Margaret Learns Piano

Margaret (3-1/2) has been begging for piano lessons. But lessons are expensive, a privilege, and require discipline to practice, so we've been holding her off.

But then she taught herself by ear how to play one- and two-line melodies of "Ode to Joy," "Hot Cross Buns," and a third which I can't recall in this fuzzy-brained moment.

So I talked to the older children's piano teacher about what to do!

A great little series using a Russian method: and look at the fun title!
Our kids think it is just for them.

I suggested that maybe I could pick my way through a piano book and teach her the most foundational basics. Instead of replying with a laugh and a reminder that I know nothing about how to play the piano, our quiet and always-polite teacher immediately said, "No, have Mary teacher her. She can do it."

Daddy and I proposed the idea to Mary (counting the weeks till she turns six) and she agreed immediately. She is being paid a quarter a week because we want her to take this seriously, which so far she does.

the strip of keys

First, she wrote out a strip of the keys because she remembered her teaching using that when Mary was first in lessons. Then she took Margaret to our master calendar and they discussed at length which day of the week they should have their lesson. (To which Mama interjected that a student as young as three would do better with five minutes of instruction daily rather than a long session once per week.)

It has been two weeks and mostly I find the girls sitting down first thing in the morning. I have to guide the Teacher in patience, as well as in staying at the basics instead of launching out to teach her Student something like "Amazing Grace."

It is a beautiful thing and I love it. I felt like I was waiting so long for music to enter our home and now it feels all in a flurry (really, the last year and a half or so) that we have Mama and three children making music, as well as a toddler who plays on the "ding ding" (piano) whenever he can scramble up there.