First Step In Children's Piano

The first thing a child should learn at the piano is the grouping of two and three black keys. It is the spine of visual recognition at the piano. You may have to keep coming back to it, but at first make the task be to find C, the white key to the left of any group of two black keys.

Ask the child to find every C on the piano. As you point out the two blacks, gesture for them to find the white key to the left of the group you have selected.

This will immediately bring up the subject of left and right, a concept that children 4 to 6 are just starting to grab hold of. In other words, discerning left and right is the root skill of finding notes at the piano, and thus no training in finding particular notes can be undertaken until the left/right skill is broached and then mastered.

If the child has trouble finding the notes you ask for, it may well be that lack of the left/right skill alone that accounts for their difficulty.

The time tested method for kids finding left and right is the question, "With which hand do you hold your pencil?" But many kids are unsure of even that, and some are only presently forming the habits that will lead to one hand dominance.

Next, the white key Middle C, in the middle of the piano, should be identified and marked with a sticker to remind the child of Middle C as the "starting place" of the piano. This provides a sense of security, in that all songs or exercises at the beginning of piano study start on Middle C, which becomes their first "comfort zone."

Then start playing games on the white keys of the piano using a game such as my FOURS. Using any finger, start ascending the white keys beginning with Middle C. I start by trying to get the child to play a multiple, say 2s or 3s, as they ascend. They may only comprehend "1s" so go with what they are comfortable with.

Our real goal is to increase their "piano comfort zone" inch by inch, patiently going over the ground again and again while disguising the repetition cleverly as a series of games.

Next you should get a sense of how they are doing. After the game FOURS, they should be warming up, realizing that this is not going to be a painful, intellectual process. It's a fun game you play on that great big piano.

I would not introduce reading music, fingering, hand position or anything else at this time. First I would let them play at least several familiar songs using PIANO BY NUMBER so that their first experience at the piano is an easy-going one, wherein they feel proud that they could play Jingle Bells, or Twinkle Twinkle, and can play it for Mom and Dad.

That's enough for a first lesson. If they are older and can go further, do so.

But for the youngest ones, set them loose with a PIANO BY NUMBER book for a while and watch their confidence and skills grow before embarking on learning standard musical notation at the piano.

Start with this slower approach at the beginning of piano lessons, and you will be repaid with enthusiasm and confidence.

By John Aschenbrenner Copyright 2000 Walden Pond Press. Visit http://www.pianoiseasy.com to see the fun PIANO BY NUMBER method for kids.