The world has become a global village, and one of the best ways for a child to learn the piano is through an online program or virtual private lessons. Although it is tempting to spend endless hours practising alone in front of a large mirror, this approach may not be the most effective way for a child to learn the piano. Luckily, the internet has provided such a powerful tool for teaching any topic imaginable, including learning the piano, that it can sometimes be difficult to overdo it without it becoming a strictly physical endeavour.
Learning to read music, even if you never plan on playing it, is a great way for children to begin learning how to read music. Children, like adults, need to have clear musical ideas in order to produce musical pieces, and with clear musical ideas comes being able to identify which notes go where on a piano. Flowcharts, which are diagrams of chords and their relationships to one another, provide a visual way for a young person to identify chords and the meaning behind them. Learning to read music will teach a child how the musical flow comes together and how they should follow it through a song. This process will also allow a child to identify key signatures or beat patterns, which come together to make a song. Learning to flow with the music will prepare a child for advanced classes, since understanding key signatures and beat patterns will open up more options and help them develop a fuller musical understanding.
For younger children who are just learning the basics of piano playing, it is a good idea to choose a lesson package that allows for some repetition. Repetition aids the learning process, because while the child does not learn each lesson completely, he or she does understand each concept; hearing the same lesson several times can help a child to retain that concept. In addition, a repeatable lesson allows the parent to review the lessons at a later time, allowing the child to refresh his or her memory on the lesson. Finally, having a set time for piano practice, followed by a warm-up exercise, will help the child stay more focused and increase his or her efficiency at learning piano playing.
