Simpedia

Barbara M.

I am feeling happy about a new way I ran my latest Foundation Session. It is a class of 5, 5-7 year olds. I was looking for a way to engage the kids more and also to keep myself moving through the material.

I found 4 coloring pages on the Internet: a garden, a 3 leg stool, a clock, and a key.  Here was my procedure for the session.

1. Ask the kids to help the adults by coloring these pictures, because pictures help us remember. Look at pictures with the kids. Have them name objects and wonder together, “what could this have to do with piano?” Don’t get side-tracked into a discussion at this point.
2. Ask kids to begin coloring the garden. This was the longest discussion item, and takes the longest to color. This is most important lesson. Prepare the foundation for success, just as we prepare the soil. Analogies – seed, growth, flowers, harvest. At this time I also go over details like parking, bathroom, etc.
3. Talk about tools we need for piano. (I could have included a shovel or garden tool on the garden coloring page.) Our tools are all the student home materials. Suggest the students take a break from coloring and look at the materials with the parents.
4. The stool. They were still coloring the garden, but I said they could move on to the stool. The 3 legs support the Simply Music process – parent, teacher, child. Responsibilities of each.
5. The clock – practicing same time each day. Discuss why. Suggest best time is just before homework
6. The key – would love a better illustration. Maybe a door and key and “music city” beyond the door. How different keys open different doors. “Could we cut out this key and use it to start our car?” and other silly examples. Following my instructions is the key needed to open the Simply Music door. Other keys won’t work, like the practice 2 days a week key, or the watching TV key during your practice time.

Then we round robinned the basics. It was the best foundation session I have led.

Brianna S., Arizona

I like this idea! You could also use a kitchen coloring page, for when for we say Simply Music is like a kitchen–the cooking (practice) is done at home. Also, you could use a car picture, for when we explain that we are laying our instructions out on the road.

Victoria S., California

This idea is brilliant and I must say, I think it would work for adults – not the coloring, but the pictures. As far as I am concerned, the adults are just big kids for all the ways that they do not pay attention, follow directions, try to claim territory, etc. They aren’t even consciously doing it. They are just following a lifetime of varied approaches to coping with life.

I told my adults today that we are all special needs students. Some of us have emotional needs (example: stagefright), some physical (example: one student with a hearing loss in one ear); some psychological (example: not wanting to let go of a previous learning method to make way for the Simply Music approach), etc.  I told them not to hide their needs from each other but to bring them out so we can support them to have their needs met. They all agreed with me and are feeling a lot more trusting. Not completely relaxed yet, but definitely more bonded and trusting among themselves, their relationship to Simply Music and with me as their teacher.

Thanks for sharing this fabulous approach.