Questions for piano teachers, please!

[ClenchedBottom]

Orriginally had this in 'extra curricular activities,' trying it here to see if any further responses, hope that's ok!

Hi, thanks for reading.

Dd is 6, 7 in July. She's recently shown a real interest in learning to play the piano 'properly' (rather than experimenting!).

She's got a beginners' book, the Pauline Hall 'Tunes for 10 Fingers' that a relative gave her. I guess my questions are : -

1 Is the Pauline Hall book a good one to use or not?
2 Am I optimistic in planning to teach her myself for a while? - I have Grade 7, but from many years ago. I'd hoped that I could teach her for a while to get her going, not planning to steal anyone's trade!

Would be really grateful for any advice, thanks. She needs to start from the very beginning as doesn't play the recorder or anything - her school have dropped this for Y2 this year

[ClenchedBottom]

Thank you - more good points for me to think about.
I think that a lot will depend on how she does wrt practising, and how seriously she treats the lessons (not that I'm making them horrid and boring!)

Anyway, thank you all!

[snorkie]

Oh, I just wrote on your other thread...

but as for how long you should teach her for: as long as it works well is what I'd say. If she's practising for you & progressing well then keep going - you will know when she's getting to a level where you can't give the right technical input I would think - maybe approximately around two grades below where you are at would be the upper limit, but you may find that she needs a teacher from outside the family who can be a bit more stern if necessary & not be there making comments when she's practising (which can be a good or a bad thing) before then.

Ds's old teacher who I mentioned on the old thread only taught up to grade 4 (she had grade 6), but ds changed after grade 3 because he got free lessons at senior school (mind you he may have been around grade 4 standard when he did his grade 3 as he sat grade 5 just two terms later). At that standard he noticed and appreciated the finer technical input from his new teacher (an extremely competent concert pianist) though he never had any complaints about his old one and thought she was a good teacher too.

[ClenchedBottom]

Ooooh, and another one! Thanks daisy.

[LadyPeterWimsey]

DH is not a piano teacher - or indeed even a piano player - but being very musical has managed to get our two eldest children to Grade 3 standard (passing the exams with merits and distinctions) before he has had to hand them over to a proper teacher. He uses the Piano Time books. It has saved us an awful lot of money ...

[ClenchedBottom]

Thanks helyg, it is useful to have something to compare it with.

Anyone have an opinion/advice as to how long I should teach her before handing over to a 'proper' teacher, IYSWIM?

TIA

[daisy243]

Hi my dd (5) is having lessons. She is using these books

www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9780711954304/Easiest-Piano-Course-Part-2

and also has a book called "A dozen a day"

She seems to get on well with them.

[helyg]

I'm not a piano teacher, but my 7year old (year 2) is having piano lessons.

He uses this series of books and seems to enjoy the exercises in them.

He uses this one for theory.

Just thought it might be useful to know as he is the same age.

[ClenchedBottom]

Thanks Shelling Peas, helpful info - have been careful about her fingers but not more general posture, IYSWIM.

Any further thoughts, anyone?

[ShellingPeas]

Yes you can teach her yourself. I use bits of Pauline Hall, along with other tutor books and my own stuff but it should work fine, especially as you have a piano background yourself.

Make sure you keep an eye out for technical things like finger position and posture, not just teaching the notes. Also make sure she is sitting high enough at the piano to be in the correct position - too low and you get the crab claw finger approach which takes ages to rectify.