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1. Sing the note names as they are played. Pre-reading music has the names of the notes written on the note
heads. Students need to say the names of then notes as they are played so they learn to visualize what keys are under their
fingers in beginning hand positions C and Middle C. Without this simple knowledge, students will not be able to go on to learning
to read notes on the staff.
2. Keep eyes on the music, not the
hands. Once students have their hand position, they need to keep their eyes on the music and not look down at their hands.
This way they are developing a keyboard in their imaginations. This is also necessary for reading notes on the staff, which
is just a map of the piano keyboard.
3. Sit back on the piano bench and reach out to the piano. Students will
not be able to use their small muscles in the fingers unless they are reaching out to the piano with their arms extended and
elbows slightly bent with elbows pointing to the walls and not the floor.
4. Round the hands over the keyboard. The fingers need to stretch down to the piano
keys from the top knuckle and then retract back to a rounded hand position. This allows for finger flexibility and control.
5. Play each song 5 to 7 times a day. It doesn’t take long for
a young student to practice their beginning lessons. But each song needs to be played about 7 times using good playing strategies.
For the average student whose teacher has assigned them two songs, this will take about 5 minutes a song. That’s a ten
minute practice session. And that’s really all beginning students need to do to learn their lessons. But without these
strategies they could sit at the piano for hours and never learn what they need to know.
Music education involves
both art and math. Playing the piano improves fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination in children. There are the
more abstract, less tangible results of music lessons as well.
The piano is an ideal first instrument for children to learn. The keyboard is easier to master, initially, than some
other musical instruments. For example, wind instruments like the flute involve learning the proper method of blowing across
the head joint's mouth hole, while string instruments like the violin entail learning to play the right note, no other strings,
and with the correct amount of bow speed and pressure. For these and several other reasons, the piano is typically recommended
for children who are interested in learning to play a musical instrument.
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