What Happens in a Preschool Piano Class

I've had some questions about the preschool piano classes that I offer, and wanted to provide a more detailed example of what those classes can look like.  These classes are meant to introduce young students to musical concepts that will help prepare them for piano lessons (or really any instrument) in the future. Although I tend to call them preschool classes, they are really just pre-piano classes that can be beneficial and fun for 5-6 year olds as well. I strive to put my background in early childhood education to work with my musical knowledge and experience to make music fun, playful, meaningful, and exciting to all of my students.

Finding note patterns on the keyboard.

Every session of classes looks a little bit different as I make adaptions for student interests and abilities.  Generally each lesson or class focuses on one simple topic such as dynamics or the musical alphabet, and those topics are then integrated and built upon with each proceeding class. As I plan for the classes, I  think about ways that I can make the concepts more visual and active, and I spend time selecting music that supports what I'm trying to teach. Sometimes I find inspiration for learning activities and games in the theme of a song or in a picture book. I also love to read about and learn from what other teachers are doing to make music lessons more accessible and developmentally appropriate for young children. I've been especially inspired by these approaches: The Teaching Studio, Let's Play Music, and Let's Play Kid's Music. 

So, my music classes usually contains these elements:

• Instrument Exploration: We spend a lot of time exploring sound by making noise and using instruments. This most often involves rhythm instruments, but at times I will also incorporate instruments like the guitar or hand chimes. I have a full-size, digital keyboard that we use on the floor, in addition to my regular upright piano. The kids LOVE to try out the instruments, and we use them in a variety of ways to play and practice concepts. 

• Fun Songs: I try to find music that encourages movement and singing to help the kids use their bodies and voices as much as possible. Some of my favorites come from Hap Palmer, and K-8 Music. 

• Classical Examples: I also try to find classical music examples that illustrate concepts and expand our listening repertoire. For example, last week in class we listened to several different movements from "Carnival of the Animals" by Camille Saint-Saens to explore fast and slow sounds in the music. This also inspired us to move and dance like different fast and slow animals.        

• Listening Activities: Along with dancing, and singing to music, we also play games or do an activity that involves listening and responding to music or sounds. I loved these ideas for long and short notes from The Teaching Studio, and incorporated them into my own lesson about that topic. We created artwork based on the theme from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, and used raindrops and rainbows to make up our own long/short song patterns on the keyboard.

• Stories: If possible, I also like to find picture books and stories that can illustrate a topic or help bring the music to life. 

• Individualized Instruction: Every student brings different interests and personality to the class, and I definitely take that into account as I'm teaching. This spring I had a student who loved trains, and so we used Thomas the Train to explore the notes and patterns on the keyboard. 

I have a lot of fun planning for and teaching these classes, and sharing my love of music with young kids in this way. Learning to play the piano is a complex skill that involves ear training, note reading, theory knowledge, fine motor skills, musicality, and more. It can be very overwhelming for young beginning students to jump into a world of new symbols, clefs, and 88 keys without prior experience. My purpose in teaching these classes is to help build up their background knowledge so that they have something to connect to as they learn to play. Just as background knowledge is a crucial part of comprehension in learning to read, these musical experiences can empower beginning piano students to feel more confident as they learn, because many of the terms and concepts that they encounter will already be familiar to them.