Would you teach your kids piano in this circumstance?

[PeacefulChaos]

If you knew how, that is. ;)

 

Here's the deal: I really, REALLY wanted to put Link into piano lessons this year, but financially we're cutting back big time (stupid medical bills! :lol: ) and I don't feel it's the most responsible thing to do, adding $60/month to what we already are paying out. So we won't be going that route. (We've decided not to put Pink into dance this year for this reason, also)

I have taught Link in the past a little, but it didn't go all that well. DH thinks we should be able to just stick it out and work our way through it. Part of me agrees with him, part of me thinks it will be a nightmare, but more than anything I do NOT want to wait another year to have him start piano! I already kind of feel like I've dropped the ball - I started piano at age 5 and played/took lessons through college. I've taught lessons off and on, as a high school student and when DH and I were first married. I did a little after we had kids but it got to be a lot more of a hassle so I stopped before Astro was born. Occasionally I've had someone say they want to learn, and I've worked with the kid for awhile, and then the people end up deciding they can't make it to lessons anymore so they stop coming, etc. So I do have experience teaching, but it isn't my job, kwim? I'm not bad at it, but I also can't provide the type of 'learning to play the piano' atmosphere that I grew up in - with teachers who were active in the guild, and regular recitals, playing at special events, etc.

I have no desire to teach anyone other than my kids (I really wouldn't teach them, either, if I had the choice), but I just hate the thought of them not learning at all. Music is EXTREMELY important to me. I want them to know how to read music, etc.

So anyway... I guess I'm wondering, would you do it? That's question #1.

Question #2 - Astro has said that he wants to learn to play piano. Sigh. So I guess if I teach one, I may as well go ahead and teach him, too, right?

and Question #3 - what books do you like, if you have experience with this stuff? We have the Bastien books and they're ok, but I honestly don't remember what I had when I was a kid and I don't have much experience with the different ones out there.

Thanks so much!

[justLisa]

You've just described me. I was a music major in college. I don't want to teach the music here but I do. I am doing piano with both, guitar with DD and helping DS with drums. I do outsource that with an awesome rock band guy I found.

 

I use Bastein books. How old are you teaching? There are books geared toward younger/older beginners

[fairfarmhand]

I am an amazing seamstress and artist, but I HATE teaching my kids art and sewing. It makes me want to scream! (stop it...you're wasting it. Don't... ...you're making a mess...careful...noooooooo...not like that!)

 

SO that's how it would go for me. I'd wait a year and reassess.

 

Second, my dd loves the alfred piano books.

[PeacefulChaos]

You've just described me. I was a music major in college. I don't want to teach the music here but I do. I am doing piano with both, guitar with DD and helping DS with drums. I do outsource that with an awesome rock band guy I found.

 

I use Bastein books. How old are you teaching? There are books geared toward younger/older beginners

 

Link is 8.5 and Astro will be 7 in November.

[labst60]

$60/month? How many lessons is that? Is it a group class?

Here, lessons are $50/hour!

 

So, in that case, i'd say, pick up a random kid to teach to and use the money to put pink in her own piano lessons and add dance with the extra! :-)

 

j/k

[justLisa]

Link is 8.5 and Astro will be 7 in November.

 

Do they want to learn? DS doesn't really care. SOmetimes he does, sometimes he doesn't. So when he does, I work with him and remind him to practice. But I'm sort of just laid back and don't care all that much. I know, I really sound motivating :lol:.

 

DD goes in waves with guitar/piano. Both require a lot of practice. I am the kind to just quit rather than stress about it, and my kids both seem pretty determined to do something if they really want to enough so maybe that makes for the perfect parent teacher/student combo for teaching music.

 

I think it depends on if you want to teach them, or think you can without it stressing you out, KWIM?

[PeacefulChaos]

$60/month? How many lessons is that? Is it a group class?

Here, lessons are $50/hour!

 

So, in that case, i'd say, pick up a random kid to teach to and use the money to put pink in her own piano lessons and add dance with the extra! :-)

 

j/k

 

:lol: Well, I'm rounding it out to 4 lessons/month (which wouldn't always be the case) but it's $15/lesson. Private 30 minute lessons with a teacher with her masters. :)

The cost is reasonable (and is exactly what we paid when I was in middle/high school in the 90s, so I can't complain!) but just not possible for us.

And I really don't want to teach anyone else, either! :D :lol:

[labst60]

It didn't seem so very bad to me b/c our dance is a little over $50 for a month (one hour once a week) - and there are 8-12 kids in the class- at least this was one-on-one!

[PeacefulChaos]

Do they want to learn? DS doesn't really care. SOmetimes he does, sometimes he doesn't. So when he does, I work with him and remind him to practice. But I'm sort of just laid back and don't care all that much. I know, I really sound motivating :lol:.

 

DD goes in waves with guitar/piano. Both require a lot of practice. I am the kind to just quit rather than stress about it, and my kids both seem pretty determined to do something if they really want to enough so maybe that makes for the perfect parent teacher/student combo for teaching music.

 

I think it depends on if you want to teach them, or think you can without it stressing you out, KWIM?

 

They both say they want to.

Having gone through the 'I don't want to play piano' stage myself - and knowing that you have to get through some boring stuff before things get interesting - I don't have a problem with making them practice and making them do it. I would also require a year commitment just like I would if they were taking lessons from a teacher elsewhere.

Granted, I'm kind of nuts about the learning to read music thing. I don't really consider that optional for them. :D

[PeacefulChaos]

It didn't seem so very bad to me b/c our dance is a little over $50 for a month (one hour once a week) - and there are 8-12 kids in the class- at least this was one-on-one!

 

Oh, yeah, dance here is like $110/semester + $35 registration fee for the class Pink would be in. It goes up as they get more advanced. Of course. ;)

[PeacefulChaos]

Whew...still. I'm taking violin and that's $30 for an hour and I think the guy is excellent. I'm actually amazed at his rates. He even gave me the first hour for free as an introduction to decide if I wanted to take lessons with him. Who does that?! :001_smile:

 

That's great! :)

Link also says he wants to learn to play a bunch of other instruments :lol: ... just thought of that because violin is on his list. And cello. And guitar and drums... etc. :D

I'm perfectly happy with him learning them all... someday. :D

[Catwoman]

 

Well and plus you know kids don't appreciate stuff like that. You know there will be more moments than not that you are telling them to go practice, etc. So that makes it kinda harder.

 

 

 

:iagree:

 

In our case, we have a grand piano in the living room and another piano in the family room.

 

Guess whose kid thinks it might be fun to learn to play the guitar? :glare:

 

We tried piano lessons for a while, and the teacher thought ds had a good aptitude for it, but I finally threw my hands in the air and admitted defeat when every single time I told my ds to practice, it was a battle.

 

If I'd had to be both the teacher and the mom, things wouldn't have ended well. :boxing_smiley:

 

OTOH, ds decided that he wanted to learn to sculpt, and he asked me to teach him, so that has been going very well, so I think a mom can teach a child things like art and music if the kid really wants to learn.

 

But if you've got a stubborn kid who hates to practice....... be afraid. Be very afraid. :eek:

[PeacefulChaos]

My kids never minded the practicing when we were doing it before... it was the lessons they didn't like! :lol:

[FO4UR]

Yes, definitely.

 

 

Can you delegate some other teaching to dh in the evenings? (I'm assuming burn-out from teaching.kids.all.day.long!) Can dh work on math with the 8.5yo while you do piano with the 7yo? Listen to them do their reading? Something along those lines...

 

 

I'm in the same boat, only I'm guessing your piano skills are better than mine. (I'm a vocal major.:tongue_smilie:)

 

I have some Pianimals books and dd7 works out of those independently. I check on her to make sure she's sitting with correct posture, using proper fingerings, etc. She asks me questions now and then...otherwise I haven't done much to teach her. My boys have not shown the same interest, but I have taught them how to sit at the piano, hold their hands, and I've made them practice playing 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1 with correct fingering.

 

 

I'm a vocalist, so I teach them much more singing than playing...just b/c I'm lazy and it's easier for me. I teach them solfegge and show them how to use their knowledge of that to pluck out songs on the piano (with those blasted 1-2-3-4-5 fingers!:lol:). My oldest is a late reader (struggling reader!), and I've purposely held off on teaching him too much musical notation too early. He has an amazing ear (!!!) so I do plan on teaching him, but early is not always better when it comes to that first piano lesson with the 5-line staff and all those dots that are supposed to mean something...

 

 

I am :bigear: for the book recommendations. I have that nagging that I need to be doing more, kwim. I say this to myself every year...and every year I really mean it.:tongue_smilie:

[PeacefulChaos]

Yes, definitely.

 

 

Can you delegate some other teaching to dh in the evenings? (I'm assuming burn-out from teaching.kids.all.day.long!) Can dh work on math with the 8.5yo while you do piano with the 7yo? Listen to them do their reading? Something along those lines...

 

 

I'm in the same boat, only I'm guessing your piano skills are better than mine. (I'm a vocal major.:tongue_smilie:)

 

I have some Pianimals books and dd7 works out of those independently. I check on her to make sure she's sitting with correct posture, using proper fingerings, etc. She asks me questions now and then...otherwise I haven't done much to teach her. My boys have not shown the same interest, but I have taught them how to sit at the piano, hold their hands, and I've made them practice playing 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1 with correct fingering.

 

 

I'm a vocalist, so I teach them much more singing than playing...just b/c I'm lazy and it's easier for me. I teach them solfegge and show them how to use their knowledge of that to pluck out songs on the piano (with those blasted 1-2-3-4-5 fingers!:lol:). My oldest is a late reader (struggling reader!), and I've purposely held off on teaching him too much musical notation too early. He has an amazing ear (!!!) so I do plan on teaching him, but early is not always better when it comes to that first piano lesson with the 5-line staff and all those dots that are supposed to mean something...

 

 

I am :bigear: for the book recommendations. I have that nagging that I need to be doing more, kwim. I say this to myself every year...and every year I really mean it.:tongue_smilie:

 

:seeya: I was a vocal major, too. :)

[musicianmom]

Here's my voice of experience as one who's been teaching my own child piano for a few years, and made a few mistakes along the way:

 

You can do this! I highly recommend the Faber Piano Adventures series. I've tried Bastien and Alfred, and Faber is superior IMO. Make sure you get the theory book, it helps a lot.

 

Treat it as a school subject. They do math, they do grammar, they do piano. Do you have privileges that they only earn each day once their schoolwork is completed (like screen time, for example)? Then add piano to the list of required items.

 

It doesn't necessarily have to be 30 minutes a day. My daughter is in a slump right now. She's been through phases of wanting to practice an hour a day, but right now she's in a slump. So I require her to play her current piece three times. Yes, progress is slower, but better that than for her to hit a wall and refuse to touch the piano for six months (that happened last year after a few months of her obsessing over the piano and wanting to be a concert pianist when she grew up).

 

If you can think of a huge long-term bribe, hold that out as a reward for when they reach a certain point of proficiency. My daughter has known for nearly a year now that I'm letting her get a cat when she finishes the Faber series. That helps to keep her going.

[FO4UR]

 

We tried piano lessons for a while, and the teacher thought ds had a good aptitude for it, but I finally threw my hands in the air and admitted defeat when every single time I told my ds to practice, it was a battle.

 

 

 

But if you've got a stubborn kid who hates to practice....... be afraid. Be very afraid. :eek:

 

 

If the OP is going to teach piano herself, she'll have to approach it a bit like math. There are certain parts of each lesson and each practice session that are just.not.fun! We put the timer on, dig our heels in, and get it done. (Small - tiny - manageable bites!) Then we get to the fun parts. In music, that's the piece we can already play with reasonable ease, and we can just work on the expression. If you spend too long doing drill-and-kill and have no enjoyable piece to show for all that work, you WILL have revolt.

 

 

Also - learning piano is a very complex skill. It involves learning a new language (musical notation), the ability to read multiple lines at a time, learning new muscle memory, etc, etc, etc... It's extremely complex. I think many people drop out of lessons b/c it's just too much at once...and he just wanted to play some songs! (It's a lot like the eager 5yo at the first reading lesson...turning into the resistant student by lesson 60 in OPGTR. He just wants to read Frog and Toad and didn't realize this would be so much work!)

 

 

All that to say, if the OP sees major resistance in practice, she can adjust lessons and assignments.

[justLisa]

LOL.

 

I think I do these things because "I" want to do them. :tongue_smilie::lol:

 

Problem with my kid is if he plays something that sort of sounds like music he thinks he is an expert already. Oy...

 

 

EVERYTHING DS does he thinks he is an expert in. He is offended by the suggestion he needs to learn more in any area. Seriously LOL.

 

OP sounds like you don't really having anything holding you back. If they like playing just let them play. It doesn't have to get too seriously when starting.

[FO4UR]

:seeya: I was a vocal major, too. :)

:thumbup1:

[Dmmetler]

Can you barter? I help my DD's piano teacher's daughter with algebra, and my DD takes piano lessons. While I've got a music background, I discovered very quickly that music was one thing that worked better if we outsourced it, and it just so happened that a few months after DD started, the teen was frustrated with her homework, so since I was there anyway (and I LIKE teaching math), I stepped in. It's worked well since :).

[justLisa]

LOL...same here. It's really ridiculous. I guess in their limited view of the world they are a master of things.

:lol: If only someone could stick with something long enough!

 

I should have majored in performance but I opted for theory instead. I think piano is always beneficial even if they want to learn something else down the road.

[SKL]

I would do it.

 

My 5yos' last paid piano lesson is this coming Monday, and then I'll be taking it "in-house" until I figure out our next step. Since I've been helping them with their practices anyway, I've no doubt we can do this. If anything, the kids progress more quickly as I'm able to respond to their needs on a daily instead of weekly basis. Plus it's more fun to take on new challenges than to practice the same stuff for a week or more. Eventually I will want them to be taught by a "professional" again, but it won't hurt them to have me teach them in the interim.

 

My kids are using the "Step-by-Step" series by Edna Mae Burnam, which is very gentle. This was chosen by their paid piano teacher, and I will probably continue it as it seems ideal for young students. They also do written theory lessons by a different publisher (though I'm not sure that is really valuable at this point). For my more apt student, I supplement with the series "Easy Piano Classics" by James Bastien, and Burnam's "Dozen-a-Day" exercises.

[catz]

 

Treat it as a school subject. They do math, they do grammar, they do piano. Do you have privileges that they only earn each day once their schoolwork is completed (like screen time,

 

This is how we treat music here too. I have one kid who struggles with practice. But she also struggles to get through her school work. She has some issues with perfectionism, etc. My son was similar, and I'm really hoping she starts turning around in the next year or 2.

 

I usually fall on the side of "no, do not teach your own kids". You, on the other hand sound plenty qualified. :D

 

We have a very good teacher and it's truly torture on the kids to transfer from someone who is not so experienced and picky on technqiue to someone who is highly trained. And in that case it might be a year better spent on music appreciation and maybe some theory than to dig in too deep on actual playing.

[Shellydon]

If I could teach piano, I would teach my children. I would not pay for something I could teach.

[Lawana]

Here's my voice of experience as one who's been teaching my own child piano for a few years, and made a few mistakes along the way:

 

You can do this! I highly recommend the Faber Piano Adventures series. I've tried Bastien and Alfred, and Faber is superior IMO. Make sure you get the theory book, it helps a lot.

 

Treat it as a school subject. They do math, they do grammar, they do piano. Do you have privileges that they only earn each day once their schoolwork is completed (like screen time, for example)? Then add piano to the list of required items.

 

It doesn't necessarily have to be 30 minutes a day. My daughter is in a slump right now. She's been through phases of wanting to practice an hour a day, but right now she's in a slump. So I require her to play her current piece three times. Yes, progress is slower, but better that than for her to hit a wall and refuse to touch the piano for six months (that happened last year after a few months of her obsessing over the piano and wanting to be a concert pianist when she grew up).

 

If you can think of a huge long-term bribe, hold that out as a reward for when they reach a certain point of proficiency. My daughter has known for nearly a year now that I'm letting her get a cat when she finishes the Faber series. That helps to keep her going.

:iagree::iagree:

Faber and Faber Piano Adventures is a really good series. Both dc enjoyed it and did well with it. The music is interesting and of good quality.

 

Also agree with treating it like a school subject. I was highly motivated to introduce piano to dc. I just told them they were required to do piano until they graduated from high school. Since my piano skills are only on a late intermediate level, I knew I couldn't take them far, but I started them both out for a year. They then transitioned to a "real" teacher that does recitals, Jr. Festival, guild auditions, etc. They both play beautifully, and don't seem to have suffered from taking from Mom for a while.

 

I think you should go for it.

 

If you use Faber and Faber, check out their website─they have teacher helps and newsletters.

[El...]

I teach piano lessons, and teaching my own 4yo is a lot harder. She's enjoying it and learning well right now.

 

I teach her for about 5.5 minutes a day. That's it. I quit while we're both still having fun. We do piano about four times a week. I use Music for Little Mozarts, a story-based, super-slow curriculum for her age group. It might be too slow-moving for your oldest, though.

 

Also, I am "fun mommy" when I teach piano. When I teach other kids, I work hard to engage and encourage them. I have to choose to do that for her, too.

[msjones]

If you knew how, that is. ;)

 

Here's the deal: I really, REALLY wanted to put Link into piano lessons this year, but financially we're cutting back big time (stupid medical bills! :lol: ) and I don't feel it's the most responsible thing to do, adding $60/month to what we already are paying out. So we won't be going that route. (We've decided not to put Pink into dance this year for this reason, also)

I have taught Link in the past a little, but it didn't go all that well. DH thinks we should be able to just stick it out and work our way through it. Part of me agrees with him, part of me thinks it will be a nightmare, but more than anything I do NOT want to wait another year to have him start piano! I already kind of feel like I've dropped the ball - I started piano at age 5 and played/took lessons through college. I've taught lessons off and on, as a high school student and when DH and I were first married. I did a little after we had kids but it got to be a lot more of a hassle so I stopped before Astro was born. Occasionally I've had someone say they want to learn, and I've worked with the kid for awhile, and then the people end up deciding they can't make it to lessons anymore so they stop coming, etc. So I do have experience teaching, but it isn't my job, kwim? I'm not bad at it, but I also can't provide the type of 'learning to play the piano' atmosphere that I grew up in - with teachers who were active in the guild, and regular recitals, playing at special events, etc.

I have no desire to teach anyone other than my kids (I really wouldn't teach them, either, if I had the choice), but I just hate the thought of them not learning at all. Music is EXTREMELY important to me. I want them to know how to read music, etc.

So anyway... I guess I'm wondering, would you do it? That's question #1.

Question #2 - Astro has said that he wants to learn to play piano. Sigh. So I guess if I teach one, I may as well go ahead and teach him, too, right?

and Question #3 - what books do you like, if you have experience with this stuff? We have the Bastien books and they're ok, but I honestly don't remember what I had when I was a kid and I don't have much experience with the different ones out there.

Thanks so much!

 

I taught my kids to play the piano. They each had 4 years of lessons from me. I was not a music major, I had never taught piano.

 

I used the Alfred's Piano books. They learned quickly. It went fine. I knew they were not getting an outstanding music education, but they learned the basics and learned to love playing.

 

One son eventually wanted a trained teacher. She was very pleased with how much he knew and his good attitude about practicing and taking lessons.

 

The main benefits? We saved TONS of money. Also, the lessons and practice times were (usually) pleasant; we did not have to learn anything by the next lesson, and I didn't feel the need to 'get my money's worth.'

 

I now have a son who spends most of his time involved with piano/music/composition and another who loves music but has switched to guitar.

 

I say, go for it!

[lea1]

If you knew how, that is. ;)

 

Here's the deal: I really, REALLY wanted to put Link into piano lessons this year, but financially we're cutting back big time (stupid medical bills! :lol: ) and I don't feel it's the most responsible thing to do, adding $60/month to what we already are paying out. So we won't be going that route. (We've decided not to put Pink into dance this year for this reason, also)

I have taught Link in the past a little, but it didn't go all that well. DH thinks we should be able to just stick it out and work our way through it. Part of me agrees with him, part of me thinks it will be a nightmare, but more than anything I do NOT want to wait another year to have him start piano! I already kind of feel like I've dropped the ball - I started piano at age 5 and played/took lessons through college. I've taught lessons off and on, as a high school student and when DH and I were first married. I did a little after we had kids but it got to be a lot more of a hassle so I stopped before Astro was born. Occasionally I've had someone say they want to learn, and I've worked with the kid for awhile, and then the people end up deciding they can't make it to lessons anymore so they stop coming, etc. So I do have experience teaching, but it isn't my job, kwim? I'm not bad at it, but I also can't provide the type of 'learning to play the piano' atmosphere that I grew up in - with teachers who were active in the guild, and regular recitals, playing at special events, etc.

I have no desire to teach anyone other than my kids (I really wouldn't teach them, either, if I had the choice), but I just hate the thought of them not learning at all. Music is EXTREMELY important to me. I want them to know how to read music, etc.

So anyway... I guess I'm wondering, would you do it? That's question #1.

Question #2 - Astro has said that he wants to learn to play piano. Sigh. So I guess if I teach one, I may as well go ahead and teach him, too, right?

and Question #3 - what books do you like, if you have experience with this stuff? We have the Bastien books and they're ok, but I honestly don't remember what I had when I was a kid and I don't have much experience with the different ones out there.

Thanks so much!

 

My ds (6YO) started taking piano lessons a couple of months ago (we pay $80 per month here for 30 minute weekly lessons). He is using the Faber books, which seem really nice to me. He has a performance book, a lesson book and a theory book.

 

My other son (almost 7) has been taking violin for about 2.5 years now. Because of the complexities of playing the violin, I have had to play coach/teacher when he practiced at home. I was not patient enough:tongue_smilie:. Eventually, we instituted 'the candy rule'. We each had a line of 6 M&M's or Skittles. If I was not being nice enough, he got to eat one of mine. If he started whining or crying, I got to eat one of his. It was a good reminder for me and it lightened the atmosphere and made it more fun for him. He never really whined or cried as long as I was being patient and nice.:001_smile:

 

My advice is that if you REALLY want him/them to take lessons and you REALLY want them to start this year, go ahead and teach them yourself, but I would only do that if I felt sure I could do it patiently and nicely. You might want to first find a teacher in your area that you like and find out what books he/she uses.

 

If it were me, if I tried it and found that it was not going well because I could not be patient enough, then I would probably wait another year because I wouldn't want them to hate piano because of me (which I almost had happen with the violin, until we started using the candy, which we no longer need these days because I don't have to do much anymore:D).