Piano People: At what age do you recommend use of the metronome?

[duckens]

At what age do you recommend use of the metronome?

Our situation:
--We have a metronome, and we have played around with it, but not seriously.
--Dd is 7.  She has been playing ~3 years.  She is in the Piano Adventure Level 1 books.
--I teach her.  I am not a professional musician or trained music teacher. 
--I do not require things to be played perfectly before moving on to a new song.  She passes when she misses less than one note/staff on a "cold play" (has not played that song yet today).  As we continue through the book, we play former songs on a regular basis.  This allows for improvement of songs over time.

--I have no plans for my child to be a professional musician, play at Carnagie Hall, or be the next musical child prodigy.  Our goals are to learn a skill and enjoy the music. 
--She CAN play with the metronome, but not for her newer or more complex songs.

 

My questions:

1) At what age did your children (or do you recommend for children to) start using a metronome regularly?

2) What does "regularly" mean to you?  Daily?  Weekly?

3) At that point, how seriously do you take the use of the metronome?  If the child is not playing with proper tempo to match the ticking of the metronome, how much time (or percent of time) for each practice time would you/your student work on it?

4) Are there ways to ease into using a metronome?  Perhaps only worrying about one phrase of a song; then putting the metronome away?

Disclaimer: I'm not planning on making my 7yo miserable over a metronome at this time.  I'm just looking for some guidance to plan for the future since this has come up recently in our homeschool.


Thank you in advance to all replies.  I appreciate your experience and your input.

[IsabelC]

I think the first thing to consider is why you want to use the metronome. Using a metronome isn't something like going onto point shoes, where you 'get to it' at a certain stage of learning. It's simply a tool that can be used in certain situations. It's good for some things but not for others.

 

For example, if your daughter has gotten a piece note perfect and using good fingering, but it's only half the appropriate speed, you could use your metronome to bring the piece up to tempo. You'd find a speed she is confident at, play it through a few times with the metronome at that speed, then set it up 2bpm and repeat. This works well because playing at 102bpm isn't noticeably more difficult than 100, so you can go from 100 to 140 incrementally. Another example would be where there is a rhythmic change that she is finding tricky, for example going from pairs of quavers (8th notes) to triplets without changing speed. You could find an easy speed and set the metronome to beat on the crotchets (quarter notes), which would help her get the 'feel' of the rhythm she is working on.

 

However, there are other situations where playing with a metronome isn't helpful. If a piece of music has a lot of tempo changes or is in a style requiring a decent amount of rubato (rhythmic freedom where she would stretch out certain bits and generally play around with the rhythm to achieve better musicality), then asking her to play with the metronome would actually hinder her from developing her interpretation of the piece.

 

It doesn't matter that she isn't preparing to play Carnegie Hall - the goal when practicing is to use whatever technique gets you to where you want to be with the minimum time and effort. Some of the time, a metronome comes in handy.

 

So to answer your questions:

1. Any age is fine, but use it thoughtfully: know what you are trying to achieve and whether the metronome will help.

2. Use the metronome as pretty much often as you and she like, bearing in mind the above. Just don't use it all the time, because you don't want her to rely on it as a substitute for her own sense of rhythm.

3. Again, there is no point in using the metronome if it isn't useful. If your daughter cannot play her piece in time with the metronome, you might like to defer that and try asking her to march in time with it, then clap, chant or play a percussion instrument in time, before using it when playing the piano. Or have more slow practice of the troublesome parts (often the inability to 'keep up' with the metronome is caused by some sections being less secure than the rest of the piece, in which case it makes sense to target those bits rather than trying the entire piece again and again).

4. As for 3. 

[MrsWeasley]

We first starting a metronome at 4 years of age, but we only occasionally use it.

[MinivanMom]

I play the piano a little (intermediate level), but I don't teach my kids. The oldest three take lessons from a teacher.

 

1) At what age did your children (or do you recommend for children to) start using a metronome regularly?

My kids have started using the metronome regularly around the same time they started seriously practicing scales. Their teacher has started them on scales at around the 2a level in Piano Adventures. My oldest 2 are using the metronome regularly (oldest is just finishing level 5 and second is in level 3a), while my third has not started using the metronome yet. I have her count aloud when she practices.

2) What does "regularly" mean to you?  Daily?  Weekly?

I have them use it daily with their scales. For new songs, they count on their own for the first few days before they start using the metronome. After they are comfortable with the song, they will use the metronome for the first 2-3 times they play through the song and then will practice a few additional times without the metronome.

3) At that point, how seriously do you take the use of the metronome?  I don't think this has been a problem with my kids. They understand that the whole point is to play in rhythm with the metronome, and I've taught them to slow the metronome down (as slow as necessary) in order to be on beat. Then they gradually increase the speed until they get up to tempo.

4) Are there ways to ease into using a metronome?  We eased in using scales. I have them start out using the metronome only for scales. For my oldest two there was definitely a frustrating period where had to get used to playing along with the metronome. Once they had mastered it with scales, I had them start using the metronome when working with songs they were preparing for competition or recital. This would generally be songs they had already been working on for several weeks, so the piece was already mastered, and they were really just using the metronome to polish the piece and be sure they weren't inadvertently speeding up in easy sections or slowing down in more difficult sections. After they were comfortable using the metronome for polishing, I had them start using it with all of their assigned music.



Thank you in advance to all replies.  I appreciate your experience and your input.

 

My oldest is now at the point where the metronome isn't always helpful, so I am giving her a lot more freedom this year to choose when and how she uses it. For many of her easier songs she simply doesn't need the metronome, because she has a strong sense of rhythm. For some of her more advanced songs she is preparing for recital or competition, there are tempo changes and places where she puts some feeling into it, so it just doesn't make sense to practice the song straight through with the metronome. She will use the metronome on smaller sections where the rhythm is tricky or where she feels herself incorrectly slowing the tempo down. She is using the metronome much more selectively this year.

 

HTH

[wintermom]

My 4 dc have started using the metronome when their teacher recommended it, usually after at least one year of lessons. It depends on the level of the student more than the age, IME. Some children respond to the metronome much more positively than others. I remember as a child being really stressed out trying to play to a metronome, but my dc seem to take it more in stride. Perhaps I was distracted by the sound and stressed out trying to match my playing perfectly to the beats.

 

The children don't usually use the metronome for brand-new songs. They often use it for scales, arpeggios and simple studies. They would also use it with songs they've been working on for a few weeks to keep the rhythm even, or assist in gradually speeding up the song to a prescribed tempo (over a week, increase the tempo each day).

 

 

[Space station]

The metronome is a great tool for different things at different levels. We don't use it to play along with entire songs, but we do use it to help fix spots. For example, if a beginning piano student is playing part of a song in one tempo, and then slowing down when they get to a challenging measure, the metronome can help them become aware of it and fix that spot. We would set the metronome tempo for the speed they can play the hardest measure, have them play the phrase before that spot at the slower tempo and through the challenging spot. Then inch up the metronome speed until then can do it all at the same faster tempo. Then we turn off the metronome and play without it until the next time we think it might be a helpful tool. Another example - my dd uses it to help inch up her tempo on challenging runs in her violin pieces. She doesn't play the whole piece with the metronome, just the spots she is trying to work on. HTH

[Space station]

Also, what the previous poster said about scales, etc. My kids do use the metronome to make sure they can play their scales and other technical exercises up to the required speed for their exams. This may or may not apply to what you are doing with your child.

[G5052]

We used one early on as recommended by her teacher, probably the first 2-3 years of lessons, to fix songs where she was doing her own thing versus keeping the beat.  I remember the same in my lessons.  Just early on.

 

But not for a long, long time now.  At a certain point they need to internalize the beat, and the songs will have varying tempo anyway.

[myfunnybunch]

Our piano teacher (during lessons) and I (at home) taught my piano players to use the metronome. The teacher will sometimes request that they use the metronome for a particular piece or passage if there is a tempo issue; otherwise, it's mostly up to them when to use it or not. Both boys tend to use it regularly, sometimes more often or less often, depending on where they are in mastering pieces and scales. They each used the metronome today, as a matter of fact. One used it to work on tempo on a rusty review piece and the other to see how he's doing speedwise on his scales.

 

So I guess, to answer your questions:

Age: During the second year of practice.

Regular use: they've never had a scheduled regular use. It's always been a natural part of practice as needed.

How seriously: That's a hard question to answer. Both of my pianists and the piano teacher view it as a tool rather than an end in itself. It's nice to have around and to know how to use it.

Easing into it: My boys' teacher usually started showing them how to use the metronome while doing scales, one note to each tick.

 

They've been playing for 3 years and 9 years, if that's helpful. :)

 

Cat

[Zuzu822]

Interesting to read the responses. Both my boys have used a metronome pretty much immediately!

 

The six year old has only had a few weeks of lessons and today used it for a duet with dad and his five finger exericses.

 

The oldest (8) is beginning his third year of formal lessons and breaks it out for Hanon on a regular basis and both shorter lesson exercises and longer pieces. He's been working on Clementi's Sonatina in C Major to start the year, and it's been an invaluable tool.

 

ETA: Maybe the difference is because they were already so familiar with using one too? My husband is an organist and practices with one as necessary, and they've always found it fascinating. Lol! My toddler plays with an extra one during school too.

[Zuzu822]

The metronome is a great tool for different things at different levels. We don't use it to play along with entire songs, but we do use it to help fix spots. For example, if a beginning piano student is playing part of a song in one tempo, and then slowing down when they get to a challenging measure, the metronome can help them become aware of it and fix that spot. We would set the metronome tempo for the speed they can play the hardest measure, have them play the phrase before that spot at the slower tempo and through the challenging spot. Then inch up the metronome speed until then can do it all at the same faster tempo. Then we turn off the metronome and play without it until the next time we think it might be a helpful tool. Another example - my dd uses it to help inch up her tempo on challenging runs in her violin pieces. She doesn't play the whole piece with the metronome, just the spots she is trying to work on. HTH

I agree with Space Station. For those challenging runs in longer works is where we see the most value. That's why Hanon is such a part of our practice too. Gets those fingers working various patterns accurately and quickly. I see that with DH's playing too when he's got his hands and feet going in three different directions.

[duckens]

Thank you all so much for your insight!  You have all helped me to think much deeper and in different ways than I had even considered!  What would I do without you all???

Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!

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I think for now, we will attempt the metronome for our finger exercises (Dozen a Day book).  It will keep her familiar with the metronome, but she will be able to grow and mature at her own pace through the next Piano Adventures book.  By then, she may outgrow me as a teacher!