Wednesday, April 3, 2024 | Uncategorized

I sing in piano lessons all the time. It has so many advantages, and it helps my students with their piano playing - but how does singing help with the piano? Think about singing a song with some fun or meaningful words - there’s a rhythm contained in the words, and it can help to sing those to yourself to memorise a tricky rhythm in your piece of music. When I sing along with my students they feel much more confident in their playing - that’s because they are getting feedback that they are playing the correct notes! If they hear that I am singing a different note, or a different rhythm, they will realise and self-correct in a relaxed way, with no need for me to say anything. 

It’s wonderful when my students sing along with me as they play - and quite a few do when their music has words. It gives an instant connection - like when you play a duet, accompany someone else, or play in a band. Students singing helps with their general musicianship, including when singing in exam aural tests. Of course, if my students don’t like to sing, whistling or humming is just as fun and useful.

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Wednesday, March 6, 2024 | Uncategorized

I’m sure you’ve seen the array of new apps available for students interested in learning the piano. These certainly have appeal and give an immediacy to feeling able to play; but how useful are they, and are they a good choice? 

Well, in my opinion an issue with these apps is a lack of human support - with a piano teacher you have a mentor. Piano students need individual feedback on their progress, in order both to develop a sound technique, and also to help them negotiate developing the knowledge and skills needed in a logical manner, and at a speed appropriate for them. 

In piano lessons with me we don’t just concentrate on notation learning - there’s so much development in terms of coordination, technique, improvisation, composition and interpretation, where having a mentor is invaluable. In order to progress efficiently, piano students also need effective practice strategies, and piano teachers advise not only their students on this, but also (if they are children), their parents.

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Thursday, February 15, 2024 | Uncategorized

There are so many method books out there for new piano beginners…but I have a favourite! I have recently been recommending “Piano Safari” for my brand new beginners. It’s so versatile. We:

- play fun songs,

- get lots of practice with initial piano techniques through rote pieces and improvisation (so my students can look at their fingers to see what they’re doing - so important!), 

- and get to grips with some finger coordination before reading notation gets too hard. Notation reading is initially intervalic, which me and my students find really logical, and there’s lots of opportunity for my students to use their own creativity. It’s not the only material I use with my new students, but we’re certainly enjoying it 🙂

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