Synopsis of teaching music to a child - with free online tools to help

[patreiche]

Teaching your child music with tools online for free. Make it fun! Colin loves to march around the house playing his instruments. I teach him vocabulary while we are doing this like fast, slow, stop, march, follow etc...

1. First you are supposed to teach your child rhythm
You can use any music and teach them the beat but also use a metronome to teach difference in beat. You can start this at birth by lightly tapping on their body to the beat of music.

http://www.metronomeonline.com/ - for teaching rhythm

    * Largo -- very slow (40 - 60 beats per minute)

    * Larghetto -- rather broadly (60 - 66 beats per minute)

    * Adagio -- slow and stately (66 - 76 bpm)

    * Andante -- at a walking pace (76 - 108 bpm)

    * Moderato -- Moderately (108 - 120 bpm)

    * Allegro -- fast and bright (120 - 168 bpm)

    * Presto -- very fast (168 - 200 bpm)

You can teach this while they are beating on anything

      pianissimo/pp (very soft)

       piano/p (soft)

       mezzo-piano/mp (moderately soft)
       mezzo-forte/mf (moderately loud)

        forte/f (loud)

        fortissimo/ff (very loud)

2. From what I have read the next thing to teach is Solfege
If you can sing in tune you can start this at birth. If you can't sing in tune you will have to find cds or mp3s. Obviously, the child will not be able to participate with the singing until after they can talk.

Solfege teaches sight singing and ear training for relative pitch

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ihg9KA7bE5U&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/Ihg9KA7bE5U&rel=1</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/X_77ypJgSHA&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/X_77ypJgSHA&rel=1</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/OgYjqykckd0&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/OgYjqykckd0&rel=1</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/ryN9yNsX5A8&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/ryN9yNsX5A8&rel=1</a>

Solfege with a  moveable do is also much easier for intervals. For example, Do-so is ALWAYS a perfect 5th, and fa-ti is ALWAYS a tritone in both major and minor.

Solfege keyboard
http://www.people.vcu.edu/~bhammel/theory/resources/flash/fixed%20do%20keyboard.swf

3. Then there is teaching perfect pitch - use a musical instrument in tune not a toy
play a note and show flashcard with appropriate note - Either use Solfege or abc your choice to name the note.
A glockenspiel is an inexpensive instrument that is in tune that you can use.

Children are supposedly born this and will lose it if they are not taught to use this.

4. Teach the instruments and what they sound like.
Little Reader is an excellent tool for this. Colin's favorite file is Musical Instruments by cyndec. This is a file of all the classical instruments playing Twinkle Twinkle.

5. Teach Music Basics -- Hopefully Little Music will do this for us and maybe a few of the other items   
I thought this video was interesting. Simple things to teach like which way is up and down on piano and notes and using all five fingers just for a basic introduction to an instrument before actually playing. Simple things we take for granted that they are not going to know.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/g0LgUni4KOk&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/g0LgUni4KOk&rel=1</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/3bfl4iAnCEs&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/3bfl4iAnCEs&rel=1</a>

http://www.musicards.net/

6. Teach classical music and composers by playing piece, naming the piece, and showing a picture of the composer
In the video section on here I have linked several Youtube videos for teaching classical music.

http://www.classicsforkids.com/shows/past.asp?sort=composer

7. Play all different kinds of music and name it and classify for child.

8. Of course don't leave out music for children useful in teaching many other things.

9. Finally when they about three maybe older depends on child and you are exhausted from giving them a head start on all the above things. Select an instrument and an instructor and teach them to actually play an instrument. Feel confident you have made the teacher's job so much easier. So if you are not teaching the lesson yourself at this young age you must attend to know how to support the teacher with practice and not to negate what the teacher is teaching. Personally at this young age I would teach myself until they learn the basics and are able to play a few simple songs.

A simple inexpensive instrument is a recorder.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/4XqBk9kqo3E&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/4XqBk9kqo3E&rel=1</a>

http://www.musick8kids.com/html/recorder_training.php

http://www.ehow.com/how_4798887_play-simple-songs-recorder.html


10 Site with simple sheet music http://www.gmajormusictheory.org/Freebies/freebiesFP.html

11. This explains the different major scales:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/tjH4SFqNKtk&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/tjH4SFqNKtk&rel=1</a>


11. This is a good site for teaching intervals:
http://lalemantpolyphonic.org/INTERVAL/main_menu.htm

The difference between Solfege and ABC notation is Solfege floats and is relative and ABC naming is fixed. Solfege training better allows a child to change the key a piece is in. But learning this is a C this is an A is essential to perfect pitch.

Hope this helps - this is what I have found so far in a few weeks of searching
I am no expert so anyone who would like to modify this please feel free. This is my best synopsis on teaching music to a young child.

[nhockaday]

Wow, thanks for the informative post!

[laughingwater]

I have been looking for just this information!  Thanks so much!

[patreiche]

You are welcome took me several weeks to gather all the information so I figured everyone else would like it. If anyone finds any errors or other information please feel free to add.

[laughingwater]

What age would you recommend starting this? If you are starting with rhythm then it would only be after the child has enough coordination to drum in time to a beat?

[Skylark]

Great, thank you for sharing, I will be reading though it!

[patreiche]

Rhythm I think you can start very young. As soon as they can clap or hold a simple instrument to shake, maybe sooner because they can shake rattle at birth. Just want to have movement with the music, so it can be very young. You can clap or play instrument to beat so they learn. They won't be able to keep beat at young age but they will learn.

Playing classical music can start at birth

Most of the items I have listed can be done simultaneously. With rhythm you can tap lightly on the babies body so they feel the rhythm or clap their hands.

I would start with rhythm and playing classical music and add the other items gradually. Listening to different instruments and learning the words and pictures is the same as any other Little Reader lesson. Same for playing classical music and showing them picture of composer and naming the composer and the piece. So what ever age you start LR you can add that training.

[patreiche]

I have added more on Solfege above and here is more detail on Yamaha classes that utilize Solfege training exclusively. It also explains why they teach on a keyboard.

The Yamaha Method employs "Fixed-Do" solfege (without altered syllables) in both ear training and keyboard activities. Fixed-Do enables a child to connect a specific pitch and syllable, such as middle Do (middle C), with a specific key oil the keyboard. Aural training using Fixed-Do helps children internalize pitch, resulting in a strong relative pitch sense and, in many cases, perfect pitch. Consequently, in JMC classes one will observe students singing solfege by ear and eventually playing keyboard by ear.

Solfege is the core of the Yamaha Method; students absorb this musical vocabulary and use it in both beginning and advanced courses. Solfege becomes each student's first musical voice. In every class, teachers sing melodic patterns and chords that children imitate. Solfege sessions at the teacher's piano account for approximately 15 to 20 minutes of a 60-minute class. Through singing solfege, students begin to acquire a sense of pitch, rhythm, meter, harmony, form, phrase structure, key, articulation, dynamics and mood.

By the end of two years in JMC, students have built a substantial vocabulary of solfege, having sung 50 melodies and numerous chord progressions using the I, IV and V7 chords in the keys of C major, G major, F major, D minor and A minor. Aside from developing musicianship, these solfege experiences prepare children to play in these five keys. In fact, children experience singing in a key for approximately one semester prior to playing in that key.

The Keyboard is a Tool

While a recorder, violin or other instrument could be used as an instrument of focus, the keyboard is chosen for three reasons. First, the pitch of electronic keyboards is constant--a necessity in classes that focus on ear training. Second, the student is able to play melody and harmony simultaneously. Finally, the keyboard provides a visual representation of the pitches, intervals and chords children sing in solfege.

"Keyboard Solfege" is a term we use to describe the teaching process that creates a connection between the ear and the keyboard. One step involves training students to sing solfege while playing the keyboard. This helps establish an internal association between musical sound, keyboard topography and gestures used when playing. Over time, children learn how gesture is connected to the manner in which solfege is sung--that is, they discover the physical motion that will create specific articulations and dynamics.

Electronic keyboards provide additional benefits for JMC students, such as familiarizing them with the sounds of many instruments, albeit synthetically generated. When playing repertoire in teams (half of the students play the right-hand part; the other half play left hand) and when playing simple keyboard ensembles, students develop a sense of the roles specific instruments can play in a small ensemble setting. In upper- level courses, students study arranging and use the electronic keyboard as a vehicle for exploration and experimentation.

The children enjoy stimulating accompaniments while they play in class and at home. A CD recording includes orchestral arrangements of the pieces covered in each semester. This CD serves to accompany students while they play their repertoire at home. To motivate during the initial stages of learning a piece or to reward upon its completion, the teacher may play a piano accompaniment, an electronic keyboard accompaniment, a pre-recorded electronic keyboard accompaniment or the CD.


Does anyone know where we can get Yamaha cds, since there is no Yamaha teaching anywhere near me?

[KL]

What an excellent contribution, Patreiche!

Felicity is actually enrolled in the Yamaha Junior Music course (started a couple of months ago), and I would highly recommend it for anyone who has the opportunity.

I was taught the piano the traditional way and played at, ahem, quite a decent level in my 'prime'.  The problem I've always had with traditional teaching is that you are primarily taught just to read notes and play them out.  Typically, what happens for most people (including myself, unfortunately) is that you learn to play many pieces, and you might even sight-read very well.  But without the music sheets in front of you, you are pretty much lost and all you'll be able to play is what you've committed to memory.  You would be struggling to play by ear, or play by ear well.  Because all you've been doing all these years is merely translating the information on a page directly to your fingers - you do not have a full or true understanding of the music.

I had friends who could play by ear, and they were invariably taught solfege from young. With solfege, you are trained to recognize notes in relation to the key. In the beginning, they typically use C as DO, so you are singing solfege in the key of C (called "Fixed-Do solfege"), but later on, and this is the beauty of solfege, you can use solfege in any key ("Movable Do") (and this is why I say that solfege is not really the most appropriate system to teach perfect pitch, as you'd probably be using movable Do). What you end up doing is truly understanding each note in relation to other notes and the key it is in.  This means:

- I can much more easily transpose a piece I'm playing from one key to another, because I'm playing in terms of do-re-mi, not C/D/E. It's still do-re-mi whichever key i'm playing in.

- I can identify intervals (the distance) between notes much more easily, paving the way for playing by ear.

Basically, if I can sing a tune, then I can convert it quickly to solfege, and I should be able to play out that tune on a keyboard without any mistakes.

And that's why I sought out Yamaha for Felicity.  Solfege is at the core of what is taught. They are also taught the notes, but much more emphasis is placed at calling the note by solfege than by the actual note name, and even more emphasis is learning to JUST PLAY, along with music, often even without any use of written music.

So here's the typical progression in terms of playing:

- You listen to a piece of music
- You sing the notes you are meant to play later (for example, DO, DO, DO)
- You play the notes along with the music (the written music showing C C C might also be in front of you, but the emphasis is more on playing along with the music rather than reading the notes)

Even when children are playing off the music sheets, they are asked to always sing the solfege as they play, and this is a great habit to develop.

Apart from that, children are also given more solfege exercises (like repeating tunes back in solfege), and also taught musical appreciation.  Under Yamaha, your child will learn to read music much later than someone under a more traditional method, but I think this is a far better way to teach a child music.

[patreiche]

Thanks for that input KL. I have decided to teach Colin the Yamaha method but we do not have a school anywhere near us. I am trying to find some material to help me teach him.

[laughingwater]

I just purchased a Yamaha keyboard, with it I can link to the Yamaha website and download some of their educational material. I have not done that yet, so not sure what that involves, but maybe that would be a place to look for teaching material.

[patreiche]

which keyboard did you purchase?

[TheyCan]

Thank you SO much for this information!!  It's the best summary I've found and clears up a lot of confusion for me (I have no musical background)!  One question I have for you - what's the main difference between step 2 and 3?  Or, rather, how can you do step 2 without doing set 3?  When you teach "Do", aren't you simply teaching the "C" pitch?  If so, should you go ahead and introduce the term "Do" and "C" at the same time??  Am I understanding step 2 correctly?? 

Also, have you found any source on the internet where I can play someone singing just "Do" or just "Fa" (i.e. a sound file).  I can't sing at all!  Thank you again!!!   

[patreiche]

Solfege is relative pitch because you can have moveable Do. You might acquire perfect pitch from solfege but no guarantees. Depends on how you do it. If you use a fixed Do like Yamaha it basically is perfect pitch. But the advantage to Solfege is the moveable Do which you will introduce later. My understanding if you know one note by perfect pitch and know Solfege which is relative pitch you can find any other note. But perfect pitch is knowing multiple notes immediately when played by training. So depends on how you train Solfege as to rather you acquire perfect pitch. I am no expert so there might be different views.

[laughingwater]

I got the Yamaha YPT210 61 Full-Size Keyboard.

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