Any users of Teaching Little Fingers to Play (Piano)?

[carriecs]

Hello! I'm looking for feedback (or direction for use) of the John Thompson book: Teaching Little Fingers to Play. I bought the book based on the WTM recommendation but I'm having trouble figuring out how to present the lessons beyond the first three. There are teacher directions for those, but not for the rest. For music, I am happy to be led by the nose on how to teach it! :)

 

I wanted to take advantage of our current situation that we have a piano and my kids show an interest in it. We don't have the funds to get them a piano teacher presently, but I didn't want that to keep us from some introductory piano fun/knowledge.

 

Thanks!!!

[Sue G in PA]

No advice, but I learned on that book over 35 yrs. ago! :D Brings back memories. In fact...I saved my old book and have used it with my kids.

[happyWImom]

When we switched piano books and had my dh teaching dd for a while, a friend of ours recommended John Thompson's First Piano Course, book 1. But we also bought the Teaching Little Fingers. For some reason, I think they thought the First Piano Course was easier/better. I have no musical ability though, so I can't personally give you my input.

[KrissiK]

Oh mercy! Those are still around? I learned on those back in the 70's. Wow!

[Kidlit]

Another proud alumnus of Teaching Little Fingers to Play!

(From Amy, who happily outsources music lessons!)

 

I just had to say that. :D

[gsetio]

Used it with my 4.5 years old and LOVE it. We did that book and now she's working on the JT First Grade Book.

She started Suzuki Piano level 1 at the same time (she has good ear) and now just started Suzuki Piano level 2.

 

I have music background (private lessons not music degree), but I think Teaching Little Finger is quite straightforward. It show where the notes are on the keyboard and what fingers to use, so just follow one page at a time and before we knew it, we finished it.

 

I'd like to recommend Studying Suzuki Piano More than Music. It provides me with all the guidance I needed to teach my daughter piano. And it also has all the technical points and interpretation for all 7 levels of Suzuki Piano Books.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Studying-Suzuki-Piano-Handbook-Reference/dp/0874875862/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1288859877&sr=8-2

 

 

Grace

mom to Gaby (5) SL K, CC, SWR, Piano (JT + Suzuki + Faber)

[Jyniffrec]

I still have my childhood copy and can still play and sing the first few songs from memory!

[carriecs]

I'm so amused this became such a reminiscential post! Thanks for your responses!

 

Grace, thank you for your recommendation of Studying Suzuki Piano More than Music. I am glad to know you also did one page at a time with Teaching Little Fingers. We've been doing it that way and I suppose I just wanted to know we were on track. And that its worked well for others.

 

Thank you again!!

[Linda Sue]

No body really explained it in this forum...

I am also looking to understand how to use the book.  I've taken lessons when I was preteen and still can't explain to my grandson how to use this book.

It has conflicting numbers on a page with no letters ie, cdefgab.  So very confusing.  I put the octive lettering on the keyboard but there's no letters in the book.  How are they suppose to learn them.  I think I bought the wrong book for him. 

So I have waisted a month of his vacation time with me trying to figure it out.