when to introduce reading

Showing all 6 results in when to introduce reading

Managing the Transition to Reading‏

I have noticed that a difficult time for many parents is right before the reading program starts. At around 15 month point, parents are expecting their children to be reading fully and start to get afraid that SM will stunt their ability to read. I have been talking…

When to Introduce Outside Pieces

When Neil says, “. . . once a student has ventured far enough into the syllabus, we routinely begin dealing with the full array of pieces from any typical classical repertoire, Moonlight Sonata included”, does “far enough into the syllabus” mean once students are somewhat…

High School Jazz Bands

I am wondering if anyone here has experience with high school jazz bands. One of my student’s parents emailed me telling me her daughter wanted to try out. She is a very talented student, quick learner, hard worker, etc. But she has only just finished…

Parents anxious to start reading

I’ve lost a few students recently (starting Level 3) because the parents are taking them to a traditional teacher to learn to read notes, even though the kids were doing well and I told them that we were moving toward note reading soon. They compared…

Adapting curriculum to student with traditional experience

I have a potential student that has had around two years of traditional lessons, some of which has been spread out over several years, so may not be the strongest of two years. She just finished her freshman year of high school. Mom tells me…

Using SM sheet music to supplement playing-based learning

I have a piano student who has already been introduced to sight reading from a former teacher. Is there any reason they can’t learn the song via pattern playing first, then switch over to the sheet music instead of waiting until level 4 or 5?…