small hands

If a younger student can’t yet manage the second chord of Dreams Arrangement 1, is there a preference in a three-note version? Fingers 123 (shifting 3) throughout or 135 (shifting 3 and 5) with the 9th omitted for now? I think they both work and…

• Last updated 3 months ago
• adapting, adapting fingering, adapting for young students, adapting the curriculum, adapting to student's needs, alternate fingering for chords, chord, chord alterations, chords, Dreams, dreams 1, Dreams Arrangement, Dreams Come True, family chords, finger adaptations, small hands, teaching very young students, teaching young children, teaching young students, young children, young students

In teaching Humpty’s Twins (Jackson Blues arrangement 3), I generally teach RH3 for the middle note of all the chords. I had a student today ask why not RH4 for the middle note of the top chord. Thoughts? I teach the same way, and just…

• Last updated 4 years ago
• adapting fingering, alternate fingering for chords, arrange, arrangement, arrangements, big fingers, blues fingering, chord fingering, chords, figuring out fingering, finger 4, finger adaptations, finger positions, fingering, fingering chords, fingers, hand, humpty, Jackson Blues, large hands, learning arrangements, playing-based arrangements, small hands, teacher preparation for arrangements, Teaching Arrangements, teaching arrangements 1 and 2, thick fingers, unfolding arrangements in class

Is there any such thing as readiness in the Simply Music process? I am teaching a very bright little girl who is 6, but she is struggling even with the five fingers over five notes after 6 lessons. She can play the right hand of…

• Last updated 4 years ago
• adapting for young students, BH, both hands, communication, control the events, controlling the events, CTE, dose, doses, getting student to slow down, hands together, HT, it takes as long as it takes, learning slowly, moving slowly, multiple thought processes, Ode to Joy, Ode to Joy BH, patience with slow learners, playing slowly, playing-based, practicing slowly, putting hands together in Ode to Joy, readiness, ready, separate hands, SH, single thought process, single thought processes, slow learner, slow pace, slow progress, slowing down, small doses, small hands, smaller dose, smaller doses, starting younger students, STP, struggle, struggling, teaching very young students, teaching young children, teaching young students, trouble with hands together, young children, young students, younger siblings

Today I encountered a challenge with my 6 year old trying to learn Bishop Street Blues.  He can do Jackson Blues and understands the concepts and the 12 bar progression and the concept of replacing the I, IV, and V chords with other chords. BUT.…

• Last updated 7 years ago
• bishop street blues, blues, chord shapes, chords, fingering, FL1, foundation 1, Robin Keehn, small hands

Is there a minimum age you would suggest for students to start the accompaniment stream?  I teach a family of 3 brothers age 5, 7 and 9.  The 9 yr old has begun F2, the 5 and 7 yr old are nearly done F1.  I…

• Last updated 10 years ago
• accompaniment, children and accompaniment, Robin Keehn, small hands, songs for children