So how do you teach a 2 yr old piano student the names of the keys in a fun and creative way?  Use their favorite color pom poms!  I used big ones for the low and mid section notes and little ones for the high notes.  The ‘daddy’ pom poms are the low notes, the ‘mommy’ pom poms are the middle notes and the ‘baby’ pom poms are for the high notes.  This also teaches the ‘high sounds’ and ‘low sound’ concepts.  My daughter loves this and now she even wants the pom poms on piano keys when we play her songs.  She has gotten used to the pom poms being there so to challenge her more I switch the colors around. Before we start to play her song we put pom poms on the the notes that are in her hand position but we always keep the same color consistent with the same note name.  Pom poms are cheap and they won’t hurt the piano keys.  They are also light and easy to pack up if you are on the go from house to house.  If I had more young students I would probably buy pom poms in  seasonal colors for added fun.  They are cheap and can be found at the dollar store so it’s a great idea and a cheap idea!  This idea doesn’t work for harp students but the harp strings are colored

What an intimate wedding this was to play at.  Less than 100 guests attended a winter themed wedding at the Glencairin Golf Club in Milton where they were entertained with harp music from ceremony through til dinner.  The details are amazing!  The harp suited this wedding well as the winter themes are mystical and so is the harp.  The harp helped to blend warmth elegance to the romantic winter theme they created with snow flakes.   With this brides choice of a very trendy cake and her amazing hot chocolate favors I just couldn’t resist sharing these pictures with you all!  This is one of my favorite themed winter weddings yet because she worked it so well into every part of the wedding.  She even wore a crystal snowflake pendant! I was happy to play for the guests who enjoyed the harp music as of course it was too cold to go outside and enjoy the grounds.  It’s always fun seeing people’s different reactions to the harp and this crowd didn’t disappoint with their questions and ‘wow’ moments!

Meet Mr. Potato Head

Yes that is right you are on the correct blog and this week we are going to continue our talk about making practicing fun for everyone by being creative!

So I read on a blog (can’t remember what one sorry) about the idea of including Mr. Potato Head into teaching piano.  So I use him for practicing with my 2 yr old daughter on the harp!  Now practicing the harp is easy and fun.  When we sit down to practice harp and ONLY when we practice harp we get Mr. Potato Head out.  We start off by choosing the pieces we will use to make his face.  Doing this first is best so there is not so much interruption and loss of focus once the practicing starts.  So when you have the pieces laid aside we start playing the song.  After we complete the song (or a difficult passage whatever way you choose to in-cooperate him) than your child/student gets to put the piece they choose on his head.  My daughter is usually good to play a short song about five times so on the fourth and fifth time I allow her to choose two pieces so she succeeds in completing his look.  You never want to set your child up to fail so know their limits and play within them.

When our child see’s the completion of Mr. Potato Head they feel they have accomplished something.  This is important because often even after a good practice the song isn’t perfect until the end of the week and sometimes it can take a few weeks to master a song.  So Mr. Potato Head gives them that feeling of success and something they can visually see that they accomplished through the amount of work they did.  Don’t allow him to be too distracting though..never leave your child alone with Mr. Potato Head, I’m sure you can imagine why

Here is another quote from the book I am reading called, Grace Based Parenting by Dr. Tim Kimmel.

“The other area we give our children hope is when we show them how to turn their defeats into accomplishments.”

This applies to practicing because as I said at the end of the practice session they may feel defeated because the song isn’t perfect.  Their progression is not as obvious to them as it is to us but the completion of Mr. Potato Head is very obvious so it turns it into an accomplishment!

For more information about harp lessons at my home studio in Mississauga please send me an email.  I’d love to teach your little one how to make beautiful music!

Chantal Dube the harpist

Now that I am a parent with a very early learner (2 yr old daughter) I can honestly relate to the struggles parents  have getting their children to learn and practice in a fun creative way.  Unless you are creative or have the time to read a lot of articles and blogs chances are you’re helping your kids to practice the same way most parents do.  You’ve tried bribes, rewards, and threats.  It’s not easy to be self disciplined and this is something that your children have to be taught.  None of us like to be told when and how to do anything let alone for how long for how many times.  But decisions you make for your children now will affect them the rest of their lives so don’t give in and let them quit.  How many adults have you met that say they are glad that their parents let them quit piano or whatever instrument they took up.  NONE!  Most of the parents I know are regretful that they were allowed to quit piano before they had a chance to really enjoy it and appreciate it.  So at what age do you start to enjoy it and appreciate it?  For most kids it’s around the later high school years when they can start showing off to their friends and play pop songs that people know.  But that is a long way away for most of us especially me!

In the next few weeks I will be sharing some advice about how to get your kids to practice and how to make it fun for everyone. Please check in as I will post on this blog every weekend for you to check in on.  By Monday the post will be up and ready to get you motivated for the week.  I find January and February to be the hardest months for my students so I am hoping this will help to get you through!

So today we are going to start with the basics.

KEY NOTE: Keep the length of practice time the same at the same time every day.

You may have a different schedule every day but whatever the day keep it consistent.  Children need to know their boundaries and expectations.  No child will function well if suddenly in the middle of their favorite TV show they are told the need to practice.  Allow them to help you come up with a schedule that works for everyone.  If you all agree and they are made aware of the plan than they know what to expect.  For example if they choose to start watching TV at 4:00pm than they know (believe me they know) at 4:30 it’s time to shut it off.  This way it’s not a surprise or an interruption.  They must also be part of the plan as to how long the practice time is going to last.  Either they are made aware in advance that they have to play the song 10 times or practice for 20min.  Whatever it is stick with it.  All children function best when we as adults are consistent.  The parents of my students find that practicing in the morning before school works well. Their minds are fresh and it gets done so it doesn’t have to be thought of again til the next day.  Whatever time and length of practice works best for you may differ from one home to the next but the one thing that is KEY here is keep it the SAME!  You don’t like surprises in your daily routine so don’t create surprise practice times for your child either, be sure you’re all on the same page.

Lastly I have been reading a book called Grace Based Parenting by Dr. Tim Kimmel (and yes he has grown children of his own so he does know what he is talking about).

He says, “You labor many years to put the right pieces all together, but when your children grow up, they often don’t resemble what you thought you were creating.  Even with disappointments, however, raising children is still the greatest thing you’ll even do.  It’s greater than any milestone you can hit in your career.  It dwarfs any fame you may receive for your ideas or your inventions. You’ve been handed a piece of history in advance-a gracious gift you send to a time you will not see-and you play the biggest role in how that history will ultimately be recorded.  That’s why, in spite of the challenges, you need to have a plan for parenting that works.”

I love the end of that paragraph “you need to have a plan that works” and same goes for practicing, you need to have a plan that works!

Have a great week!

Chantal Dube