As preschool piano lessons gain more and more popularity around the world we need to rethink how we teach technique. Developing preschooler dexterity requires some different thinking and strategies than you would use with an 8-year-old beginner. Most of the traditional piano method books start in a middle C five-finger position…but is this really the…
Preschool
Why every preschool piano lesson should include improvisation
If there’s one thing all preschoolers have in common it’s that they’re curious. And it’s the curiosity that makes improvisation the most natural fit for preschool piano lessons. Improvisation allows for exploration and makes space for preschoolers to learn through play. Preschoolers are built to play. They need to play to understand the world and to take…
Plan the Ultimate First Piano Lesson for a Five Year Old Beginner
One thing I LOVE about being a piano teacher in 2019 is how much of a global community we have to draw from. So many teachers are sharing their approaches, observations and methods freely online. Note: This post was originally published in September 2016 but it was edited and expanded in May 2019. We have…
First Year Goals for a Preschool Piano Student
Many teachers are starting to take on their first preschool piano students. Some are successful, some aren’t, and most just don’t know if they are! What counts as good progress when we’re teaching 3-5 year old piano students? It’s important to get our own goals right so that we can feel good about our students’…
Stepping and Skipping on the Keys in Preschool Piano Lessons
Steps and skips is one of the first concepts we need to cover in preschool piano lessons. I prefer to start this long before we reach staff notation, practicing steps and skips on the piano first. These two exercises are both favourites in my studio and ones that I return to again and again to…
First Month Goals for a 4 Year Old Piano Student
One of the biggest traps I think piano teachers who are new to teaching preschoolers fall into is expecting too much of them…or too little. One or the other. I fell into the too much camp. Not because I had lofty goals for my students, but mostly because I was worried what the parents would think. I…
Top Tips for Keeping a Preschool Piano Lesson Under Control
Preschoolers are super fun, energetic and enthusiastic. But teaching preschool piano lessons definitely has it’s challenges. How can you keep these bundles of excitement under control? I’ve been teaching preschool piano for a little over four years. I’ve learnt a ton in that time, and my littlest students continue to teach me more each week….
Five Quick Brain Breaks for Preschoolers with the Wiggles
If you teach preschoolers you likely already have a few brain breaks up your sleeve. And you are probably always on the lookout for more! Kids this age are designed for movement. They’re not meant to be sitting still for prolonged periods of time. They’re explorers. This doesn’t mean they can’t learn to play piano, just…
Piano Key Name Worksheets for Piano Students
It’s very important to me to make key names completely secure in the piano student’s mind from the get go. The first activity we normally do in the piano lesson is to start and the very bottom of the piano naming the key names as we go. I normally begin this process, and ask the…
Groups of Black Keys Worksheet
“Seeing” the groups of black keys can be a challenge for young beginners, and it is essential in order for them to navigate the piano. It can be difficult to fully assess whether a student has grasped this idea within the piano lesson, so I like to send them home with this sheet after the…