a routine going. Can start with 3 times a week, 10 mins each time. Then increase to 4 times a week then to 5. Afterwhich you can start increasing to 15 mins. At \"grade 0\" the main thing is exposing to the various elements of music. Exploring. Sing along with your child. Get him to sing too. Clap. That way, 10 mins will feel very short.

jce,
after 3 months, we had established a routine and my boy is no longer relying on his 'playing sticker chart' :rahrah: . we are doing 15-20 min session daily after breakfast and dinner. but practising on his primer B book only takes like 5min ๐Ÿ˜“ he spends his time trying out children songs i printed off the internet.
my concern now is how to get him to curve his right hand because the more he practise with this issue unresolved, will it get more difficult to change this habit in the long run? (sometimes he get upset when i tried to correct him - either the rhythm/beat or his un-curved fingers - when he is engrossed in trying to play the song). his music school teacher said it is not a concern and a common 'problem' for beginner learners. what are your views? should i be strict and correct him now?
many thanks.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/602947https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/602947Tue, 04 Oct 2011 17:04:53 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Piano 0 grader on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 16:56:00 GMT]]>

la pianoteacher:
jo.ong:

Hi there,


:?: Could someone please shed some light as to what is cover under 0 grade? :oops: How to get from 0 grade to grade 1...

Thanks,

Early Beginner
- Able to play a single-line melody using both hands alternatively
- Able to read notes from C to G in treble clef and C to F in the bass clef in middle C position
- Able to play with legato (smoothly) and staccato (detached) and two-note slurs
- able to clap and play(after hearing or reading) simple rhythms including crotchets, minims and semibreves
- able to differentiate between high and low sounds and going up and going down

Mid-Late Beginner
- Able to play a melody with the RH together with a 2-3 note chord in the LH
- Able to play in at least 2 different fixed positions C, F, G position
- Able to read notes from one octave below middle C to one octave able middle C or in both C and G positions and able to sight-read in these positions
- Able to play a melody with RH legato and chord changes in the LH
- Able to do simple finger turns, finger stretches and finger substitutions in exercises
- Able to play at least 2 scales in one octave
- Able to clap and play rhythms including quavers and dotted rhythms.
- Able to differentiate between steps and skips in sound

Grade 1
- Able to play a melody with a broken chord accompaniment in a fixed position
- Able to play a melody with a combination of 2 or more different positions using finger turns, stretches and finger substitutions
- Able to play both hands with one hand legato (usually RH) and one hand staccato (usually LH)
- Able to read notes in all lines and spaces of the treble and bass clef and able to sight-read in all positions (that means able to read intervals)
- Able to play all major and minor scales in the Grade 1 syllabus
- Able to clap and play simple syncopated rhythms.
- Able to differentiate between the first 3 tones of each major scale.

la pianoteacher,
i must have missed this post! thanks for the info. ๐Ÿ˜„

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/602943https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/602943Tue, 04 Oct 2011 16:56:00 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Piano 0 grader on Wed, 17 Aug 2011 05:27:19 GMT]]>thanks jce for taking the time. ๐Ÿ™‚

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/552665https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/552665Wed, 17 Aug 2011 05:27:19 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Piano 0 grader on Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:55:07 GMT]]>Jedamum, personally I donโ€™t like Lina Ng series (no offense, this is just my personal opinion) though sometimes I do get transfer students who have been using so Iโ€™d just carry on from there. Pieces, I find, are generally not that nice. Try Schaum premier or the old-time John Thomson and Michael Aaron. You might be able to find other interesting ones at Music Essential (Orchard Road near OG), they generally carry books not found in "mainstream" music shops.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/551810https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/551810Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:55:07 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Piano 0 grader on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:30:35 GMT]]>

jo.ong:
Hi there,


:?: Could someone please shed some light as to what is cover under 0 grade? :oops: How to get from 0 grade to grade 1...

Thanks,
Early Beginner
- Able to play a single-line melody using both hands alternatively
- Able to read notes from C to G in treble clef and C to F in the bass clef in middle C position
- Able to play with legato (smoothly) and staccato (detached) and two-note slurs
- able to clap and play(after hearing or reading) simple rhythms including crotchets, minims and semibreves
- able to differentiate between high and low sounds and going up and going down

Mid-Late Beginner
- Able to play a melody with the RH together with a 2-3 note chord in the LH
- Able to play in at least 2 different fixed positions C, F, G position
- Able to read notes from one octave below middle C to one octave able middle C or in both C and G positions and able to sight-read in these positions
- Able to play a melody with RH legato and chord changes in the LH
- Able to do simple finger turns, finger stretches and finger substitutions in exercises
- Able to play at least 2 scales in one octave
- Able to clap and play rhythms including quavers and dotted rhythms.
- Able to differentiate between steps and skips in sound

Grade 1
- Able to play a melody with a broken chord accompaniment in a fixed position
- Able to play a melody with a combination of 2 or more different positions using finger turns, stretches and finger substitutions
- Able to play both hands with one hand legato (usually RH) and one hand staccato (usually LH)
- Able to read notes in all lines and spaces of the treble and bass clef and able to sight-read in all positions (that means able to read intervals)
- Able to play all major and minor scales in the Grade 1 syllabus
- Able to clap and play simple syncopated rhythms.
- Able to differentiate between the first 3 tones of each major scale.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/551565https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/551565Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:30:35 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Piano 0 grader on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 15:48:24 GMT]]>jce,

will you recommend Lina Ng's Piano Lessons Made easy book 1 for beginners?
recap, my boy is on Bastien Piano Basics (Primer A) - the book has turned into 'salted veg' stage after about a month of usage :oops:. he gets restless playing the same thing over and over again.
my boy is playing simple ode to joy (inspired by Little Einstein cartoon ๐Ÿ˜“), bingo, twinkle star, london bridge at home (printed off the internet) for variation.
TQ.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/551507https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/551507Tue, 16 Aug 2011 15:48:24 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Piano 0 grader on Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:00:14 GMT]]>

jce:
I'd say 10 mins each day for starters. Try to get a routine going. Can start with 3 times a week, 10 mins each time. Then increase to 4 times a week then to 5. Afterwhich you can start increasing to 15 mins. At \"grade 0\" the main thing is exposing to the various elements of music. Exploring. Sing along with your child. Get him to sing too. Clap. That way, 10 mins will feel very short.

thanks jce!! ๐Ÿ˜„

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/471514https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/471514Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:00:14 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Piano 0 grader on Tue, 05 Jul 2011 05:12:39 GMT]]>Iโ€™d say 10 mins each day for starters. Try to get a routine going. Can start with 3 times a week, 10 mins each time. Then increase to 4 times a week then to 5. Afterwhich you can start increasing to 15 mins. At "grade 0" the main thing is exposing to the various elements of music. Exploring. Sing along with your child. Get him to sing too. Clap. That way, 10 mins will feel very short.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/470599https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/470599Tue, 05 Jul 2011 05:12:39 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Piano 0 grader on Mon, 04 Jul 2011 13:55:18 GMT]]>

jce:
Simple rhythms, some note reading, knowing various positions on the piano (C position, G position), recognising high and low pitch, loud and soft.

jce,
i've been searching for this info! :grphug:
i intend to start my 5yo on piano with music sch, so need to roughly know what will be taught. his kindergarten already taught them C to B position on the keyboard but not note reading.
thanks for the info.
erm..for 'grade 0', how much commitment time for home practising is advisable? i don't wanna kill the boy's interest by getting him to prac to much, but want him to have good foundation too.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/469459https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/469459Mon, 04 Jul 2011 13:55:18 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Piano 0 grader on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 06:50:11 GMT]]>Spoken to the teacher... we have no clue at all! :stupid:

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/409966https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/409966Fri, 29 Apr 2011 06:50:11 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Piano 0 grader on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 15:41:05 GMT]]>Could it be that sheโ€™s not challenged and hence lost her interest? Or sheโ€™s being over-challenged (which I guess not since you mentioned the teacher did not want to stress out your daughter). Or the initial excitement of learning something new has dwindled? Young kids always like new things, thatโ€™s why the start-off is fast. Do have a chat with the teacher and see how things can develop. An experienced teacher can change ways of teaching according to the child as each is different.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/409643https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/409643Thu, 28 Apr 2011 15:41:05 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Piano 0 grader on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 08:58:57 GMT]]>The method of teaching till now is learned through play....teacher said dun stress her... my DS has impressive memory and she took off pretty fast during the first six mths... subsequently not sure what happened, it went downhill... ๐Ÿ˜

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/409336https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/409336Thu, 28 Apr 2011 08:58:57 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Piano 0 grader on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 08:45:57 GMT]]>

jo.ong:
Hi 3kiddos,


Sight reading is not that great :oops: . Short fingers as DS is 5-1/2 years so was told it will take longer time for her to achieve G1. I taught some grade 1 scales ie C, D, F & G majors.... not a problem for DS.
He is only 5 ๐Ÿ˜„ My dd started piano only at age 7 so probably remembering notes (sight-reading) is easier for her. For the moment though, I love that she just loves to play - don't need to chase her to practise at all. I'm in no hurry for her to undergo grading but if you have goals for him, perhaps you can let the teacher know?

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/409327https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/409327Thu, 28 Apr 2011 08:45:57 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Piano 0 grader on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 08:42:28 GMT]]>Hi 3kiddos,


Sight reading is not that great :oops: . Short fingers as DS is 5-1/2 years so was told it will take longer time for her to achieve G1. I taught some grade 1 scales ie C, D, F & G majors.... not a problem for DS.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/409324https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/409324Thu, 28 Apr 2011 08:42:28 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Piano 0 grader on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 08:30:17 GMT]]>

jo.ong:
Hi there,


I'm just not too sure as to what are really taught at beginner level and then what is taught at Grade 1. :faint: Does beginner covers scales? It has been more than a year since my DS took the lesson... just beginning this year, JT's easy piano part 3 was introduced... Haiz, dun know what to do... ๐Ÿ˜ž
Hi, what exactly are worried about? My 8yo dd1 has also been taking piano lessons for almost a year and not doing scales in terms of the Grade 1 exam scales but more finger-strengthening scales etc and I can see that her playing and note reading is improving all the time. I'm happy with her progress so far (sometimes she even learns pieces in the books on her own before teacher teaches). I will leave it to teacher to recommend when she's ready to prep for exams. Are you hoping/expecting him to take exams soon?

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/409313https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/409313Thu, 28 Apr 2011 08:30:17 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Piano 0 grader on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 07:51:07 GMT]]>Hi there,


I'm just not too sure as to what are really taught at beginner level and then what is taught at Grade 1. :faint: Does beginner covers scales? It has been more than a year since my DS took the lesson... just beginning this year, JT's easy piano part 3 was introduced... Haiz, dun know what to do... ๐Ÿ˜ž

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/409268https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/409268Thu, 28 Apr 2011 07:51:07 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Piano 0 grader on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 06:51:53 GMT]]>Is it pre-foundation? My ds2 takes the exam for pre-foundation. Itโ€™s more for the experience.


According to his piano teacher, since heโ€™s still young he wouldnโ€™t be too nervous for the test. So, if he pursues it will be good since he has the experience.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/407233https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/407233Mon, 25 Apr 2011 06:51:53 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Piano 0 grader on Sat, 09 Apr 2011 11:06:17 GMT]]>

jce:
Simple rhythms, some note reading, knowing various positions on the piano (C position, G position), recognising high and low pitch, loud and soft.

also strengthening fingers. Ability to play left hand as well.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/395963https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/395963Sat, 09 Apr 2011 11:06:17 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Piano 0 grader on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:01:30 GMT]]>Simple rhythms, some note reading, knowing various positions on the piano (C position, G position), recognising high and low pitch, loud and soft.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/395609https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/395609Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:01:30 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Piano 0 grader on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:30:38 GMT]]>Oh plsโ€ฆ spare me! I just need to know what is cover for beginner before one starts Grade 1.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/395593https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/395593Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:30:38 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Piano 0 grader on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 12:26:22 GMT]]>

jo.ong:
Hi there,


:?: Could someone please shed some light as to what is cover under 0 grade? :oops: How to get from 0 grade to grade 1...

Thanks,
There's no grade 0 only beginner lol

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/395542https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/395542Fri, 08 Apr 2011 12:26:22 GMT