How to Teach Kids to Play Piano
When it comes to the business of teaching piano, the majority of available students tend to be children. For pianists looking to break into the business of teaching kids, it's important to understand a few things about the particulars of teaching young age groups and helpful to know about some of the tools available to assist them.
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Instructions
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Choose a course of study. A wide variety of children's beginning piano music book courses are available at any instrumental music store. These books are designed to be appealing to children and easy to read while giving a progressive course of study. Whichever course you choose, stick with it; switching books will make for an uneven course that may become too easy or too difficult.
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Teach basic music theory. Most children's piano books courses will contain basic theory information, but you should supplement this by doing extra work with students about basic note, rhythm, and accidental reading on the piano staff. Teach the staff lines using memory devices (like "Every Good Boy Does Fine," for the lines E, G, B, D, and F of the treble clef staff) and regularly quiz children using games and flash cards (you can design your own or buy these in music stores).
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Familiarize children with the keys of the piano and basic hand position. Start with middle C and the white keys surrounding it (this tends to be where piano texts start) and be sure to pay attention to your students' hand to make sure she is keeping her thumbs on the piano and using them; children will often let the thumbs slip and play with only the other eight fingers, as this feels more natural.
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Incorporate the use of a metronome in lessons. Young musicians need to develop a strong sense of rhythm and pulse.
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Require daily practice. Any music student should spend some time with his instrument each day for the best chances of improving, but with children this is especially important for skill retention. A daily, unbroken practice session of 20 minutes is a good length of time for young children (ages 5 to 10) while older kids can be required to practice 30 minutes or more. Enlist the help of the students' parents and make use of a practice log to make sure the practice schedule is respected.
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Tips & Warnings
Use kind and encouraging language with children, always, but don't be afraid to be firm if a student is shirking practice schedules or misbehaving. Playing piano requires discipline. Children tend to be less aware of their finger positioning than adults, so watch and be prepared to correct them. Children have a less developed musical vocabulary than adults, which makes them less likely to hear when a passage of music sounds wrong.
