Play Music
Author: admin
Piano Lessons – Kids Learn Better When They Play Music They Recognize
It’s very important for parents of piano lesson students, particularly students under twelve, to understand that playing classical music does not benefit children and young people near as much as playing music they recognize. In my years of being a musician and teacher, I’ve encountered a lot of parents who assumed that it was somehow “better” for their child to be playing classical music.
However, your average eight-year-old has no knowledge of classical music. They may like listening to it if it’s presented well to them, like hearing it on TV or in a movie. But children have no natural inclination to want to play it on the piano, particularly if it’s unfamiliar to them. It’s actually quite difficult. It’s a lot of work for them, and far harder than simpler children’s songs that they recognize.
In the beginning of their lessons, and at least for the first two to three years, kids benefit the most from playing music they recognize. There are some great brain reasons for this. By playing music they recognize, they are able to take advantage of their ability to make sure they are playing the song how its “supposed” to sound. Since classical music is both difficult and unfamiliar to them, they have no “inner check” to assure that what they are doing is correct. I found that children learned far faster, and developed better musical skills from playing what they recognized. Learning faster and developing superior musical skills trumps any benefit of struggling through a piece one doesn’t know merely because the word “classical” is attached to it.
I once had a student who had partially learned to read music before studying with me. She had memorized what notes looked like on the page and which letter names they corresponded to. However, she had never learned exactly which keys and letter names were a match and she had never learned to read or count rhythms! This is the equivalent of knowing how to read the alphabet but not how to spell and attempting to read the newspaper. It will produce no positive result.
This child had played this way for years! By the time she got to me she had already wasted about three years of multiple hours per day playing this way at home with no teacher because she really loved to play. She just had absolutely no idea that what she was playing had nothing to do whatsoever with what was on the page. Since she was playing out of books of songs that were unfamiliar to her, she had no “inner check” on what she was doing. Essentially, she was playing letter names in her head and making up the song the way she like. There was absolutely no benefit to this because it robbed her of any ability to properly learn and apply what she read. She was just pounding the piano in a way she liked without knowing that she wasn’t playing the song.
When I asked her to play by ear a song she recognized, she could do it quite well. However, when I asked her to perform something from the book, it was clear she was “illiterate,” yet oddly musical. I asked her how she came upon playing the classical music in an attempt to straighten all this out and get her going the right way. It turns out her childhood teacher had endlessly extolled the virtues of classical music. Her parents believed this to be true, and during the time when the child was not taking lessons, they continued to buy her piano books of unknown music thinking she was teaching herself. When I finally got to the bottom of her problem and began working with her on learning to read and count the rhythms, she realized how much work it would be and quit lessons. If she had been playing music she recognized for all those years, the whole problem could have been prevented. She is far from the only student I’ve encountered who had some of this problem going on.
Despite how traditional piano lessons are taught, it’s important to distinguish that reading music and playing the instrument are actually two completely different, and mutually exclusive, elements of music instruction. They are different skills, and in fact, have nothing to do with each other.
As a lessons consumer, particularly a parent, it’s critical for you to understand that. Let’s say you are a non-musician seeking piano lessons for your child and your are thinking “I want my child to learn to read music.” What’s really important to understand about this is that reading music happens in the brain in totally different parts of the brain than those that have anything to do with hearing and understanding music or playing the instrument as a tactile experience. Although reading music and playing music are related, they are absolutely not the same skill.
What it takes a student to learn how to play the piano is completely outside the domain of what it takes that student to learn to read music. Written music is a language, the same as any other written language and learning to operate in that language requires that it be taught separate from learning the instrument. This is despite the fact that in most traditional music lessons, particularly piano lessons and school band programs, the teachers try to combine playing and reading into the same task. This is why so few music students end up as proficient readers. Most children who really want to play will instinctively sacrifice reading skills to improve their playing skills.
This may lead you, the parent, to ask “Does my child really need to learn to read music?” Truthfully, it’s not necessary in order to learn to play the instrument. There are many players who do not read music who are far better players than those who do read music. In fact, many of the household names in both popular and classical music do not read, yet are tremendous performers and artists.
However, there are significant advantages to learning to read music. If you are thinking “Maybe I don’t want to put upon my child that they have to learn to read music” understand, if taught correctly, it will provide advantages.
Children who start piano lessons at very young ages are often taught to read music before they learn to read their native language, so it can be learned by anyone who applies themselves and is given encouragement and coaching in making it easier and fun. Understanding the difference between those two skills goes a long way in clarifying what is to be accomplished in studying the piano. It is also much better for both the parent and the student to understand that reading music is not the same as playing the instrument so that everyone, student, parent and teacher are clear about the goals of learning to read music.
If you have questions about this, contact me through my website at http://anaheimpiano.com and I’d be happy to give you some assistance that addresses the players in your house. There’s not one solution that works for everyone, so I’d be happy to address any individual questions you may have.
About the Author
http://anaheimpiano.com
Athena Murphy teaches piano lessons in Anaheim, CA. Visit her website for her free report “7 Insider Secrets to Getting Your Money’s Worth from Piano Lessons.”
In the past fifteen years, she has taught individual lessons to over one thousand students, including one who went on to become a multi-platinum-selling recording artist. Athena has studied neuroscience extensively for the past twenty years and incorporates all her knowledge of brains and learning habits into her music lessons. If you are in North Orange County or the southern Los Angeles County area and would like more information on lessons with Athena, please visit her website at
http://anaheimpiano.com
Austin Fannin- Have Drugs and Alcohol Affected the Way You Play Music?
|
|
Skip Hop Zoo Lunchie Insulated Lunch Bag With friendly faces and matching zipper-pulls, Zoo Lunchies make lunchtime fun time! Sized just right for little kids, or a mom and baby on-the-go, these soft bags have a roomy main compartment that holds sandwiches, snacks, drinks and more. An insulated, wipe-clean interior keeps food and drinks cold, plus an inside mesh pocket holds lunch money, an ice pack or utensils. ZOO LUNCHIES coordinate … |
|
|
Zojirushi NS-TGC10 Micom 5-1/2-Cup Rice Cooker and Warmer, Stainless Steel $158.90 This rice cooker & warmer not only cooks flawless rice but also bakes cakes. The computer chip in this micom rice cooker allows the rice cooker to “think” and adjust cooking lengths and temperatures according to the selected menu. The removable spherical non-stick inner cooking pan and heating system provide even heating for perfectly cooked rice every time. Multi-menu cooking functions include wh… |
|
|
Crosley CR11CD Jukebox CD Player $101.99 Crosley Tabletop Jukebox With CD: Radio, CD and function with a road house full of great memories! The fabulous 50s are back with a modern update! This Crosley Diner Jukebox packs AM/FM radio and CD functions into a classic jukebox style that will make you and your buddies wax nostalgic. Details: Front-loading CD player with LED display, programmable 20-track memory and repeat play; AM/FM radio wi… |
|
|
Tuskegee $6.99 … |
|
|
Native American Flute Lullabies … |
|
|
Slipstream, Bonnie Raitt $8.74 2012 album from the Grammy winning singer, songwriter and musician. her first album since 2005′s Souls Alike. Produced by Joe Henry, the album is her return to the music scene following the deaths of her parents and brother. The album was recorded with her longtime touring band as well as a handful of tracks with top-level musicians such as Bill Frisell. Features the first single ‘Right Down The … |
|
|
The Lion King (Two-Disc Diamond Edition Blu-ray / DVD Combo in Blu-ray Packaging) $17.41 Not an ideal choice for younger kids, this hip and violent animated feature from Disney was nevertheless a huge smash in theaters and on video, and it continues to enjoy life in an acclaimed Broadway production. The story finds a lion cub, son of a king, sent into exile after his father is sabotaged by a rivalrous uncle. The little hero finds his way into the “circle of life” with some new friends… |
|
|
Beauty and the Beast (Three-Disc Diamond Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo in Blu-ray Packaging) $26.74 The film that officially signaled Disney’s animation renaissance (following The Little Mermaid) and the only animated feature to receive a Best Picture Oscar nomination, Beauty and the Beast remains the yardstick by which all other animated films should be measured. It relates the story of Belle, a bookworm with a dotty inventor for a father; when he inadvertently offends the Beast (a prince w… |
Tags: audio, mp3, music, play music, play music group, play music los angeles, play music online, play music online free, streaming, web2.0
