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Studio
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Play
a variety of recorded music in the house and the car, of different styles
and origins. Talk about what
you like and why – e.g. the beat, language, manner of expression, the way
sounds work together. |
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Purchase
piano recordings of famous composers, download music files or tune into an
FM radio station. Have piano
and orchestral music in the background as often as possible.
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Attend
professional and amateur piano and ensemble performances with your child.
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Sing,
dance, clap and have fun – children often love music even more when they
know you are willing to sing even if you are off-key.
Music is great and should be fun. |
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Try
to learn some piano yourself, or have your child be the expert and teach you
a little. Music notation is
very logical and simple enough to be understood in a short lesson.
Decoding pieces takes a little practice, but most adults can play a
simple melody in a very short time. |
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Children
often think you are fabulous if you can play a little bit by ear.
If you have ever picked up the theme from Fur Elise, Hot Cross Buns,
Twinkle Star, Chopsticks or anything else, play it.
Share what you can do and what your child can do – play together.
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If you know any of the popular duets, such as Heart and Soul, teach your child how to play the other part and play together. |
If
you have music learning that can be applied to the piano, you have even more
that you can share with your child.
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Play
your own pieces, when your child is noticing and when they aren’t.
Be a model of practice, enjoyment and involvement with music.
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Play
for one another, acting as each other’s appreciative audience.
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Play duets or ensembles. (I have some duets suitable for different levels available for copies on request.) |
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Play
accompaniment to your child’s lesson pieces.
(Many of the pieces in the preliminary to level 3 of the Adventure
beginner series have written parts; parts can also be improvised.) |
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Play
pieces or sections of the pieces your child is learning so they can hear how
it sounds.
Brainstorm together different approaches to a piece of music, such as
exploring the effects of different dynamics or phrasing.
You can model the different results so they can choose. |
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Be willing to make suggestions if your child asks a question. If you are unsure, phone calls are welcome. |
Teach
your child how to approach learning:
At home, you are your
own child’s teacher and role model.
You provide structure and reward.
You supervise and support.
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Schedule
practice routines and times with your child and stick by them.
Make them a priority.
For a young child, several short periods a day is recommended.
A teenager might need reminders and positive encouragement, but might
decide on routines themselves.
Discussions with teenagers about routines should still occur for
accountability. |
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Help
your child organise a practice plan and keep a diary of what they have
learnt from a practice session.
Normal routines start with some exercises, then work on reading and
new pieces, next on detail of pieces and finally on pieces that are well
learnt and liked.
At the end of practice, help your child write what they improved on
during the session and listen to them play a piece they choose. |
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Be
active with lessons – if you are not sure, discuss the appropriate level
of involvement with the teacher.
It is recommended for most young children that parents attend lessons
and are involved with the learning.
Parents can be advised on how to teach or monitor learning between
lessons. |
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When
you don’t attend lessons, ask your child what they enjoyed most, what they
were encouraged about for doing well, and what their practice goal is for
the next week.
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Avoid
negative criticism of your child’s playing.
If you hear something is not sounding right, ask “have you tried
….” Or “have you talked about this with the teacher? Maybe they can
help you find a way to make it easier.” |
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Never
use practice as a punishment – always keep it a positive experience even
if there is some grumbling about stopping other play activities.
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Praise
and reward effort as well as progress or achievement. |
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Encourage your child to play for others at every possible opportunity. Be a supportive audience. |
Provide
necessary resources: All
children are dependent upon their parents and carers for access to the financial
and practical resources.
Children are limited in their access to learning if they have inadequate
access to resources.
Some of the important resources are:
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A
tuned, fully working instrument of appropriate quality for the level of
performance.
(Development of technique, articulation, dynamics and aural skills is
significantly affected by the instrument quality.) |
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A
location for practice and an environment free from disturbances and noise
interferences.
The practice room should be warm, comfortable and well lit.
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Equipment
for recording and playing recorded music. |
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A
metronome. |
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Transport
to recitals and other performances – and a supportive audience.
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Your support and involvement is very important to your child and to their learning. Children want to know that their parents are proud of them and value what they are doing. Share and enjoy music with your child. I am sure you will find it is definitely worth the investment.
Isaac Albéniz
Isaac
Albéniz was a Spanish nationalistic composer, born 29th May 1860 (to
1909), who is famous for his piano pieces based on folk
music.
Albéniz
performed publicly for the first time when he was only four years old. At seven,
he was a good enough pianist to pass the entrance exam into the Paris
Conservatorium. However,
still a normal seven year old boy, he started playing with a ball during the
exam and broke a window.
He was then refused admission.
Albéniz
travelled extensively through Spain to give concerts as a child, with his
father, and then alone as a teenager.
By 15 years of age, Albéniz
had already travelled and performed in concerts worldwide.
During his teens, he also spent time studying music at the Leipzig
Conservatory (Germany) and
in Brussels (Belgium).
Albéniz
wrote and recorded his first compositions during his childhood.
His first recorded composition, Marcha Militar, was published in
1868. His
early pieces were in traditional styles, imitating Bach, Rameau, Beethoven and
developing more into the styles of Chopin, Schubert, Brahms and Liszt.
His style changed in 1883, when Albéniz was encouraged by Felipe Pedrell
(a leading Spanish nationalistic composer / teacher) to write Spanish music.
The
Spanish spirit of Albéniz’s music is evident in the five pieces of Chants
d’Espagne, (Songs of Spain).
His nationalistic music represents the various dance rhythms, serious and
emotional gypsy songs, exotic Flamenco scales, unusual scale modes and guitar
sounding phrases and ideas.
Many of his pieces so clearly convey the idea of guitar melodies that
they are transcribed for guitar – and many are more famous as guitar solos
than as piano pieces.
His music is often dreamy and gives fantasy images of Andalusian scenes
and evenings. His
influence on Spanish music is plainly seen by the number of composers of the 20th
century who mention his works.
Albéniz lived his later years in London and Paris. His later music has a more European style, combined with elements of the Spanish images. His later works are most well known and influential, especially his most famous collection of Impressionistic toned Iberia (1908). French composers Ravel and Debussy show some qualities which suggest they admired Albéniz’s Iberia.
Annah
Hyrst
Individual
Dynamics
”Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything." - Plato
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Last modified: May 05, 2008 |
