Ready for Piano Lessons?

Part 2: Ages 4–6

Contributor: Dr. Julie Knerr

four part series

In this four-part series of slideshows, we will explore how piano lessons relate to the various ages of piano students.

Part 1: Introduction and Age 3

Part 2: Ages 4–6

Part 3: Ages 7–8

Part 4: Ages 9–Adult

chapter 3

Age 4

Age 4

Age 4: characteristics

Four-year-olds have many of the same characteristics as three-year-olds, and yet they are distinctly older. They are moving from “baby” to “child.”

Because four-year-olds still have difficulty perceiving the difference between fact and fantasy, many of the same teaching techniques apply to both three- and four-year-olds. Stories, toys, and games should be used to teach concepts. 

Like three-year-olds, four-year-olds will be resistant to activities that are not perceived as fun or interesting.

An adult who is enthusiastic about an activity can easily persuade a four-year-old to be excited as well. Forcing the child to participate in an activity they think is not fun or interesting will stop the learning and will generally end in grouchiness.

Four-year-olds do not understand the idea of completing an assignment for a future purpose.

Because a young child’s sense of time is just forming, three- and four-year-olds live in the present. The next hour, day, week, and year are all equally far away.

Physically, four-year-olds are continuing to develop their gross motor skills.

Use manipulatives such as small plastic animals or tiny pompoms to help students develop their fine motor control.

Socially, four-year-olds understand the concept of “taking turns.” Children who have experience in a class setting will understand the idea of “teacher versus student,” where the teacher gives instructions and the student is expected to listen and follow directions.

Cognitively, four-year-olds understand the concept of same versus different, which has many applications to music study.

Four-year-olds are beginning to learn their numbers and letters. However, their ability to write numbers and letters will not be nearly as developed as their ability to recognize numbers and letters by sight.

• Approach the lesson in a lighthearted and playful manner.
• Impersonate a stuffed animal so that the animal, rather than the teacher, is doing the talking. This appeals to the student’s imagination.
• Four-year-olds understand how to “take turns.” Take turns being the teacher. For example, have your student make a flat hand, and then shape that hand into a good piano hand shape. Then switch roles, allowing your student to be the teacher.

at the lesson

Learning the finger numbers on each hand is an important skill to master at this age and will take more repetition than one might imagine. Create a variety of games and songs to teach the finger numbers.

Students at this age love the familiar. You can play a favorite game repeatedly over the course of many weeks, while occasionally introducing a new game. Predictability in the lesson structure and familiarity with the activities allows the child to feel secure and safe. 

Work on rhythm by walking, marching, stomping, jumping, and other gross motor movements.

Play Orff instruments to develop rhythm.

Notice that most of these activities take place off the bench. Alternate between activities at the piano and those away from the piano.

You may have to alternate activities as often as every few minutes, depending on the student’s attention span.

Often at this age, attention span and behavior is directly related not just to the activities in the lesson, but also to how tired, hungry, or thirsty a child is.

If a child is non-compliant, first ask yourself, “Are the activities in the lesson too long, too difficult, or not interesting?” These are things over which you have control.

If the activities are age appropriate, ask if the time of day for the lesson is best for your student. Or perhaps they need a snack or a drink of water before the lesson. Food, drink, and sleep can change the lesson atmosphere entirely.

Repertoire: Rote pieces

Most pieces a four-year-old learns should be taught by rote. The student’s aural ability far exceeds their visual ability to read any kind of notation (words or music).

You will be amazed at how quickly four-year-olds can learn and memorize patterns at the piano. Children can internalize even complicated, syncopated rhythms very quickly and easily. Small children soak up music like sponges.

improvisation

Create improvisations based on themes like thunderstorms and animals.

Play a teacher accompaniment such as a march or a lullaby. The student can improvise on either the black keys or on the white keys, whichever is most suitable for your accompaniment. Create a story to match the music.

reading pieces

The basics of notation, such as finger numbers, tracking left to right on the page, and rhythmic notation for quarter and eighth note pairs, can be taught away from the piano.

These concepts can then be applied to simple pre-staff pieces at the piano. 

Or the reading process can be delayed. The goal is to avoid an aversion to reading that may result from forcing a child to read notation before he or she is developmentally ready.

Considerable time can be spent learning names of the white keys on the piano through games and activities. 

technique

Forming a good piano hand shape should be taught through stories and analogies, such as talking about the piano hand being a house for a fuzzy to live in.

Use manipulatives such as small pompoms, stickers, or small plastic animals to work on concepts such as learning the names of the white keys. Instruct the student to, “Put red pompoms on all the Ds on the piano.” This will help students develop their fine motor control while working on music concepts.

Reinforce letters and numbers by having your student draw letters and numbers in a tray of rice. This will develop the sensations in the student’s fingertips while also developing literacy.

Control over the arm is the first step toward forming a confident and consistent technique. Be sure pieces are played in a manner that involves the arm. Non-legato should be the first articulation introduced, followed by legato once coordination between the arm and fingers is established. When playing legato, the arm should remain involved to aid the fingers in tone production.

Age 4: a story

Three- and four-year-olds have difficulty understanding the difference between real and make believe.

A four-year-old student was having her lesson. We usually used a stuffed lion named Larry to work on her arm weight technique. One day I forgot to bring the lion.

“Where is Larry?” she asked.

“He’s on vacation,” I replied.

“Where?”

“Florida.”

“How did he get there? He can walk?” Confused.

“Do you think Larry is real or pretend?” I asked.

“Real. When is he coming back?” Very confused.

I could tell she thought he was a stuffed animal, but part of her considered him “real,” since he was in actuality a real stuffed animal. She was trying to figure out how a real stuffed animal could walk like a real (living) lion. She partly realized this could not possibly be true, but the line between real and make believe is so tenuous at this age that it seemed entirely possible to her that my real stuffed lion came alive and walked on his own to Florida.

After this event, I made sure at future lessons to just tell her I forgot Larry rather than confusing her with stories about real versus pretend lions and Florida vacations. It reminded me of just how young four-year-olds are.

chapter 4

Age 5

age 5

age 5: characteristics

Five-year-olds are gaining confidence, self-control, and the ability to follow directions. They have a much greater ability to concentrate than they may have had previously, and they are improving their ability to follow detailed instructions. They are definitely past the “baby” stage and have entered the “child” phase.

Teaching five-year-olds should still be based on play, but you can begin to correct mistakes in a positive, playful manner in order to refine your student’s playing.

Although the physical development of three- to five-year-olds can appear at first to be clumsy and unrefined, this physical clumsiness should not be confused with their cognitive abilities.

It is amazing how such young children can learn simple pieces easily and memorize them instantly and effortlessly. I often think we underestimate what these young children are capable of musically, both in terms of learning patterned pieces by rote, and improvising and creating music.

Physically, five-year-olds are much more coordinated than younger children. Both gross and fine motor control is growing by leaps and bounds. 

Socially, five-year-olds recognize the feelings of others and enjoy playing with other children. They are increasing their ability to regulate their behavior, although they still may have outbursts when angry, tired, hungry, thirsty, frustrated, or overwhelmed.

Cognitively, five-year-olds are learning the alphabet, counting to twenty or above, and learning to add numbers.

They can classify objects and understand forms and patterns, such as  A B A.

Five-year-olds are learning to hold a pencil correctly, and their writing and drawing ability is progressing. However, writing will still require extremely concentrated effort. 

  at the lesson

• Teach through play
• Correct mistakes in a positive, playful manner
• Begin to include concepts and instructions that require more concentration and focus

Give your student “Teacher Happy Choices.”

For example, ask, “What color should we color this quarter rest?” “Which piece would you like to play first today?” and, “Shall we play that again in a high or low octave?”

However the child answers, you will be happy with their choice. 

In contrast, if you ask, “Do you want to play this piece again?” they may answer, “No,” which will not make you happy if you did want them to play the piece again.

Children at this age often do not recognize rhetorical questions, so be sure you ask questions that will be “Teacher Happy,” whichever way the child answers.

The shared control you provide by giving your student choices will make them feel like a valued and respected partner in the lesson.

rote pieces

Five-year-olds can continue learning complicated pieces by rote. Do not underestimate the capabilities of a five-year-olds. Their memories and musical understanding is astounding.

Encourage creativity by playing pieces in various ways, such as in different octaves, tempos, and dynamic levels.

improvisation

Be aware that children from ages 3–7 will be much more likely to choose a piece based on the title, lyrics, or picture on the page rather than on the sound of the piece. The sound is important, but the title even more so.

Improvisation Pieces. Continue exploring sounds and styles at the piano to develop your student’s sensitivity to sounds.

reading pieces

The basics of notation, such as finger numbers, tracking left to right on the page, and rhythmic notation for quarter notes, eighth-note pairs, half notes, and whole notes, can be taught through games away from the piano.

Pre-staff reading can be introduced to practice tracking from left to right on the page, and to solidify the relationship between seeing finger numbers on the page and playing the corresponding finger at the piano.

The reading process can also be delayed if the child is not yet developmentally ready to read.

Five-year-olds vary widely in their readiness for reading.

Students may or may not be able to distinguish between line and space notes at the age of five.

Drawing notes on the line and spaces will also likely be too difficult at this age.

Because it may take all the student’s concentration just to distinguish between line and space notes, pre-staff reading for this age, which focuses solely on finger numbers, may be a better approach to reading.

technique

• Control over the arm should be the basis of technique
• As the student develops greater fine motor control, the fingers can be more involved
• The arm should always be involved in helping the fingers play, in order to develop a relaxed technique and to produce a singing tone
• Five-year-olds are generally much more coordinated in their fine motor skills than three- and four-year-olds

    a tale of two five-year-olds

I want to reiterate that these characteristics and suggestions for teaching each age may vary greatly among individual children.

For example…

Child A is chronologically five years old. She is:

• Five years old in her emotional responses to frustration
• Five years old in her math skills
• Thirteen years old in her ability to read English, both in speed and fluency
• Thirty years old in her empathy for others (You should see her take on a mothering role whenever she is around a baby.)
• Eight years old in her rhythmic understanding
• Seven years old in her technical development

Child B is also chronologically five years old. She is:

• Two years old in her emotional responses to frustration
• Sixteen years old in her ability to manipulate the adults around her
• Three years old in her ability to copy simple patterns at the piano
• Two years old in impulse control
• Nine years old in her social poise when meeting new people
• Seven years old in her musical understanding of sounds
• Three years old in her ability to recognize numbers and letters

Clearly, not all five-year-olds are at the same level emotionally, cognitively, physically, socially, musically, or rhythmically.

Having a set of general standards is helpful to gauge where a specific student is developmentally. You can then tailor your instruction based on the actual, rather than chronological, age of your student.

chapter 5

Age 6

age 6

age 6: characteristics

Six-year-olds continue to think concretely. Because they do not yet have the ability to reason in an abstract way, they tend to think there is one “right” and “wrong” way to complete a task. Providing four possible ways to solve a problem may confuse them.

Like younger children, they enjoy structured activities and want to please adults.

Although six-year-olds are still engrossed in the world of make believe, they are better able to distinguish between fact and fantasy than younger children.

Six-year-olds enjoy mastering skills, and they want to show adults, “I’m a big kid! I can do it!” Although they may be excited about “Passing Level 1,” they are more excited about each activity and piece and how it makes them feel in the moment. They may want to play their favorite pieces for months on end.

learning characteristics

Physically, six-year-olds are much more coordinated than younger children. Both gross and fine motor control have grown significantly.

Socially, six-year-olds recognize the feelings of others and enjoy playing with other children.

As with all ages of children, six-year-olds prefer a predictable routine. This provides a sense of stability and safety in the world.

Cognitively, six-year-olds are learning to read and write. Precocious six-year-olds who easily grasp the basics of reading English may have the ability to learn to read music notation.

However, many six-year-olds may still need to delay reading. They are capable of playing and understanding music that is much too complicated for them to read.

A methodical process for teaching children to read music is imperative.

Students will require extensive practice and reinforcement of basic reading concepts, such as up and down, line and space notes, and intervals such as seconds and thirds.

Rushing the steps in the reading process will lead to frustration and may result in long-term difficulty in reading music.

    at the lesson  

• Keep a consistent structure to the lesson to provide a sense of predictability and safety in lessons
• Teach through play
• Correct mistakes in a positive, playful manner
• Work on increasing your student's concentration and attention span through requiring more repetitions of a piece or exercise. This will begin to build the “discipline for repetition” that is so important for acquiring high levels of skill at the piano.

Students at this age want to show their parents the skills they have gained. Ask your student to teach mom a piece, or to show dad how well they can play a piece.

Keep reviewing your student’s favorite pieces as long as possible. Long term review will build coordination and fluency at the piano.

rote pieces

Six-year-olds can continue learning increasingly complicated pieces by rote.

composition & Improvisation                        

Children who have become confident in learning rote pieces and in improvising will tend to begin to spontaneously create their own compositions.

I personally do not believe in requiring young children to write down their compositions on the staff, as most have not learned to read well enough to do this.

They can create and play much more complicated pieces than they can notate. 

    repertoire 

Instead, if a student creates a piece, I transcribe it for them. The student is always excited to see their piece notated, even if they cannot yet read the notation.

I am quite sure that Mozart could create and play pieces that were much more complicated than he could notate at the age of six. Leopold undoubtably notated Wolfgang’s creations for him. If Mozart had been forced to only compose what he could notate, I can only imagine the result.

Six-year-olds may have the ability to learn the basics of music notation on the staff.

Teach reading in a systematic way. It is dangerous to overwhelm the student with a haphazard approach to reading, because a student who is rushed through the steps of reading too quickly may begin to form faulty assumptions about reading.

reading pieces

For example, if presented with too much information about reading on the staff at once, the student might think, “I can’t think about all this at once, but I don’t want to tell my teacher I can’t do it.”

Panic!

“I know. It looks like in most of the pieces, thumb is C. And Finger 2 is D. And then I can just guess at the rest of the notes. That’s the way to do it: thumb is C, and 2 is D!” 

This sets up faulty assumptions about reading, as thumb is not always C. The student just began reading on the staff and is already thinking about reading in the wrong way. This is a recipe for disaster.

In contrast, your student can become a confident music reader if they are taught systematically and slowly, mastering one concept at a time, with plenty of repetition and reinforcement. 

For most students, this process takes much longer than we might think, especially if we ourselves were naturally adept readers.

I prefer an intervallic approach to reading that provides plenty of repetition for each interval. My students learn:

• Unisons and seconds. They practice reading many pieces and exercises that use unisons and seconds
• Then they practice reading unisons and thirds for an extended period
• When these intervals are secure, they combine unisons, seconds, and thirds
• I have students mark a specific interval with colored pencil on every piece and exercise

I have come to believe that this intervallic approach is the best system for teaching children (and adults) to read music notation. Yes, I do eventually teach them to recognize all note names on the staff. However, there are other effective approaches for teaching children to read music.

Visit the Piano > First Lessons > Curriculum topic for "Should My Student Begin On or Off the Staff?" This detailed slideshow explores a variety of pre-staff approaches to teaching note reading.

What is most important is that you have a system for teaching reading, are convinced of the pedagogical soundness of the system, and enthusiastically put the system into practice with each student.

repertoire

We must believe that all students can become good readers. The process may be more difficult for some children than for others, but it is crucial for children to learn to read notation as part of their musical training. Nearly all children can become proficient readers. 

Just as we would not give up on children who have difficulty learning to read English by saying that  some children will just never learn to read well, and that it is fine for this child to be illiterate, we should also not give up on teaching young musicians to be musically literate.

I only say this forcefully because I have actually heard music teachers say, “Some children will just never be able to read music well, and there is nothing we can do about it.”

When I hear statements like this, I question the teaching method, not the child’s ability.

technique

Although there are many approaches to teaching technique, I discovered in my dissertation research that the basic motions of technique can be distilled to the following motions, which form the basis for all future piano technique. 

I teach these motions in the first year of study, and then we move on to standard technical patterns such as pentascales, triads, scales, chord inversions, chord progressions, accompaniment patterns, etc.

Although these motions can be taught effectively to younger children, six-year-olds are at the prime age to easily master these motions.

The basic motions of piano playing are:

• Arm weight
• Non-legato articulation with a bouncy forearm on each note
• Legato articulation with a slight arm bounce on each note to keep the playing mechanism relaxed and to produce a good tone
• Legato with a longer arm motion, such as in a three-note slur (down and up)
• Fast, repeated notes in various rhythmic patterns. This develops looseness combined with speed, and aids in firming the fingertips
• Rotation

Students who have a firm grasp on these basic motions will be well set up for their future technique.

I assign an animal name to each motion to make them more memorable and enjoyable for students.

Although this is my approach for beginning technique, many other approaches to technique are also successful.

The crucial point is that you should have a definite plan for developing a good piano hand shape and a coordinated and comfortable technique.

Just as training in reading must not be haphazard, you must also have a systematic plan for training in technique. 

Gymnasts and ballet dancers all follow a proven training regimen to develop their physical technique.

Pianists do not have one, nationwide system for technical training, which may be why we see student technique that ranges from atrocious to brilliant.

Technical development is one of the most important components of a beginner’s piano training. Unlike instruction in reading, technical training cannot be delayed. It must begin from the first lesson, regardless of the age of the student.

    age 6: a story

Six-year-olds live in the moment. Enjoying a piece in the lesson is more important to them than constantly progressing to harder pieces.

I was reminded of this recently when a six-year-old student asked, “Can we play ‘I Like Bananas?’” She hadn’t played this piece in a year, but because it is a catchy, syncopated tune that includes a game, she wanted to play it.

I realized I should “stop and smell the roses” a bit more with my young students.

That five-minute experience of reviewing “I Like Bananas” will stay with her much longer than trying to constantly move her on to harder pieces.

There should be no hurry at the beginning levels. Laying a solid foundation in the way your student approaches the instrument physically, how they perceive music aurally, and how they understand reading on the staff are all extremely important. 

These technical, aural, and visual foundations set the stage for all future musical understanding and pianistic development.

This is why it is so crucial to have an exceptional teacher at the beginning stages of a student’s piano study.

what's next?

For more helpful tips, see the next slideshow in this series, Ready for Piano Lessons? Part 3.