We have been super blessed to have a great friend who has been willing to give Barrett private piano lessons for the past six months or so. I honestly didn't think that we were going to start so soon (he started at 4 1/2) nor did I think that he would progress so quickly. One thing I've noticed though, is that even though we love our lessons- it's not entirely impossible for us to do it ourselves!
I think with the right resources, it would be consistent in terms of learning and teaching as it would be with any other subject. So while I do not think we could replace Mrs. Beth- I did want to share some of our resources!
Barrett seems to learn the best via the Faber Method. Here is the first book we started with:
We also went through the writing book. What I love about this is that you don't have to be able to read music to work through it. The pictures are great and it teaches many skills that are repeated throughout and he'll use forever. Barrett was able to play super simple songs right away and it seemed to help build his confidence up enough for the next book- book B. Book B introduces reading music.
(We have another friend working through this book and she says that it does seem confusing at times- thought i'd give another fair review of it)
We have also used flashcards to reinforce the notes. One thing the My First Piano Adventure does not do is review many of the notes they have learned. We like these ones:
We did try the Suzuki Method for a couple weeks but he did not seem to enjoy that as much. He is very much a visual learning BUT if you have some auditory learners.... here is the cd:
Other things that I didn't actually think mattered but have made things easier:
-Watching Little Einsteins on Disney Junior. The kids go on adventures and explore the world of music. Barrett started lessons understand terms like forte and piano along with having a great understanding of different composers.
-Also watching Baby Einstein. The kids will play along to the music using their instruments.
-Listening to ALL kinds of music. From Mozart to The Lumineers to The Postal Service to Film Scores on Pandora.
-Mom/Baby Music Classes, Storytimes at the Library
-Going to see live music. Our coffee shop has musicians playing a few times a week. The library has special free events. Our local Brass Ensemble has Tiny Tot themed events.
Hope that inspires and/or encourages you!
I did have lessons growing up so I have a small amount of knowledge in theory but I do not consider myself a pianist.
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