If your kids do piano, please could you answer me a couple of questions about them.

[tortoiseshell]

I teach piano, and my kids do piano as well. I'd just like to ask some seemingly random questions, will explain why later! I have a theory that I'd like to prove...

1. Is your child good at any sport?
2. If so, which sports?
3. Do they seem a co-ordinated child or an un-co-ordinated child?
4. On the piano, did they find it easy or hard to put hands together - particularly when playing something like a scale where the hands are going in the same direction?
5. Do they find the piano 'easy' or do they have to work hard to sort the notes out.

They seem to be good sat coordinateing hands. start playing two habnds together on most peices as soon as they can

My son doesn't play piano, but I will answer using my brother (when he was young) as he was an international competition award winning pianist.

1. Is your child good at any sport? - no
2. If so, which sports?
3. Do they seem a co-ordinated child or an un-co-ordinated child? - not particularly coordinated, but very good at detail oriented tasks (i.e., fine motor skills)
4. On the piano, did they find it easy or hard to put hands together - particularly when playing something like a scale where the hands are going in the same direction? - very easy
5. Do they find the piano 'easy' or do they have to work hard to sort the notes out. - easy peasy. Never seemed to have to work very hard,

1. NO, unless you count dance.
2. See above
3. Quite co-ordinated in terms of dance and rhythm and able to beat time (simple 3/4 4/4 time. However when we watched her at a sports camp obstace thingy she was hopeless.
4. She's only 6 so is still at hands separate stage (use PIano Time Pauline Hall)
5. Semes to find it failry easy,m I have to stop her rushing to o far ahead in the book too soon. Reads music well.

Thanks for all your responses! Keep them coming!

I've phrased the last couple of questions quite badly - it's really when they start learning that I'm most interested in - when they start doing their first pieces hands together - rather than later on and should hopefully have got over the 'working the notes out' stage.

1. Is your child good at any sport? I think just above average but nothing special.

2. If so, which sports? quite good at gymnastic and swimming.

3. Do they seem a co-ordinated child or an un-co-ordinated child? a very co-ordinated child, she is 6 and can draw beautifully.

4. On the piano, did they find it easy or hard to put hands together - particularly when playing something like a scale where the hands are going in the same direction?

dd find sacles easy, she can learn a new scale after playing it a few times with both hands together.

5. Do they find the piano 'easy' or do they have to work hard to sort the notes out.

I think dd do find the piano easy, she has achieved good results without putting in much effort. If I?m lucky she will practice 30 minutes a day without messing around.

DD is eight, plays piano. DS plays cello and harp - finds the latter v. easy. Dd can put hands together but is sometimes frustrated by slowness of hands compared with clear idea of what should happen in her mind. Both my children SUCK at sports. All sports. But dd likes netball.

Dc are

Good at all sports

Netball, swimming, tennis, rounders, running, cycling.

co-ordinated.

easy - with practice

Can read music quite well.

(some of my nephews and nieces are dyslexic/dyspraxic they struggle/give up with all of the above).

DS

1. Is your child good at any sport? Not particularly, fairly heavy on his feet
2. If so, which sports? Swimming, natural breaststroker
3. Do they seem a co-ordinated child or an un-co-ordinated child? Has had some coordination problems but gross motor small motor fine
4. On the piano, did they find it easy or hard to put hands together - particularly when playing something like a scale where the hands are going in the same direction?

no problems
5) Do they find the piano 'easy' or do they have to work hard to sort the notes out.

Only problem with the piano was reading the music. He is dyslexic and although could name the notes had problems following music fast enough to play it smoothly so always learnt by memory/ear.

Have a theory that learning the piano and swimming from a young age are good for dyslexia.

DD

1. Is your child good at any sport? not particularly
2. If so, which sports? ok at swimming and got to silver in gymnastics before giving up
3. Do they seem a co-ordinated child or an un-co-ordinated child? Left handed and sometimes a bit clumsy, has really bad handwriting
4. On the piano, did they find it easy or hard to put hands together - particularly when playing something like a scale where the hands are going in the same direction?

no problems

V interesting theory- 1 piece of anecdotal evidence.
My mother is completely unco-ordinated- sometimes wonder how she manages to walk
Was very clumsy as a child, terrible at all sports.
She was grade 8 piano and organ by age 16, and became a music teacher
She still plays organ, which she much prefers to piano or other instruments.

I like your theory!

Answers in case you are still tabulating (answering for both ds (9, done Gr1 heading for Gr2) and dd (just 8, no grades yet)):

1. Is your child good at any sport?

DS: nope DD: not bad, can run fast, does good ballet (counts?)

2. If so, which sports?

• see above -

3. Do they seem a co-ordinated child or an un-co-ordinated child?

DS: un-co, very (like a wheelie bag with a wheel missing) DD: very neatly co

4. On the piano, did they find it easy or hard to put hands together - particularly when playing something like a scale where the hands are going in the same direction?

DS: no big difficulty DD: has to concentrate very hard (but she's not really into two-handed playing much yet)

5. Do they find the piano 'easy' or do they have to work hard to sort the notes out.

DS: when he can be bothered he doesn't have to think, it just happens DD: concentrates hard

But to throw a spanner in the works, DH is an organist, and v sporty with stuff like squash and fencing. And DS1 (9) is the same (although football and piano/cello in his case.)
I, on the other hand, would fit your theory.

I like your theory.
I am not well co-ordinated or sporty and nor is ds2. We are both pianists.

I love this theory too - answering for me (grade 8 piano):

1. Is your child good at any sport? Not great at most sports

2. If so, which sports? Did do well at swimming

3. Do they seem a co-ordinated child or an un-co-ordinated child? Not too bad, but not the most co-ordinated either

4. On the piano, did they find it easy or hard to put hands together - particularly when playing something like a scale where the hands are going in the same direction? Initially found it very hard, but once I got the idea there was no looking back

5. Do they find the piano 'easy' or do they have to work hard to sort the notes out. Generally I found it quite easy to play.

Very, very interesting!
I'm a violin teacher & have a similar theory!
There seems to be a 'big picture' type of co-ordination & an'intricacies' type. Could I add the question that if a child is good at piano & bad at sport, what are they like at tasks such as needlework?
Also DD has done Tumble tots etc. & we have found when she has done lots of gym she is generally more co-ordinated & less likely to fall over. When she hasn't been for a few months she seems all arms & legs & has accidents!
However, she would always be hopeless at football & the like
She's only been having piano lessons since September but seems to be doing well. Done swapping between hands which she has mastered pretty easily but not contrary motion yet although can play hot cross buns both hands together!

Oops,
forgot to say
DD is 6 (young year2)