I've been teaching my son (5yrs old) for 6 months now by following a series of of books (lesson, Artistry,Performance Level 1) and at the same time working on Theory. I try to spend 20-30 minutes a night and it has worked well most of the time though I have 2 issues: 1. What is the right way of correcting a mistake? My son tends to go back from the beginning when he makes a mistake since it frustrates him that he missed a note or did not keep it down long enough,etc. 2. How quick should I advance in lessons? I'm not sure if I'm asking him to be too perfect and therefore making it boring for him. Thanks for your Help Paolo.

-- Paolo Iamonico (paolo.iamonico@videotron.ca), April 15, 2003

Answers

A student should not go all the way to the beginning if he makes a mistake! But I'll admit, lots of kids want to do just that, so he may get frustrated while you try to teach him to deal with problem areas in a more productive way. He needs to focus on the trouble spot by going to the beginning of that measure or that phrase mark (you can help him figure out a logical spot) and work on the problem area. One idea is to have him play that little spot until he can do it 3 times in a row perfectly. Then he could go back and try the whole piece again to see if he can play everything, including the trouble spot fine--if not, do the "3 times perfect" thing again. Regarding how fast to advance in lessons--this certainly varies from child to child. 5 is young, and most 5 year olds would spend several months to a year in one level. Is it Piano Adventures that you are using? I ask because their series includes books called Artistry and Performance. But their first level is primer, not 1. Could you clarify what books you are using?

-- annie (no_name_poster@yahoo.com), April 16, 2003.

Actually, the core Piano Adventures books are titled:

Lesson Technique and Artistry Theory Performance

-- Jason (jason@kreisleriana.com), April 17, 2003.

Thanks Annie for your response on working with mistakes, I'll definitely start trying this method tomorrow. As for the books being used, yes it is the Piano Adventures Level 1 Series (Performance,Lessons and Technique&Artistry books) that we are using at this present time. He completed the Primer Lesson Book before starting the level 1 series. I've started the Level 1 series on Jan 12/03 and we are at about 70% of the way through all 3 books.I figure at least 2 more months to complete the series....all depending if the practising goes smooth...

-- Paolo Iamonico (paolo.iamonico@videotron.ca), April 17, 2003.

Paolo, it sounds like you are making wonderful progress through this series, at least based on how much you have covered since January. I use and like the Piano Adventures series very much. Are you pleased with how his music sounds as he plays? Is he showing progress in using good technique? "How" he plays is more important than "how fast" he completes the books. But it sounds like he's doing well. Do you have him continue to review songs that he finished a while back? Particularly as he gets a bit further on, I think it's important to be working not only at the current level, but also to be sightreading (or reviewing) at 1 to 2 levels below current study. Let me know how well he tolerates the new way of working out mistakes. Of course, as he progresses into lengthier pieces of music, he will see how impractical it is to always go back to the beginning! annie

-- annie (no_name_poster@yahoo.com), April 18, 2003.