Piano Play – Introducing Children to the Piano

As well a running my pre-school classes I also teach piano and flute.   I’m sometimes asked the best age to start piano lessons by the parents of my toddlers – generally I’d recommend somewhere between 6 and 8 years old but there are lots of musical activities you can do with your child which can introduce them to the keyboard long before starting formal lessons.

If you’re lucky enough to have a piano or a keyboard at home why not try some of the following:

• Read stories using the piano for sound effects – low notes for crashing thunder, high notes for tinkling rain, loud notes for large animals, quiet notes for small ones.
• Using the black keys only, play pentatonic scales up and down listening for high notes and low notes.  Have your child make up their own rhythms and tunes.
• Exercise time – demonstrate pitch by having your toddler leap up when you play high notes, crouch down when hearing low notes, and dynamics by stomping when loud notes are played and tiptoeing in quiet passages.
• If you play yourself then have your toddler tap the pulse on one note while you play.
• Use the keyboard to add sound effects to nursery rhymes, such as Incy Wincy spider – run fingers up the keyboard in a glissando for “climbed up the water-spout”; down the keyboard for “washed the spider out” and then walk fingers back up for “climbed up the spout again”.  Similar effects could be used for Humpty Dumpty, Grand Old Duke of York and many other nursery rhymes.
• For 4 yeas plus, play echo games with simple rhythmic passages and/or notes.  I find that those based on so – mi intervals (5th and 3rd notes of the scale) are useful.  Ask your child to sing, tap or play back a rhythmic pattern or series of notes as an echo.  You can also introduce dynamic changes into echo games by asking your child to play back louder or quieter.

By introducing the piano in such a fun and playful way your child will be raring to go by the time they’re 6 or 7 years old.  All of these activities help develop the aural awareness necessary to be a good musician and you’ll find they’re able to progress rapidly when taking formal lessons.

If you’re in the Tunbridge Wells, Groombridge or Crowborough area and are looking for piano lessons for your child (or yourself as I teach adults too), contact info@rhythmexpress.org for a no obligation consultation lesson.