Beginner piano lessons with me and how to make the most of them with your child

So you have decided you would like your child to start taking piano lessons with me? That is SO good and I am excited to get to know your child and you and to bring Music Moves with Piano and Edwin Gordon’s Music Learning Theory to your lives in a fun and inspiring way.

Here are some important elements to build success in your child’s music learning journey:

• we will have fun in the lessons and when playing at home. My lessons are about encouragement and opening children’s minds to musical possibilities
• parents have a REALLY IMPORTANT role to play. You do not have to be a musician, or musical (something that nearly every parents says to me is “Oh, I’m not very musical”.
• the lesson with me is not the only time that your child should experience music during the week. I provide materials online via Google Classroom to remind you of the chants, songs and pieces we have enjoyed during the lesson
• Parents’ involvement is the KEY to success. Your child looks to you for information about what is important. If your child sees and hears you playing on the piano, singing and chanting, and moving to music – then that gives a very valuable message to your child about music making being “what we do”. The process of acculturation starts at home.
• Invite your child to recall what we covered in the last lesson. approach the piano frequently and play briefly. Do not make it a compulsion or a chore. Your child’s music making must be playful and voluntary and not subject to judgment.
• Invite your child to comment on whether what they have played is what they covered in their lessons, or whether they are making new music. It is fine (highly desirable) for them to be imaginative with elements they have gleaned from their lessons – it helps them to explore the possibilities of these elements and to experiment in how they work. It also helps them to think about their intention – whether it is to replicate material from the lesson (also desirable) or to create new material.
• Take an interest in their output. Ask them to tell you what they are thinking of when they are creating. Taking ownership of their output deepens their learning.
• This is by far from an exhaustive list! Look for more in my next post!