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Piano Lessons - 8/5/2008 1:23:33 PM
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JJB1222
Posts: 185
Joined: 7/16/2008
From: where the mountains meet the sea, Puget Sound.
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Does anyone do an at home study and practice of the piano? We can't really afford traditional lessons right now, but I would like to get our kids started with the basics. My kids would be just starting out, so I want them to learn the fundamentals of reading music and piano.
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RE: Piano Lessons - 8/5/2008 7:56:03 PM
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peculiar_lady2
Posts: 11330
Joined: 2/11/2007
From: Between Hither and Yon
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well, I took piano as a kid....we had a teacher we saw every week. One of the things we had to do every week though were "piano theory" lessons from books. If you do an internet search for piano theory books you will find a bunch at all sorts of levels from basic to advanced.
also here are a few links to fun music related web sites we like.....
Creating Music
Sphinx Kids
Interactive Music
Piggy's Music Lessons
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RE: Piano Lessons - 8/5/2008 8:17:10 PM
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peculiar_lady2
Posts: 11330
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From: Between Hither and Yon
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quote:
ORIGINAL: JJB1222
Thanks for the links! My kids will love them! 
I know mine do!!!!
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RE: Piano Lessons - 8/5/2008 8:21:10 PM
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1mlasp
Posts: 263
Joined: 12/9/2005
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Hi there,
I used to teach private piano lessons ages ago. Some piano teachers hold classes as well as doing individual lessons. Some have facilities or access to facilties to do this, some do not. I would ask private teachers anyway, and ask about classes or if they can refer to a studio that does this. Private piano teachers may still be your best resource.
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RE: Piano Lessons - 8/6/2008 4:06:40 PM
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judii1
Posts: 334
Joined: 4/11/2005
From: The Frozen Theumb of MI!
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Here is the Piano Nanny website.
http://pianonanny.com/
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RE: Piano Lessons - 8/13/2008 1:08:56 AM
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MrsDC
Posts: 174
Joined: 8/17/2005
From: Sinaloa, Mexico
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OK, that helps!
Here are some basics from a music ed major:
-- make sure that the piano you use for lessons has full-sized keys. Smaller keyboards might be cheap, but well, you get what you pay for.
-- if you're using an old piano, TUNE IT and keep it tuned. This can get expensive, (some tuners I know charge $100 or more to tune a piano -- which I think is ridiculous) but again it's worth it. Perfect pitch may be genetic, but perfect relative pitch is learned. Trust me. I hear everything 1/2 step flat because our family piano was tuned 1/2 step flat (the piano tuner was afraid that strings might break if he tuned it up. Great theory, but it's been a hard thing to adjust to.)
-- an inferior instrument is NOT a joy to play. If the piano has "wangers" or won't hold a tune or the sustain pedal is broken, make it a priority to repair or replace a.s.a.p. NOTE: "newer" is not always better. Some of my favorite pianos to play have been more than 100 years old. They just need to be in tune with themselves and as close to A440 as possible...and not have any broken strings. Old pianos sometimes have a very "comfortable" feel when you're pressing the keys. You might consider visiting a piano store, just so the kids can "feel" a lot of different pianos. Every one will play differently.
-- IMO it really doesn't matter what program you use for lessons. Find something that the kids think is "neat" and stick with it. BUT (here's the thing) add a book called "Finger Power" by Schaum, any music theory book (I like Schaum), and drill scales and chords every lesson.
You might consider a "lesson" once a week at your church (if that's a possibility). Most churches have nice pianos sitting around and it is "special" to play on a nice piano in a big room once in a while. Your church pianist (or just someone in the church who plays piano) might also be willing to spend 15 minutes after church listening to a mini-recital and giving pointers. Just a thought.
About those scales and chords, I could give you a ton of info if you're interested. Just email me or send me a PM and I'll send you a basic lesson plan that anyone could follow. (Even the "musically challenged! ;^) )
As I tell my students: the difference between an exceptional pianist and a mediocre pianist is about half an hour a day.
Practice is mandatory...and it's a really good discipline, too. Make a "star chart" or something to motivate. Maybe they can pick something out of a grab-bag at the end of the week if they've practiced 6 days (Sundays off).
Hope that was helpful!
Good luck!
-- Rebecca
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*Just pretend I have a great signature with some profound statement and great graphics.*
Come check out my blog about living and homeschooling in Mexico!
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RE: Piano Lessons - 8/19/2008 9:52:37 AM
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Zhi
Posts: 1182
Joined: 7/31/2007
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You also might see if you know anyone who knows piano and is willing to work out a "barter" of some sort. I know that I would gladly trade a few piano lessons for babysitting, myself (do you live in Denver? hehehe) You can see if there's a sweet older lady at your church who knows piano and would trade lessons for, say, yard work (the kids can get in on helping to "pay" for their own lessons that way...) At a complete beginner level, you might even see if there's a teen who has been learning piano from a "real" teacher who might be willing to teach beginner piano very cheaply. Most curriculum is very straightforward about what the student is supposed to be learning on the piece so an inexperienced "teacher" should be fine if they stick to it.
I would also add... one thing that really helps with motivation, especially early on, is "special" music. Books and instructionals get kind of frustrating because you're practicing technique ALL THE TIME. So, once the student has a basic grasp (i.e. knows where the notes are for one hand), find music for their level that they can do "just for fun", a tune they are familiar with, something they can "show off" to family with. They'll still be practicing their technique, but they won't feel as "drilled". There is free music of all levels available for download (I personally downloaded a whole bunch of original Mozart sheet music a couple of months ago, hooray for public domain!) I trained in piano and music theory for 10 years and picking out my "special" piece from my teacher's library was always my absolute favorite part.
Here's a few for beginners:
http://www.gmajormusictheory.org/Freebies/freebies.html
http://musiced.about.com/od/freestuff/a/freepianosheets.htm
http://www.take-a-piano-sheet-music-break.com/free-piano-collection-for-beginners.html
There are a lot more, just google "piano music free beginner" and you'll get a ton. Some is more appropriate than others (difficulty-wise). You should be able to compare with the curriculum you're using and see if it looks appropriate to their current skill level by comparison.
_____________________________
The optimist says the glass is half full. The pessimist says the glass is half empty. The engineer says the glass is twice as large as it needs to be.
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RE: Piano Lessons - 8/19/2008 11:10:52 AM
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JJB1222
Posts: 185
Joined: 7/16/2008
From: where the mountains meet the sea, Puget Sound.
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Zhi
You also might see if you know anyone who knows piano and is willing to work out a "barter" of some sort. I know that I would gladly trade a few piano lessons for babysitting, myself (do you live in Denver? hehehe) You can see if there's a sweet older lady at your church who knows piano and would trade lessons for, say, yard work (the kids can get in on helping to "pay" for their own lessons that way...) At a complete beginner level, you might even see if there's a teen who has been learning piano from a "real" teacher who might be willing to teach beginner piano very cheaply. Most curriculum is very straightforward about what the student is supposed to be learning on the piece so an inexperienced "teacher" should be fine if they stick to it.
I would also add... one thing that really helps with motivation, especially early on, is "special" music. Books and instructionals get kind of frustrating because you're practicing technique ALL THE TIME. So, once the student has a basic grasp (i.e. knows where the notes are for one hand), find music for their level that they can do "just for fun", a tune they are familiar with, something they can "show off" to family with. They'll still be practicing their technique, but they won't feel as "drilled". There is free music of all levels available for download (I personally downloaded a whole bunch of original Mozart sheet music a couple of months ago, hooray for public domain!) I trained in piano and music theory for 10 years and picking out my "special" piece from my teacher's library was always my absolute favorite part.
Here's a few for beginners:
http://www.gmajormusictheory.org/Freebies/freebies.html
http://musiced.about.com/od/freestuff/a/freepianosheets.htm
http://www.take-a-piano-sheet-music-break.com/free-piano-collection-for-beginners.html
There are a lot more, just google "piano music free beginner" and you'll get a ton. Some is more appropriate than others (difficulty-wise). You should be able to compare with the curriculum you're using and see if it looks appropriate to their current skill level by comparison.
Thanks so much! That is a great idea...barter work. I've been wanting to teach the kids a work ethic anyways. I'm gonna look into that!
_____________________________
~ Jamie ~
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