Moms Who Have Kids Under 10 Learning to Play the Piano Pls Respond

He is learning. The numbers are helping, but they are just telling him which finger to use. The numbers aren't telling him C or B flat.

Are you really asking when he should be able to sight read? Or when he should be able to pick up a piece of music he's never seen before and be able to play it? Those are skills of varying degrees. I know some people who were able to do some sight reading and only a handful of people who can pick up something new and play it fairly quickly. Those who could had been playing for 10 to 15 years.

It's not an age, per se. It's his developmental level.

A few numbers are good, no matter how old you are! (You can tell I play!) But if she's writing in lots of numbers, ask her if she would put just a few fingering numbers on some pieces so that you both can ascertain whether or not he really needs them all.

More than anything, you should work with your son to make sure he actually can read music, and that he's not memorizing how to play it without understanding what's on the page. If he can't do that, he can't learn more complicated music. He should be equally comfortable in treble and bass clefs. As he progresses, he will learn different keys. And in order to do that, he must be able to really read the music. It's like the difference in just knowing the alphabet, and being able to read words. And more advanced playing is the difference in being able to read individual words and being able to fluently read sentences. That's when piano playing can reap the really fun stuff!

Make sure that he has some fun pieces with songs he knows, and not just what's in the books. If he doesn't like technique exercises, bribe him. Tell him if he spends 10 minutes on his scales (when the teacher gives them to him), that he gets a special treat. Figure out something that makes sense for you both. Without the technique, he will never be able to effectively play "fluently". And that good technique also includes holding his hands properly. The worst thing to let a student do is have poor hand and finger technique. Some of the stuff I've seen kids do, ugh! Like dropping the wrist down almost on the piano itself, or the wrists too high, or fingers out straight, or fingers sticking up all over the place. These are normal for little kids whose fingers are still developing muscles, but it's a process to learn the proper hand technique and he has to work on it with the teacher's help. You should watch the teacher and listen to how she tells him to do it. That will help you to help him, too.

Playing with clay will help strengthen and build muscles in his fingers and hands. (Not play-doh.) Try that.

Hope this helps!

So in the book, the piano teacher is writing it above the notes?

Typically, only when they were having difficulty - just to simplify the fingering for them. I have all my old books too, and the ones my nieces and nephews used. They have the odd bit with numbers, just to help the child. That went on for me past the age of ten also - right up until I dropped it (as a teen).

If it's every note, I'd be concerned. He should be figuring that out on his own for the most part as part of learning music. Here and there is pretty common, I would think.

I completely agree with what everything Doris said.

I started lessons when I was seven, but I'm a bit confused about what your teacher is doing. You only have 5 fingers on each hand. So is he limited to the C-G keys on the piano, with no sharps and flats? I remember having numbers on the sheet music, but it was only so that I could learn proper fingering and hand placement as I moved into some of the higher notes. In order to play a song using the entire octave, I needed to know what the notes on the sheet music were. Because finger number 1 could either be a C, or it could be an F, or a B. etc.

I think that your teacher's approach of trying to not make it an overwhelming process is good. And it's fantastic that he loves it. But, at some point he needs to learn to understand the music and some basic theory, to learn about things like patterns and intervals. I'd ask her (calmly and casually) what her teaching method is and how he'll get to the point where he can sight read and understand what the note represent.

It's not an "age" that matters, it's a "stage" - the stage of learning, the point in the learning process, where a piano student can start reading music.

If the teacher is any good I am sure the teacher is working towards that with your son.

If you are concerned, request a parent-teacher conference.

Both my kids started learning piano at age 6/7 and they only did the number thing for a little bit...not long. Maybe just for the first few songs they learned? The songs they started with were so simple...the idea is to first memorize middle C and the notes around it. They picked it up fast. My daughter is almost 8...she is the one who started at age 6. She loves it and loves practicing...especially if it is a song she knows and can sing to. When reading music, she doesn't have all her notes memorized yet, but she can usually figure out which note it is by finding one she does know and then working it out.

Personally I wouldn't know, my daughter has been playing piano since 3, and I cant remember how they did it. But I agree, it is more about developmental stage than age.

Ugh! This is how I was taught. After years of lessons I still couldn't play.

My girl's teacher never did this. They started reading music from day one at age 5.

I would look for a new teacher.

My daughter started at age 7, and I don't recall there ever being numbers written on the notes?

I started playing the piano around 4-5 and I was taught to read the music from day 1. At 10, your son should be able to read music and generally figure out which fingers to use for each note, even if it's not obvious. The teacher is hindering his ability to read music and play the piano, IMO.

Our son played recorder in 5th grade and started clarinet in 6th grade.
He had no trouble learning to play and read music.
I wouldn't worry about it.
At under 10, he's got some growth in his hands coming and piano gets a little easier when your hands are large enough to manage the keyboard.
There's no rush.