#11 - Your Child Can Choose Their Own Song!
FOR PARENTS OF BEGINNERS
Now that your child knows how to identify all notes on the piano, read the treble and bass clefs comfortably, and play both hands together, they can and should celebrate their wonderful achievement by choosing a song that they really care about!
This approach, in my experience, leads to a greater feeling of investment with the student rather than the teacher assigning a piece of music to them. It will oftentimes lead them to want to practice more, and make them more resilient in tackling challenges, since the reward in their mind is high. They also get satisfaction from the very act of choosing a song that they really love, which makes them an ally in the decision-making process, and further develops their confidence and instincts, as well as gives them joy by engaging with that piece of music that they love. Finally, it gives them the opportunity of playing an actual song and not “just” nursery rhymes.
So, what song can they choose to play? The wonderful answer is: almost anything! Most children choose pop songs, or very famous classical pieces. For that very reason, there are multiple outlets that create beginner’s arrangements for well-known songs or classical pieces. It is therefore likely that you will be able to find a version that will fit your child’s needs, and give them the satisfaction of playing a song that really means something to them.
The next blog post will discuss how to choose an appropriate for your child. In the meantime, let us prepare the ground by finding out what song they’d like to play, and find multiple versions we can choose from!
OK, ready? Here is how to do it!
LESSON
1) Tell your child that now that they know how to read, they can choose, if they’d like, a song that they would really love to play.
2) If they prefer to just work off of a book, let them do that! More on that approach in the “Final Thought” section of this post.
3) If they want to choose a song but do not have one in mind yet, assure them they can use a book in the meantime and tell you when a song does comes to mind.
4) If they already have an idea, ask them to give you a list of five songs in the order they’d like to play them. Explain that not every song has an appropriate version, but that you will try to find a good version for their first choice.
5) Go onto your favorite search engine and type “[name of song] piano sheet music for beginners”, or replace the end with “easy”.
6) Consult the next blog post to discern what an appropriate version for their level would be.
A FINAL THOUGHT
While this approach proves to be effective in most cases, it is not right for every student. In my teachings, I have encountered quite a few students who felt invigorated and driven by playing from a book. For them, the act of flipping a page and notice their own progress by moving from page 12 to 16, for example, gives them the satisfaction that they desire. Furthermore, there are some children who are not very used to the idea of choosing things for themselves, in which the book method could be helpful as well. I always tell these students: “if you happen to think of anything that you would really like to play, please tell me and we can move on to that if you’d like” – this tends to spark their interest and makes them think, and oftentimes come back with a song that they’d like to play at their own time.
So, you can always ask your child: “would you like to choose a song of your own, or play from a book?” – your child will know what is right for them and answer truthfully.