John Thompson's Easiest Piano Course?

[happyWImom]

Okay, all you music people, help! Dd has not been getting piano. She's taken lessons for a year and a half, and doesn't seem to be grasping it. She likes it-when she can figure it out. Dh always has to help her, and then it seems like she memorizes the pieces; she has a hard time with the notes & actually playing while she's looking at the music. Part of it probably is the teacher, so we're going to switch. We are taking a break right now, but then someone told me about the John Thompson's Easiest Piano Course. My dh could probably help her with that until we actually get a new teacher. (summer)

 

We've been using the Alfred books, and a girl who teaches piano says she doesn't like those at all.

 

What's the general opinion?

 

Thanks!

[mktkcb]

I would go with Faber Piano Adventures. Get the level she is at. At the very least, get the method book, the theory book, and the technique book. This is the best method out there, IMO. You can find them at any music store, and they have TONS of fun supplementary books of all styles of music. PA uses the landmark/interval approach to teach note reading, so kids will learn C and G first, then High and Low C, and it goes from there. They get kids moving all over the keyboard early, so that kids don't get mentally stuck in C or G position and can't read any music otherwise. I would use some note flashcards for a few minutes a day. Put the note on the music ledge, and have her name it and play it. Start with the ones she already knows well, and go from there. The best way to learn to sightread, just like reading books, is to read lots of easy readers. The theory books in PA will have little sightreading exercises in them, and will teach how to sightread. Use these steps with some fun pieces in a couple books that are below her learning level. Always keep a couple fun *easy* books around to do this with. Even if you have to get a silly little pre-primer off staff book. It is funny to me that no one questions the wisdom of having lots of easy readers around when kids are actually learning to read books, but when it comes to music lessons, many parents don't even think about buying some extra easy reader piano books just for fun, as their kids progress. Anyway, just some tips. YMMV.

[happyWImom]

I would go with Faber Piano Adventures. Get the level she is at. At the very least, get the method book, the theory book, and the technique book. This is the best method out there, IMO. You can find them at any music store, and they have TONS of fun supplementary books of all styles of music. PA uses the landmark/interval approach to teach note reading, so kids will learn C and G first, then High and Low C, and it goes from there. They get kids moving all over the keyboard early, so that kids don't get mentally stuck in C or G position and can't read any music otherwise. I would use some note flashcards for a few minutes a day. Put the note on the music ledge, and have her name it and play it. Start with the ones she already knows well, and go from there. The best way to learn to sightread, just like reading books, is to read lots of easy readers. The theory books in PA will have little sightreading exercises in them, and will teach how to sightread. Use these steps with some fun pieces in a couple books that are below her learning level. Always keep a couple fun *easy* books around to do this with. Even if you have to get a silly little pre-primer off staff book. It is funny to me that no one questions the wisdom of having lots of easy readers around when kids are actually learning to read books, but when it comes to music lessons, many parents don't even think about buying some extra easy reader piano books just for fun, as their kids progress. Anyway, just some tips. YMMV.

 

Thanks for the advice!

 

I know nothing about music whatsoever, so I need all of the help I can get. Dh is teaching himself to play guitar, and can sing, but hasn't had any formal lessons, so we are beginners.

[samba]

I really like the John Thompson series. It's what I began with many years ago and what I have used to give lessons to other kids and now my own dd. I think that memorizing is pretty normal at that age, especially if the child has a good ear and a good memory; I wouldn't worry about it. As she becomes more proficient in reading the music, she'll rely less on memory. At least this has been my experience.

 

Thompson has a musicality to the pieces right from the beginning. The songs don't sound like exercises. They sound like real songs. I do prefer Book 1 over Primer. These books also start at middle C and move out from there.

 

Carolyn

[Christy B]

I second the suggestion to use Faber. I also believe it is the best piano method available for most students. I would suggest starting with the Primer level, you may be able to complete the first half of the book in one or two days, but it is worth it to start at the very beginning.

 

One of the advantages to Faber is that is keeps kids moving their fingers all over the keyboard, not locking in to a certain fingering. This means they HAVE to keep their focus on the printed music.

 

The orginal John Thompson series was a sound method, and many people remember it fondly. The new "Easiest" course, IMO, is not nearly as thorough and I would never have suggested it for such a young child. I use it as a "refresher" course for kids who have been out of lessons for a while and need to brush up quickly before moving into the appropriate level of Faber. One of my peeves with the Thompson Easiest course is the introduction of syncopated rhythm very, very early in the book, IMO much too early for a beginner, especially a young beginner. I suspect that may be one of the piece that your dd has had to "memorize" in order to play correctly, and it doesn't surprise me.

 

Best wishes and hope you find a good fit.

[Paula in MS]

My dd just started getting piano about 4 months ago. She just turned 8 this week. I am a pianist, so she has always had some instruction, but was not interested. I went to a local music store and went through their recital music. I picked out some early elementary solos for her to work on. I was amazed at how quickly she picked it up. All along, she just needed something interesting to work on. She is just starting Alfred's 1B, so I am talking about VERY easy recital pieces.

 

The new Alfred Premier books look very good. I just switched. They approach things differently than the other Alfred books. No more "positions."

 

As far as different method books go...They are all very much the same. Some move faster and some move more slowly. Some are more colorful. They should all get the job done. I spent a long time in the music store trying to decide if I should switch about 6 months ago because my dd wasn't "getting it". I did not find a lot of difference between the method books. I really don't think there is a magic formula. It is like reading. Just keep working at it and it will click.

 

If she is memorizing things, you might want to get a sight reading book. I know that Bastien has one. It gives you a new line to sight read every day.

 

As far as instruction goes...Make sure she understands what a step is and what a skip is when reading on a staff. This will help her make progress while she is still learning her notes.

 

Good luck!

 

Paula

[Rebecca VA]

What might help more than anything would be for your husband to sit with her during every practice and help her. I used to sit with my five-year-old son when he was going through "Teaching Little Fingers to Play" (the John Thompson beginner book) and "John Thompson Grade 1," and I'd sing the song slowly as he played. I'd make sure every count got sung, whether in actual words or in numbers. It was MONTHS before he developed enough proficiency and motivation to practice without my sitting with him, and he was his teacher's best student.

 

I didn't expect a very young child to remember the teacher's instructions all through the week. I stayed in the lesson with him, took notes, and then worked with him all week long.

 

I'm personally very fond of the John Thompson graded books, beginning with "Teaching Little Fingers to Play." The Alfred books are all right, but the illustrations are incredibly unattractive.

[Wildiris]

My dd just started getting piano about 4 months ago. She just turned 8 this week. I am a pianist, so she has always had some instruction, but was not interested. I went to a local music store and went through their recital music. I picked out some early elementary solos for her to work on. I was amazed at how quickly she picked it up. All along, she just needed something interesting to work on. She is just starting Alfred's 1B, so I am talking about VERY easy recital pieces.

 

The new Alfred Premier books look very good. I just switched. They approach things differently than the other Alfred books. No more "positions."

 

As far as different method books go...They are all very much the same. Some move faster and some move more slowly. Some are more colorful. They should all get the job done. I spent a long time in the music store trying to decide if I should switch about 6 months ago because my dd wasn't "getting it". I did not find a lot of difference between the method books. I really don't think there is a magic formula. It is like reading. Just keep working at it and it will click.

 

If she is memorizing things, you might want to get a sight reading book. I know that Bastien has one. It gives you a new line to sight read every day.

 

As far as instruction goes...Make sure she understands what a step is and what a skip is when reading on a staff. This will help her make progress while she is still learning her notes.

 

Good luck!

 

Paula

 

 

We've used these books too. (All four kids) I do not think it is the books that are the problem. What makes a difference is the patience of the parent sitting down consistently with the student and playing piano. Even if it is only 15 minuets a day, but every day, you should see some improvement. Also, the attitude of the parent/teacher needs to be upbeat and enthusiastic. Enthusiasm is contagious. Learning to play music is like learning a new language, it takes time.

[alpidarkomama]

I third the suggestion for Faber. In my 20+ years of teaching I've tried out just about every method out there, and Faber is definitely my favorite, and the supplementary materials are really great, in all styles.