Piano lessons for kids: Useful tips to teach keyboarding to children

Piano lessons for kids: Useful tips for parents & teachers to teach keyboarding to children. Easy and fun methods and kids piano keyboard lessons, keeping in mind the development and growth of your child.

Introduction

Most parents are aware of the benefits of music, especially on children. I am sure as a parent you would have read in newspapers/magazines or heard from some other sources as to how a child’s intelligence and mathematical ability is improved as they start taking electronic keyboard or piano lessons.

How to make sure piano lessons for kids are imparted the right way so that your children gain the most out of those. There’s no doubt that learning a piano, especially for kids, is a great investment of time and money. However, as a parent, paying for the lessons may not be enough from your side if you want your kids to really excel in this art.

Learning to play the piano develops creativity and musicality in children and that is the reason lot of parents support their kids to take up this instrument. But since this is a long term commitment, your involvement is absolute necessary to ensure that your kids stay on track and continue to put in the needed efforts.

Why Piano Lessons for Your Kids

Kids Piano Lessons can have a great impact on the development of your child. Here are some important developments that your child can expect to have over the long term, by taking piano lessons.

• Valuable Investment
  Piano lessons are an invaluable investment in your child’s future even if you don’t plan to continue the piano instructions over the long-term. 
• Helps in academic Success
  Music knowledge will help support your child’s academic success. It will help them become better at subjects like maths as well. 
• Good Foundation
  Taking piano lessons can be considered as part of pre-school music activities, which are fundamental in establishing a solid foundation for your child’s academic and music education. 
• Develop Life Long Skills
  By learning to play the piano, your child will learn life-long skills that could help him/her monetarily as well, in case your child decides to take up music as a career when he/she grows up. 
• Helps to Learn Other Musical Instruments
  Piano playing skills carry over to other musical instruments, particularly when your child enters middle school.
  Colleges look favorably upon applicants who play a musical instrument. Learning to play the piano also helps you to learn other music instruments.

Things to Make Your Kids Piano Practice Sessions Effective

So it is a great idea if you want your child to learn the piano but it is also important for you to know how piano lessons for kids should be structured.

If your child has started taking piano lessons, you probably understand the importance of making your kids practice the piano. Not only does it instill discipline in your child, practicing the piano is the only way to actually learn to play the piano.

Here’s how to make sure your child’s piano practice sessions are fruitful.

1. The practice session should ideally be a quality bonding time between you and your child, as kids love it if someone is paying attention to them
2. Place the piano/keyboard in the main living space of your home, whether that be the living room, family room or even kitchen, where you can see and hear your child play the keyboard/piano.
3. The more your child knows that you’re paying attention to their piano playing, the more your child would want to play and show you what they can do.
4. For kids, avoid placing the piano/keyboard in a far corner of the house; they want to be in the middle of the action.
5. Practice regularly and preferably at the same time/place.

 

Make sure your child is practicing daily, even if its for 5 minutes. Its okay if your child is not interested on some days, on those days make it a 5 minute routine. Practicing daily, especially at the same time/place, can be a rewarding experience for your child. It will help your child develop discipline and also create exponential growth in your child’s musical abilities.

Here are some more suggestions.

Play from memory: Though it is important to learn the basics about sight reading, kids in general do not enjoy sight reading. So keyboarding for kids should be based in such a way that your kid imitates whatever the teacher plays. Don’t bother much if your kid plays most of the songs from memory. Sight reading can come later.

Keep it simple: Your kid’s piano lessons can start with simple nursery rhymes. Songs like Twinkle Twinkle, Jingle Bells can be a good starting point. Let them play just the melody initially; chords can be gradually introduced.

Keep it short: Since it is difficult for children to concentrate for a long time, piano lessons for kids needs to be shorter – say of around 30 minutes. The duration can be increased or decreased depending on your child’s interest during the class.

 

 

Piano Lessons for Kids – Your Role

Here’s how to make sure the music lessons your child is taking benefits him/her the most.

Get Involved
You need to make sure that your child practices regularly. Get involved in their progress, find out what they like and what they do not like so that you discuss those with the teacher.

Provide Encouragement
Whenever your kids comes back home and try to show you their new skills or new songs which they have learnt, listen to them and give them words of encouragement. You can even ask them to play the songs they have learnt whenever you have guests or get-togethers at home. Show interest whenever your child wants to show you the new tune that he has learnt. Celebrate small victories.

Criticize constructively
Don’t get disappointed or angry if your kid is taking his own time to learn a piece. If the same mistakes are being repeated, put them across mildly and have patience.

Though it is important for your kids to practice regularly, you also need to listen to your kids when they complain about any aspect of their electronic keyboard or piano lessons. You can then discuss those points with the piano teacher and plan how keyboarding for your kid can be made a bit more enjoyable.

Participate and show Commitment
Go out with your kids and attend a concert, visit the school to attend a competition.

If you are going to keep a close tab on your child’s progress, a cost-effective way to get piano lessons would be to get a good piano learning software for your kid. These are not only interactive but also come with several audio and video lessons.

 

Make Sure Your Child Practices Regularly
Make sure, as parents, you make your kids practice and don’t leave the practice bit to the children. Set up a schedule for at least 5 days a week. Choose the time and how long the practice should be. Make it part of the everyday routine.

For beginners, kids only need to practice 15 minutes a day. This 15 minutes goes a long way in helping them learn faster and more effectively.

Make Sure Your Child Has the Right Resources & Theory Books
Talk to your child’s teacher and ask them about getting a theory book to accompany the lesson book. There’s a good chance that the teacher will suggest one to begin with. If not, ask for one.

Many beginner books have sets of lesson and theory books that go together. For an idea on what books are really great for kids, visit the best books for beginners page.

Listen to Them Play
You have to listen to your kids play and make them believe they’re doing well.

Kids get really encouraged when they feel that what they are doing has meaning. Listening to them and telling them that you enjoyed what they played is a great boost to confidence.

Sometimes I think that one reason kids love piano lessons is because they have a captive audience – the piano teacher. It makes them feel special. If a parent listens even once in a while for a minute or two, kids love it!

Use of Piano Games
Games can help children to learn better, and there are several good ones out there. There is some software I recommend for kids and learning piano in a fun way. It’s about the same cost as a lesson which is really excellent. It helps students learn where the notes are on the piano and in the music.

Learning the piano notes and making sense of the various keys are often the biggest struggle kids face in learning piano. So its important to make the learning fun initially so that the frustration bit is kept out of it. It makes the kids stay with the piano for a long time to come.

Give Your Kids a Good Start

The reason why its so important to get started early, is that kids seem to be born musical, whereas the older students really have to work at it. The most important thing with piano lessons for children is to make sure the piano studies continue over a longer period of time. Building confidence in the beginning can be a tremendous help later on when piano requires practice, determination and understanding.

1. Find the Right Teacher
2. Develop a practice schedule from beginning (and stick to it)
3. Get a lesson book with a theory book
4. Listen to them play
5. Encourage piano games for quicker learning

What if your kid wants to Quit?

Another challenge which you may have to deal as a parent!

After years of learning, some of the students feel like quitting, especially when they reach the high school years or college.

It gets challenging because you just cannot make them play forcibly; at the same time, you need to give your best effort else several years down the line they are surely going to regret their mistake.

You will need to get into several tit-for-tat arrangement so that they continue to practice for a few more years.

You will need to look for occasions to celebrate their good work; if they score well or participate in some competition, take them out for a treat.

The teacher also needs to be a bit more flexible and if needed change the repertoire to suit your child’s tastes during those difficult years.

Piano Lessons: Resources for Preschoolers

There are piano learning resources exclusively designed for preschoolers as well (for 3-5 year-olds). Research done in this area suggests that that preschoolers, when exposed to music at an early age, have improved cognitive and language skills. Music also helps kids make connections with others. Another advantage of learning piano at an early age (for preschoolers) is that they can focus on learning before the activities of school take over.

Learn piano resources for the smallest beginners include Lesson Books with music concepts, easy songs, and tips to make learning fun and engaging. These include drawing and coloring activities, entertaining stories and flashcards, more interactive games for practice and fun.

• Teaching little fingers to play: A very popular piano learning book for preschoolers
• Classics: Teaching Little Fingers to Play/Early Elementary Level: Once your little one has finished the basic book
• John Thompson’s Easiest Piano Course – Part 1: Excellent, colorful book for beginning piano students
• A Dozen a Day Mini Book (A Dozen a Day Series): Good book with nice exercises to develop hands, techniques, and learn notes.

It won’t be long before your little one starts playing the songs they know and love. You’ll be amazed to see your kids progress in just a few short months.

Final thoughts

There are a few ideas that you can implement to ensure your child sticks to learning the piano for a long time and to make sure that the piano Lessons for Kids do work.

Any reward system you choose for your child, you need to make sure that your child learns to be sincere in that agreement and does not go back on his words. This will also help your child to become more responsible at an early age.

There are some excellent piano learning software programs that are available. A combination of books, audio, and video lessons means your child can learn piano from the comfort of your own home.

Related Posts

• Kids Mini Piano Keyboard Review
• Popular toy pianos and keyboards
• Piano Key Stickers
• Piano Games for better learning
• More Piano Tips