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The 'Butterfly Ball' is Officially Over. What Next?/ "Бал Бабочек" закончен. Что дальше?/La Gala de Mariposas ha terminado oficialmente. ¿Qué sigue? (12 Feb 2024)

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× Progress Diaries

Progress of Lily, Owen, & TmT

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12 Feb 2013 05:42 #8325 by TeachingMyToddlers
The following user(s) said Thank You: Mrs.Post, the Moon

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12 Feb 2013 20:27 #8344 by hellene
TmT,
Wonderful playing!
I have a question: did you use our TEACHING VIDEOS section for polishing the piece?

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13 Feb 2013 15:11 #8364 by TeachingMyToddlers
Probably not as much as I should have, I used then shortly before recording that video.

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13 Feb 2013 17:11 #8366 by hellene

TeachingMyToddlers wrote: Probably not as much as I should have, I used then shortly before recording that video.


TmT, there are many stages of learning to play piano that we had discovered by collecting the data (numbers on right and left part of monitor).

2 superior stages - playing with metronome and polishing can be provided most effectively with the help of a teacher or... videos.

This is why I made several (not all yet) videos for beginners with metronome and about,

I found your song's flow very steady and consistent, but some phrasing and piano touch and technique could be more advanced. For instance, the left hand is played much softer accompanying the right one. You also may use your pedal, when playing chords. It is hard to describe all the nuances, but video could help you since picture worth 1000 words! ;)

!

www.softmozart.com/forum/55-teaching-vid...rite-classics-1.html

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01 Apr 2013 03:10 - 01 Apr 2013 03:26 #9090 by TeachingMyToddlers
Just an update on how we are doing with SM.

We have not been using it as much with Lily because now her piano teacher is sending home extra work which replaces the time we used to spend on SM. I am so eager to know if a custom song option is available for the upgrade. If so, she will be able to use it again more often.

Lily still continues to blossom musically. When she first developed the ability to sing back a song in solfege, she was able to do it with songs she was very familiar with. Now, she can sing "off the cuff," repeating the tune in solfege as long as it's not VERY fast. I still insist that she sing during practice. The only time she does not is if she is struggling to learn a new piece and it is too much to concentrate on both simultaneously. Then, once she has a better grip on it she will sing along. I think this has been vital to internalizing and expressing pitch, and Owen sings along during his practice as well. When reading a new piece for the first time, Lily is able to sing the lyrics on pitch at first glance. So cool, I definitely cannot do that! But I will say since teaching both of the kids and learning along side them, my ability to sing solfege on pitch has improved significantly although my ears are no where near as good as theirs!

Overall, my kids sing solfege around the house constantly....it's borderline annoying at times! :P When my hubby hears one of them singing yet again, he jokes that I "created a monster!" Lily first started out "babbling" like a baby in solfege and we encouraged it very much even though it was musical nonsense. Now she sings accurately all the time. With Owen, I would guess his (very joyful!) solfege babbling is about 50% accurate right now? Which is the same stage Lily went through , and we do our best to praise and encourage every single effort, making no mind to the accuracy. We also had to talk to Lily about correcting him and saying he is "singing it wrong," since obviously she knows the difference (where as I do not unless it's a song I know by heart.)

With Owen, SM is all we use 99% of the time, although he sings along with in Solfege with Lily's Yamaha Cd in the car all the time which is bonus practice. I am pleased with how piano is helping his coordination progress, he is focusing on learning to play with two hands. It's starting to sound more fluid like actual music. He now gets the concept of holding the chord while the melody continues on the right hand, rather than "replaying" the chord for every single note like he did initially.

I still have him focusing on proficiently playing Hot Cross Buns, Ode to Joy, and Jingle Bells with two hands. When those three pieces are just right, we'll move on. So, in that respect we have been slow to progress but I am looking for mastery. He is now playing HCB with two hands freely without any software and Jingle Bells and Ode to Joy with Right hand with no software. He is starting to play JB with two hands/no software on his own accord but it's not exactly sounding fabulous yet. ;) With the software, he practices all of those with two hands which is a good challenge for him at the moment. I have been meaning to capture recent video, and this post is as good a reason as any. I will try to get some tomorrow.

I am lousy at keeping a notebook, but Owen observes his score and is pleased pretty much regardless of what it says. We'll move on when he's ready, I see him getting better everyday, so yes it would be nice to do but I'm not too concerned about getting caught up with the numbers at the moment.

I am pleased with the software, it's very age appropriate and formal lessons would most likely not work at his current age (3 years, 3 months) and attention span. For my daughter, I am looking forward to the day I can load her Yamaha songs in the software and have her practice it that way.

With practice, Owen continues to become more and more confident at the piano as he goes. He loves to perform for his Dad (and me too) and take a bow at the end. He will randomly go to the piano and play his three songs for fun. He knows what songs to practice and he operates the software himself for the most part when it's time to play. It's been a very good experience with him overall and I'm happy we are using the program. Plus, he is left handed and I love than he has to use both hands to play. Knowing that we live in a right hand world, I think piano will be especially beneficial for him as a south paw.

I have learned to play some songs on SM too, but I find it easier to motivate my kids than myself, so I have been on hiatus with a few other projects on my plate at the moment. With our upcoming move, we are staying with family back home for a few months before heading overseas. I am *grateful* that even if we cannot find a teacher for Lily during our temporary stay in the midwest, she will have something to play and Owen will not miss a beat.
Last edit: 01 Apr 2013 03:26 by TeachingMyToddlers.
The following user(s) said Thank You: hellene, the Moon

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05 Apr 2013 07:09 #9127 by hellene
Dear TmT,
Finally, I got some spare time to get to the forum!
Will comment on your post, while reading:

TeachingMyToddlers wrote: Just an update on how we are doing with SM.

We have not been using it as much with Lily because now her piano teacher is sending home extra work which replaces the time we used to spend on SM. I am so eager to know if a custom song option is available for the upgrade. If so, she will be able to use it again more often.


Yes! We are planning to add more and more piano pieces with each upgrade. My dream is to create automatic converter.

Lily still continues to blossom musically. When she first developed the ability to sing back a song in solfege, she was able to do it with songs she was very familiar with. Now, she can sing "off the cuff," repeating the tune in solfege as long as it's not VERY fast. I still insist that she sing during practice.


Way to go! In summer time in our Academy we are going to learn, how to write music down. I developed special technique on this many years ago. I saw Lily placing the notes on the staff. This is great start. The next step is going to be these dictations.

The only time she does not is if she is struggling to learn a new piece and it is too much to concentrate on both simultaneously. Then, once she has a better grip on it she will sing along. I think this has been vital to internalizing and expressing pitch, and Owen sings along during his practice as well.


Yes! Both kids are developing life lasting skill to convert pitches of the sounds into sounds of music. They will be able to hear any new song and play it on piano (with chords! we have this in our curriculum too!) and transpose the music into different tunes.

When reading a new piece for the first time, Lily is able to sing the lyrics on pitch at first glance. So cool, I definitely cannot do that! But I will say since teaching both of the kids and learning along side them, my ability to sing solfege on pitch has improved significantly although my ears are no where near as good as theirs!


I am very happy to hear that! Try to promote Solfeggio as much as I can. I am glad that you share your experience on this!

Overall, my kids sing solfege around the house constantly....it's borderline annoying at times! :P When my hubby hears one of them singing yet again, he jokes that I "created a monster!" Lily first started out "babbling" like a baby in solfege and we encouraged it very much even though it was musical nonsense. Now she sings accurately all the time. With Owen, I would guess his (very joyful!) solfege babbling is about 50% accurate right now? Which is the same stage Lily went through , and we do our best to praise and encourage every single effort, making no mind to the accuracy. We also had to talk to Lily about correcting him and saying he is "singing it wrong," since obviously she knows the difference (where as I do not unless it's a song I know by heart.)


:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:
I remember, how one mother shared with me a story. Her two daughters (my students) were sitting at doctor's office waiting. One had started tapping music on the coffee table. Another said: wait, here has to be Fa# and you play just Fa.

With Owen, SM is all we use 99% of the time, although he sings along with in Solfege with Lily's Yamaha Cd in the car all the time which is bonus practice. I am pleased with how piano is helping his coordination progress, he is focusing on learning to play with two hands. It's starting to sound more fluid like actual music. He now gets the concept of holding the chord while the melody continues on the right hand, rather than "replaying" the chord for every single note like he did initially.


Yes, almost all the beginners have this program at first stage.

I still have him focusing on proficiently playing Hot Cross Buns, Ode to Joy, and Jingle Bells with two hands. When those three pieces are just right, we'll move on. So, in that respect we have been slow to progress but I am looking for mastery. He is now playing HCB with two hands freely without any software and Jingle Bells and Ode to Joy with Right hand with no software. He is starting to play JB with two hands/no software on his own accord but it's not exactly sounding fabulous yet. ;)


It would be great to add some little of site reading (playing Nursery Primer on 2 with R,L and P for example). Reading doesn't have to be perfect, but as earlier you start - the better.

With the software, he practices all of those with two hands which is a good challenge for him at the moment. I have been meaning to capture recent video, and this post is as good a reason as any. I will try to get some tomorrow.


Playing piano using 2 hands is very important for building corpus callosum - bridge between left and right hemispheres. It is like building highway with a lot of lines between 2 cities. They communicate faster and in balance in future. Therefore, building better minds. Especially this is important for boys. Fine motor skills in young age is not their forte. :) I am very much looking forward to see your videos!

I am lousy at keeping a notebook, but Owen observes his score and is pleased pretty much regardless of what it says. We'll move on when he's ready, I see him getting better everyday, so yes it would be nice to do but I'm not too concerned about getting caught up with the numbers at the moment.


It is great that he doesn't need extra motivation. It seems like music learning run in your family and he is in a right environment!

I am pleased with the software, it's very age appropriate and formal lessons would most likely not work at his current age (3 years, 3 months) and attention span. For my daughter, I am looking forward to the day I can load her Yamaha songs in the software and have her practice it that way.


Is it special 'Yamaha' pieces?

With practice, Owen continues to become more and more confident at the piano as he goes. He loves to perform for his Dad (and me too) and take a bow at the end. He will randomly go to the piano and play his three songs for fun. He knows what songs to practice and he operates the software himself for the most part when it's time to play.


Great!

It's been a very good experience with him overall and I'm happy we are using the program. Plus, he is left handed and I love than he has to use both hands to play. Knowing that we live in a right hand world, I think piano will be especially beneficial for him as a south paw.


Yes! He has big chance to be ahead by being rightleft handed. ;)

I have learned to play some songs on SM too, but I find it easier to motivate my kids than myself, so I have been on hiatus with a few other projects on my plate at the moment. With our upcoming move, we are staying with family back home for a few months before heading overseas. I am *grateful* that even if we cannot find a teacher for Lily during our temporary stay in the midwest, she will have something to play and Owen will not miss a beat.


Well, the globe now is a small place! We are going to be always happy to help you keep learning!

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