Walden Pond Press, based in Verplanck, New York, has developed a system that lets you teach piano to your kids using numbered stickers. Stick the stickers on the keys of your piano, and the lessons can begin. The "Piano Is Easy" system includes colorful books that, instead of music, have sequences of numbers, such as "333 333 3512 3." Could you guess that this is the first line of Jingle Bells? After mastering the numbers system, kids can move on and start reading sheet music. "Piano Is Easy" includes 44 well-known, fun tunes.
Many pianists began their training as children, with a piano teacher. Piano teaching often consists of one-on-one lessons taught in your home, although some teachers teach from their own homes, too. A skilled piano teacher will build a child's confidence and interest in the instrument, through exercises set at the right level for the child's ability. She will utilize a graded system of music and incorporate traditional and modern tunes to develop the child's awareness of different musical forms.
Schools often offer extra-curricular lessons in woodwind and stringed instruments, and some schools offer piano lessons, too. Ask your child's teacher about this possibility. If this is not an available option, try local colleges. Pianist and composer Guy Allen Kelpin began his piano lessons while still in elementary school, by way of Project Create, an arts program run at Carroll College. Colleges often access larger funds to run programs aimed at the wider community.
Japanese multinational corporation and piano manufacturer Yamaha runs the International Yamaha Music Education System for piano beginners age three to eight. There are schools across the country, in 19 states, from Arizona to Wisconsin, such as the Sharp Minds Music Academy in Pinecrest, Florida. Your child can also take grade examinations, which begin at grade nine for students and progress through grade six. The Yamaha Grade Examination System, established in 1967, is not just for students, but teachers, too. The system was designed to ensure a consistently high standard of music teaching across the program.