kwg Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Ds9 has been taking piano for several years and one of the goals set by his teacher is to get his flashcard set to under 30 seconds for one month. Once he does that he knows his cards and can stop going over them. He came to me today in tears bc he is worried he is going to do badly again (not 30 sec) in his lesson today. Anything I can do to help him? I hate these things too though I try to keep that to myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
61Keys Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Why is the teacher wasting time on flashcards rather than real music? As a piano teacher, I only use flashcards for "special" students who are not grasping elements. There is no value in a speed test for any student. I would have a lot of "whys" for that teacher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwg Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 I have no idea. He acts like it is very important somehow in him playing music. The thing is, he has been passing his songs fine :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Why is the teacher wasting time on flashcards rather than real music? As a piano teacher, I only use flashcards for "special" students who are not grasping elements. There is no value in a speed test for any student. I would have a lot of "whys" for that teacher. :iagree: I would talk to the teacher. My kids have been in piano for several years and have never done flashcards. Of course, their teacher is 75 years old. I don't know if that is something that she ever utilized :001_smile:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookfiend Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Does he play the notes on the flashcards in a timed manner? This is the only benefit I can see from them - quick sight reading and muscle memory of the notes, similar to knowing your multiplication facts cold. However, being able to verbally name the notes quickly has little to no value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly1730 Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Interesting...............we've had 7 years of piano between our kids and never did flashcards. Now the metronome, that's what freaks my kids out:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 What are piano flash cards? Between 2 kiddos and 10+ years of lessons, I have never seen those. I do know that when we left the piano teacher who put pressure on Dd, it was a surprisingly good move. We then let her take lessons from her acting coach who is more musical theater rather than classical. Dd's abilities advanced quickly when the environment became fun. She loves practicing piano every day now, and it is no longer a chore. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maus Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 Ds9 has been taking piano for several years and one of the goals set by his teacher is to get his flashcard set to under 30 seconds for one month. Once he does that he knows his cards and can stop going over them. He came to me today in tears bc he is worried he is going to do badly again (not 30 sec) in his lesson today. Anything I can do to help him? I hate these things too though I try to keep that to myself. My kids' teacher recommended this site for practicing, so that it seems like more of a game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maus Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 As someone who was a members of various bands/orchestras from junior high through college, I totally see the value of flash cards and learning the names of the notes and symbols to the point of instant recognition. Unless your child's involvement in music is never going to anything more than solo work -- never working with a group or accompanying a choir, etc. --, he or she needs know those notes to have efficient and meaningful conversations about the music. Things like, "Hey, everyone, the printer made a mistake in the fifth measure and that 'A' should really be a 'B'. Please mark that change." Or the choir director who says to the accompanist, "Could you play the passage for the Altos where they enter on the 'E'?" If you learn to play strictly by which key on the piano corresponds to which mark on the page without actually knowing the name of the note, you are also at a severe disadvantage should you choose to switch to another instrument later on. Think of it this way: if your child learned to read a particular book based on the photos and the shapes of the words, how readily is he or she going to be able to read another book, or even a different edition of the same book? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwg Posted May 8, 2012 Author Share Posted May 8, 2012 Thank you everyone for your insight and thoughts! My kids' teacher recommended this site for practicing, so that it seems like more of a game. Thank you!!! As someone who was a members of various bands/orchestras from junior high through college, I totally see the value of flash cards and learning the names of the notes and symbols to the point of instant recognition. That is what he is interested in-instant recall. We had our lesson yesterday and I explained the situation, ds cried, and the end result was the teacher said it was not supposed to be this upsetting so we will back off flashcards for a bit. At first, the teacher wanted to tell us again how gifted children are not used to working hard at things but everyone has to work hard at piano. :glare: It took a lot not to lose it right there - I had just said how hard we were working!! And who is he to say.....for whatver reason I do not particularly like him saying that. I really think it has more to do with the anxiety of being timed. I also think a complete break will probably mess him up and I was thinking it wouldn't matter since no one else does it anyway but now I don't know :confused: A small break shouldn't hurt anything- ds was really upset and I think he needs it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petepie2 Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 I totally understand the importance of knowing note names, but flashcards are just a means to that end. It seems to me that there could be other ways of accessing whether or not he knows his notes. Stressing him out with an artificial goal of "flashcards in 30 seconds" is just not necessary. Besides, effective sight-reading also relies on reading intervals, not just knowing the names of notes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnificent_baby Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 Thank you everyone for your insight and thoughts! Thank you!!! That is what he is interested in-instant recall. We had our lesson yesterday and I explained the situation, ds cried, and the end result was the teacher said it was not supposed to be this upsetting so we will back off flashcards for a bit. At first, the teacher wanted to tell us again how gifted children are not used to working hard at things but everyone has to work hard at piano. :glare: It took a lot not to lose it right there - I had just said how hard we were working!! And who is he to say.....for whatver reason I do not particularly like him saying that. I really think it has more to do with the anxiety of being timed. I also think a complete break will probably mess him up and I was thinking it wouldn't matter since no one else does it anyway but now I don't know :confused: A small break shouldn't hurt anything- ds was really upset and I think he needs it. We have to take small breaks every once and awhile. Otherwise my daughter gets really burnt out. I think breaks are ok! As far as the flashcards being timed, that would send dd over the edge in our house. She gets frustrated as it is with learning notes. Our teacher has a variety of games, but they are just games. Nothing timed, nor any pressure. They do "group" lesson once a month for the games, to make it a fun and light atmosphere. I don't see anything wrong with the flashcards, as long as the student doesn't mind. But in our situation, I know that would make her want to quit ASAP! I tread lightly with piano, because we have quit and started back up a few times. Now, timed math drills, on the other hand are required in our house. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 Never seen them. Five kids, countless years of lessons, three pianos in the house presently. Tell the teacher to concentrate on playing instead of stressing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.