Parents Guide to teaching their children piano

How parents can teach their children to play the piano

Introducing children to music, like introducing them to reading, should not wait for formal classes to start. Just as you read to your very young children, you should sing to them (whether you consider yourself a decent singer or not), dance with them, teach them singing games like “Ring Around the Rosy”, and share with them the music that you like. Exposing them to classical music, using the many videos, books, and tapes available, can’t hurt, either, but at a very young age they will be most engaged by what engages you. In some communities, there are parent/child group classes that introduce children to the basic concepts of music. To find out what’s available in your area, check with any group that organizes extra-curricular activities for young children. This may be your local park district, YMCA, public library, music academy, community college, or local university. The emphasis at a very young age should be on how fun music is.

The ideal time to start formal music training can be anywhere from age two to age twelve, depending on what you want.
NOTE: Motivated teenagers – i.e. teenagers who tell you that they really want to learn to play an instrument – are, of course, also very good candidates for beginning music lessons. But, the teenage years being what they are, this is usually not a good time for you to start insisting on lessons and practice if the teen is not interested.
If you want your child to begin before about age 6, it is likely (depending on the teachers available in your area) she will be encouraged to begin with the Suzuki method. Very young children are usually not developmentally ready to learn to read music, for the same reason that they are not yet ready to learn to read books. The Suzuki method is specifically designed to teach children from a very young age, by focusing on ear training and memorization, and on the proper physical techniques for playing the instrument. Reading music notation is introduced only as the student is ready for it. Of course, older students can benefit from the Suzuki approach, also. If your child has vision problems or simply responds to audial and physical approaches to learning better than he does to visual teaching methods, Suzuki may be best. Children who might be prone to performance anxiety may thrive with Suzuki, also, as the method encourages frequent group performances and stresses cooperation over competition.

Violin and piano are by far the most common instruments offered using this method, but you may also be able to find Suzuki instruction in viola, cello, string bass, guitar, harp, organ, recorder, flute, or voice. These instruments are all either playable by children who are not yet nearly adult-sized, or are available in small sizes or with adaptations for small players. Note that some teachers will start very young students using methods and approaches other than Suzuki. As long as the approach is appropriate to very young children, it is more important to find a good teacher than to use a particular method. Also note that starting an instrument at a very young age usually requires intense involvement by at least one parent. Your child may need you to sit in on most lessons and actively help with practice sessions.

Between the ages of six and ten, your child can begin any of the instruments mentioned above, with just about any teaching method; just be certain that both the instrument and the teacher are suited to younger children. If your child is determined to play a different instrument (saxophone, for example), beginning on a different instrument at an early age and switching later will not hurt the young instrumentalist, and may give her more experience and confidence reading and playing music than the student who does not begin until age ten. It is certainly not necessary to begin early, however, particularly if the child does not want to study a different instrument; the motivated student who begins at age ten will quickly catch up to those who began their musical training earlier.

Many instruments do not come in child sizes and are physically too much for a small child to handle. At about the age of ten, most children become big enough to begin playing most instruments. If you have been waiting to start your child on trumpet, clarinet, or trombone, for example, now is a good time to start. Most school band and string programs begin at about this age. If you or your child is very determined on a particular instrument, you may want to begin lessons before school instruction begins, in order to ensure that she is not assigned a different instrument. However, if your child is either not highly motivated to practice or does not care greatly about instrument choice, it will be better for your child to cooperate with the director in taking up an instrument needed for a well-balanced ensemble. Beginner-ensemble instructors are experienced at matching students with instruments that they will be happy and successful with.

Remember, it’s never too late to start music lessons. If you are an adult and wish you had had piano lessons as a child, find yourself a piano teacher! If your high school sophomore wishes he could be in the band, have him talk to the band director. Most will be happy to suggest an instrument (probably one that the band does not have enough of) and a teacher. Just a few months of lessons and practice will find most sixteen-year-olds playing at a level that is acceptable in most high school bands.

Would knowing how to play the piano help much in learning piano tuning?

Am currently learning to play the piano, but I am interested in learning piano tuning too, how important or related is these two? Do I need to actually master how to play the piano before I can start to learn piano tuning, or they are more or less two different things? Thanks!

Piano Lesson 1.4 – Seeing the Left Hand Visually

From ilearnmusic.com and Bear Notch Films comes the fifth in a series of online piano lesson videos. The lesson teaches a student how recognize and play intervals in the left hand. You will learn a familiar Christmas duet at the end of this lesson. Let us know what you think. Make sure you have watched lessons 1.0-1.3 before this one if you need to. Check out video.ilearnmusic.com for even more videos and supplimental materials and support us by registering as a free member at ilearnmusic …

Michael Jackson: the Significance of His Thrilling Career

When I first heard the news that Michael Jackson had died I immediately dismissed it. I thought it was a cruel rumor that was being circulated. I got into the elevator with a black woman who looked visibly shaken and I asked her did she hear about it. She confirmed that it was true. He was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. on June 25, 2009.

As the elevator sank toward the ground floor, my heart sunk with it. Like most black people, I felt as though I had lost a childhood friend. Losing a childhood friend can be more painful than losing a distant relative because of the historical bond you share. When a childhood friend dies, a part of your life dies with them. Such was the case for me and millions of others who had the pleasure of growing up with Michael Jackson.

Unlike any artist in history, Michael Jackson was able to cast a wide net of popularity over generations of people which cut through genres, cultures, nations, races, and all ages. It was a feat that will likely never be accomplished again. His influence is readily seen in today’s top contemporary music artists like Usher, Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown, and Ne-Yo.

They share some similarities, but they will never be on Michael Jackson’s level.

I’ve heard the term “superstar” used to describe Michael Jackson along with similar descriptions such as “megastar,” and “worldwide superstar” because of his recognition around the globe. Those references fall short because they are too complex. He is simply the greatest entertainer that ever lived. He’s also the most underrated vocalist of our time.

He picked up where James Brown left off with his pure, powerful soulfulness and unsurpassed dancing skills. James Brown had moves. Michael Jackson had moves and choreography. He mesmerized white teenage audiences with greater effect than Elvis. Elvis had charm. Michael Jackson had charm and unprecedented energy. He crossed over and was embraced by white audiences in a way that Prince had only dreamed of. Prince had crossover appeal. Michael Jackson had crossover appeal and successfully crossed over. Young children were also drawn to and excited by Michael Jackson and his music in an inexplicable way that no music artist has ever been able to come close to. That’s what made him the greatest.

But now he’s gone. Never to be forgotten, and never to be replaced. Gone are the possibilities for a comeback that so many of us were hoping for. Gone are the chances for musical, commercial, and social redemption.

As strongly as I’m tempted to point out the derisive treatment of Michael Jackson over the years by white people I have to cautiously refrain, but his original fan base (and most loyal in the U.S.) consisted of the black families who, at least visually, resembled his own. At a time when black pride was wavering, Michael Jackson made every young black boy in America feel that they too could be a Pop star and viewed as “cute”; if they had the requisite afro and psychedelic 70s attire.

White people also loved Michael Jackson. They recognized and rewarded his extraordinary talents and creativity when he was allowed to be the first black artist to have a video played on MTV; a move that positioned him as the King Of Pop and ignited record sales of Thriller, the best selling album of all time.

Michael Jackson is as much a part of their lives – and occupies as big of a space in their hearts – as he does in the hearts of most black people; however, it’s the white media that has shown irreverence for the last decade by dogging him at every given chance.

By choosing to focus on his eccentricities (to which Michael Jackson responded with his song, Leave Me Alone), prosecuting him in the court of public opinion after he was legally acquitted for molestation, and disparagingly referring to him as “Wacko Jacko,” the white media certainly contributed to his mounting stress over the years, and short-term exile from the U.S.

Michael Jackson was not physically well, nor physically fit. We took for granted the amount of preparation, discipline, energy, and hard work that he put into being the greatest entertainer that ever lived. The trait of all professionals is how easy they make things look. Michael Jackson performances were well-rehearsed, and characterized by flawless precision and timing. He made them look easy, but they were a physically demanding and often exhaustive undertaking; one that a younger, healthier Michael Jackson was conditioned to executing.

The older, physically and mentally distressed Michael Jackson was never going to be able to honor 50 performance dates. It would have been the equivalent of Michael Jordan coming back at the age of 50 and trying to compete at the same (athletic) level in a playoff game; it’s just not possible. Drugs might make it seem possible, but only for a fleeting moment.

Entertainers, like athletes, have a hard time letting go of what once was, in exchange for what now is: a feeble body that can not generate the type of performance that the public has grown accustomed to seeing. Usually when it happens you step-down. But Michael Jackson attempted to step-up.

Still carrying the distinction as perhaps the last black artist who can sell out a stadium, and being painfully aware of his increasing physical limitations, he attempted to cater to the desires of his fiercely loyal fans just one more time. He would tour again and restore himself (and reputation) via the platform on which he is most comfortable, and the one that launched his illustrious career: the stage.

The This Is It Tour was set to begin in July, 2009.

Michael Jackson (who had not performed on this level in over 8 years) knew what the fans would be expecting: the old Michael Jackson. Like any polished professional who is aware of his brand, he attempted to deliver on those expectations. What medications/drugs he took (which may have jeopardized his health in order to honor those expectations) may never be known.

What is known is that Michael Jackson issued a call to action himself, in response to requests from his fans to honor them one more time with his physical presence. He agreed; but with the condition that this would be it.

So the man who created magical Pop music in the 70s that instantly transported people to happier times in their lives; defined an era; set the world on fire during his mesmerizing solo performance on the Motown 25 TV special with his “moonwalk” and single glitter glove in the 80s; legitimized music videos as an art form and valid promotional tool; and created songs that would be a part of the soundtrack to people’s lives, was set to thrill audiences once again.

But it was never to be.

In a time in which so many artists superficially blurt out “I love you” to their fans, Michael’s love of his fans, and his desire to satisfy them, defined his life, and may have possibly ended it.

Soon there will be the airing of unreleased recordings, documentaries, TV tributes, and movies to commemorate his life, but Michael’s legacy is his influence which (present and future) music artists will be affected by and measured against. And, of course, his sensational music catalogue which remains unparalleled and further distances him from today’s “stars.” It contains songs that will carry on, in various incarnations, forever. As will our memories.

Rest in peace Michael Jackson. He truly deserves both the rest and the peace.

Gian Fiero is an educator, speaker and consultant. He specializes in business development, career planning, and personal growth issues. He is affiliated with San Francisco State University as an adjunct professor, and the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) as a business advisor where he conducts monthly workshops in addition to lecturing throughout the country.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/michael-jackson-the-significance-of-his-thrilling-career-1001624.html

How to play piano: The basics, Piano Lesson #1

This is a video lesson intended for people who want to learn how to play piano. And yes, it’s free, I think people anywhere deserve a chance to learn how to play piano for free! It’s an international language and piano as well as music is such a wonderful skill to have. This is a reshoot of the old series of How to play piano started by www.howtoplaypiano.ca Here is a link to a chart of a piano lesson overview of all my piano lessons. This chart shows everything I cover. To view the index go …

What is a good online tutorial or website that would help on playing piano easily?

I’m all new to piano..what would you advise me?(websites?)

I REALLY WANT TO LEARN! I would love it if you helped me out.

thank you

Great Starting Tips for Beginners

• Ways To Help Your Child Learn To Play The Piano | How To Play The Piano
  Learning to play the piano is a rewarding and satisfying skill. Children will begin piano lessons with great enthusiasm, they are anxious for the end result of
• Piano – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Piano tutorial: A few simple tips for playing the piano

Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi) Piano Cover by Aakash Gandhi

Keyboards for guitarists lessons introduction Scott Grove