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Barb.b
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| Posted: Jan 14 2013 at 12:59pm | IP Logged
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We have a piano, and I play. But somehow I drop the ball when it comes to including it in our schooling. Oh, I start each year with good intentions and then it is the first thing we forget about. SOOOOO, is there a piano book/curriculum that anyone's KIDS have loved enough that THEY remember to do it each day. Cause somehow I forget! So, maybe if it is something kids love - it will work. My middle dd (now 15) I gave up several years ago. It was so stop and go each year that we got now where! Maybe my problem is I used John Thompson (which I love - but she didnt'). Well ds (10) has been stop and start too. He is my youngest so I have one last chance to make it work!!
Barb
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Kathryn
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| Posted: Jan 14 2013 at 4:22pm | IP Logged
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My kids have a scheduled teacher come every Wed at 1 for their "lesson". Their daily practice is supposed to happen as a part of their morning routine: breakfast, teeth, make bed, get dressed, chores, play piano. That way it's incorporated into their day before we really start our "school" day.
The teacher has been using this series of books and it even works for DS 12 but he only does a 15 min lesson where as DD does 30 min.
Alfred's Basic Piano Library
Good luck! Getting them to practice is a little bit of a challenge which is why I put it at the beg. of the day. For DS sometimes I was/will allow him to do his between 2 difficult subjects such as betw. math and reading.
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Kathryn in TX
(dd 16, ds 15, dd 8, dd 5)
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3ringcircus
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I was a music teacher, so I can play, but I don't trust myself to make it enough of a priority and I take G to lessons. That makes both he and I accountable to make sure practice happens consistently (otherwise he'll have a lousy lesson).
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Christine
Mom to my circus of boys: G-1/06, D-1/04, S-4/10
Started HS in Fall'12
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kristinannie
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| Posted: Jan 14 2013 at 9:08pm | IP Logged
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I am using Suzuki with my kids and they love it, but I am like you...it often falls through the cracks. My kids are still really young though so I am going to be a little more serious about it when they are older.
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John Paul 8.5
Meredith Rose 7
Dominic Michael 4.5
Katherine Elizabeth 8 months
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3ringcircus
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| Posted: Jan 15 2013 at 9:03am | IP Logged
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I'm using Suzuki too. Thankfully, listening to the CD is part of the practice!
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Christine
Mom to my circus of boys: G-1/06, D-1/04, S-4/10
Started HS in Fall'12
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cathhomeschool
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Texas Bluebonnets
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| Posted: Jan 15 2013 at 9:46am | IP Logged
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I also pay for lessons because otherwise it isnt a priority. Not all of my children take piano lessons, though. They all play well and all play almost daily because they love to play. The ones who take lessons are the ones who want to imrove more quickly. As for finding something that the kids will do on their own, pick music that they love to listen to. One of my boys loves Christian music, one loves classical and church hymns, several love video game music (Mario and Legend of Zelda stuff) and movie soundtracks-- on their own they learn to play what they love, and there are books out there and free sheet music on the internet for beginners through advanced. (If they cant read music at all then you will probably need to help at first even if you buy basic beginner books. We've used Alfred, Piano Adventures, Bastien Piano Basics...all worked with my kids.) If they are listening to that same music on the radio or ipod, it will help train their ear so that they can play it correctly on the piano. This is part of the idea behind Suzuki's method and works for any instrument. It's something that even my college student who gets paid to play in the local symphony orchestra still does.
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Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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ctrivette
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We use piano adventures.
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JennGM
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This is exactly my problem. I'm undisciplined, and our piano lessons taught by me always seem to go by the wayside. I'm in search for a good piano teacher right now.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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CatholicMommy
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| Posted: Jan 16 2013 at 10:38pm | IP Logged
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We use "The Music Tree" series. My son enjoys it quite well and plays every day. Not necessarily moving forward on a lesson, but he does apply what he has learned and does make forward progress. I like that it slowly builds up the scale, focuses on pattern first, and introduces things in a very physical context (whole body movement for the rhythm before you ever touch the keys for a new song). It also has the children writing their own music from the very first book.
The main trick, no matter what you use, is to not focus on "30 minutes of practice each day" with a timer. Focus on "play the piano every day". You can then say that some of that playing should include warm-ups (Music Tree includes daily warm-ups to use for the next week or so until the next lesson), and perhaps 1 other requirement; but otherwise develop the child's desire to PLAY. To LOVE to play. And to realize that to play their own songs, they need to continue to learn and master additional technical skills.
:)
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Garden of Francis
HS Elementary Montessori Training
Montessori Nuggets
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4Real Forums : The Arts in the Everyday
Topic: piano
