Learning piano through SM with my 3 year old

All,

Soft Mozart (SM) caught my attention over many products in the market for two main reasons:

1) I believe in SM because the developer (Hellene) is a musicologist who has done extensive research work in bringing piano lesson in a fun and easy way to everyone.

2) SM is proven to be working on children and adults. I have watched all video clips (you tube) posted on the internet.

I learned piano in the conventional way when I was 6 years old. I always felt that it was difficult to learn piano and I finally stopped learning piano after a few years. Now, I have two children and I would like them to learn piano in a fun and less difficult way. When I read about the SM product two years ago through BrillKid website, I know SM will work for my children. At that time, I was so excited that I found a good music software. I was glad that I bought the software when my daughter was 17 months old.

I started to use the SM myself. I wish I had the same software when I was a kid. It is fun and easy to use. Even my husband, who did not know to play piano, can play the introductory songs in SM easily with both hands.

I started the Guess Key game when my daughter was 2.5 years old. I taught her to play the introductory songs when she was 3 (when she became ready / mature enough to play the piano). She loved it! She enjoyed playing the Hot Cross Bun with both hands, and even she could memorize the songs and played it without the software.

After seeing her enthusiastic in learning piano, I decided to start her on formal lesson when she was 3.5 years old. SM curriculum on Hanon exercise and Chromatic scales are helpful in hand-eye coordination and finger exercise. My daughter fingers muscle improves over 1 month after practicing these exercises and she loves it. She is able to play 3 introductory songs by memory, currently learning to play 1 classical song and 1 nursery song. She is also learning to sight read. She transitions well from representation 1 (vertical view) to representation 3 (horizontal view). I feel that SM curriculum advance traditional method by at least a year or two years.

I highly recommend SM to anyone of all ages who wants to learn piano.

Rachel is learning to play Theme of Symphony by Haydn in Classical Pieces.

Rachel sight read two pieces of music everyday from Favourite Classic Primer. She would play P4 until the mistake is not more than 5 then proceed to P5. She is playing Fantasie-Impromptu. Her score is
P5 40/42 Time 42




Here she sight read Minuet in Favourite Classic Primer. This is her first time sight read this piece at P5 after playing once at P4 64/65 Time 59. Her score is P5 60/65 Time 74