My Piano Journey

1. Make the piano area beautiful and inviting for your child: Make the piano a center of attention, there can be a few pictures of your family, or other decorations, but no toys  that would create a distraction. If possible, put the piano in an area that your child will see often Make sure that there is a proper level of lighting If the bench is not tall enough provide a firm pillow, and a small stool on which your child can put their feet to maintain a proper position at the piano. The music books, and assignment books should be visible, organized, and easily accessible to your child. You can use a beautiful basket or organizer of your choice. Keep at least one pen, and two sharp pencils with erasers with the piano books - your child will need them for the written assignment and homework assignments. 2. Set a practice time  at least three times per week , up to seven times per week, according to your schedule. Choose a time when you, or another member of your fam...

Beginning piano instruction usually is given to children varying in age from about 7 to 11 years old. BUT not in My Piano Journey !  I have students age from 3.5 years old to adults . However, according to the author Bastien, the age of beginners varies for a number of reasons: children request lessons at different ages; parents purchase pianos at varying times; and parents and teachers have diverse opinions regarding on appropriate beginning age!  Even the famous author of piano method book recognize that different piano teacher will tell you different "best age" to start piano lesson! In my experience, I interviewed a 6-years old boy who is not ready at all, and I also have 4 years-old girl who is very attentive to lesson! The main consideration for an optimum beginning age is a readiness level which varies from child to child. Thus, in order to tell if your child is ready to start piano lesson, here is some guideline: 1. Can he read/ to track from left to right? 2. ...

Putting kids in music has better chance of getting college scholarship compare to sports. Written by Roy Johnson. Read this page .

First Golden Rule: 不 帕 慢 只 怕 站 Bu Pa Man Zhi Pa Zhan Not Afraid Slow Only Afraid Standing Be not afraid of progressing slowly; be afraid only if standing still 不 帕 站 只 怕 转 Bu Pa Zhan Zhi Pa Zhuan Not Afraid Standing Only Afraid Turning in circle Be not afraid of standing still, not progressing, be afraid only if wasting time and energy but turning around in a circle and lost your directions of progressing. When I was young, I used this in my learning in school, and also my learning in piano lesson. My mom said, be not afraid of progressing slowly, only be afraid if you are not progressing. Later she said, be not afraid of not progressing, only be afraid if you think you are progressing, but in fact you are turning in circle and going no where, and lost your directions.  When I go hiking/backpacking with my husband, it was a very strenuous  journey. The most recent trip that ...

Written by Samantha Coates – I am proposing two simple categories for practice: 1.        Regular practice (let’s say 4 or more times per week) 2.        Infrequent/no practice (let’s say 3 or fewer times per week) And two simple categories for parental support 1.        Supportive (sitting with child/helping practice to be efficient) 2.        Unsupportive (never overseeing any practice) Want to find out more about the matrix? Read Part 1 and Part 2