hand positioning

Question: I have just signed on a Special Needs student. She is 9 years old. Her favorite song is Happy Birthday. Mum said they play that every day! I know we normally teach this at the end of Foundation Level 1 but I would like…

• Last updated 2 years ago
• accompaniment, accompaniment pieces, accompaniment resources, Amazing Grace, Amazing Grace LH position, Amazing Grace position, basics, changes, changing teaching order, claiming territory, finger positions, hand position, hand positioning, hand positions, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday Supplement, high functioning, Honey Dew, Honey Dew LH position, Honey Dew position, introducing accompaniment, Jackson Blues, order, parents of special needs, position, position change, positioning, positions, song order, special circumstances, special needs, teaching order, teaching special needs

I have a new adult student in her late 50s who started with me last week. She was given a lovely digital piano from her husband for Christmas and given subsequent traditional lessons with the piano salesman which didn’t work out for her although her…

• Last updated 3 years ago
• arthritis, deformed hand, finger positions, hand, hand position, hand positioning, hand positions, position, positioning, positions, posture, wrist position

I’m learning to play Squidgies Boogie in level 4. I’m having a hard time understanding how to transition between the IV and I chords because I think “IV” ends on the very C that “I” should start with. I don’t see Neil’s hands do this…

• Last updated 4 years ago
• billy at the footy, changes, finger positions, hand position, hand positioning, hand positions, Martian fingers, Martian hand, position, position change, positioning, positions, Squidgies, Squidgies Boogie, transition chord

In Church Song, Level 7, one of the learning strategies is “Locking”. Could I get a clearer definition of what the locking strategy involves? Here’s the definition: Locking: A learning strategy where the hands essentially lock their ‘shape’ into place, but move from one position…

• Last updated 4 years ago
• applying PB strategies to music, Church Song, FL7, foundation level 7, glossary, hand position, hand positioning, hand positions, learning strategies, learning tools, learning tools and strategies, Level 7, library, locking, Neil Moore, Neil’s compositions, playing-based strategies, position, positioning, positions, shapes, strategies, tool, tools, tools and strategies

When doing the Streams projects in Reading Notes, how do you explain how to start each line? In the Streams up to 3rds, the first line starts on finger 1 and is easy to figure out on the piano. But the rest of the line…

• Last updated 6 years ago
• hand positioning, Laurie Richards, reading notes, RN, RN streams, streams

At the beginning of Foundation 4, Lead Me to Light and Lullaby have so much less on the reference notes. How do you introduce these pages to students? Given what you’ve learned so far in presenting SM, I’d firstly like to hear your thoughts on…

• Last updated 7 years ago
• F4, Foundation 4, fragmenting, hand positioning, lead me to light, Level 4, Lullaby, Neil Moore, patterns, playing-based strategies