Titus (2yo) and Juli (adult)

juliguli wrote: It has been a while since we have written, but we have continued diligently with Soft Mozart. Just don't have much computer time with a little toddler running about. When I do, I spend it with him. He is now asleep, and I have a few minutes.

For naming Do to Do, Re to Re, Mi to Mi, etc, forward and backwards, we use the cycle 1 with the printed words, and I have him place the pictures in a circle in order. We then read them from the designated spot forward and backwards around the circle. I will try to get a video of this (hard, cause I am interacting the whole time, so need someone else to video). He is doing well.

We have also started playing the other games, Fruit lines school. note alphabet school, base and treble staff schools at lunchtime. He has to call out the note before I can move it. I then move it to the correct place for him for each of these. He loves this and participates heartily.

He also plays the Guess Key school and can get about 3 in a row right regularly and once in awhile 5 in a row right. He gets distracted easily though. Takes a few tries of just playing around (hitting random keys/playing with both hands/trying to hit black keys/stretching his finger on the entire key/trying to lift up the key instead of push down etc) for him to get into it, but once he is into it, he plays and names the notes pretty easily.

We also listen to the classical pieces on Youtube and watch them on gentle piano (following academy).

In gentle piano, he can play French song and Hot Cross Buns with both hands, but I do not think he realizes yet that he can make a song of it. He does it very very slowly and thoughtfully. I am so excited for the time when he realizes he is making music!

Oh, we took the stickers off the piano. He follows the guide.

And, we have been focusing on naming the fingers, as suggested. He seems to get it on the right hand, but does not on the left, because he is used to playing do/so or fa/so in his pieces (HCB and French Song), so it is confusing to him to play do, ti, la, so, fa with the fingers of his left hand. (he thinks do is the left pinkie and so is the thumb). Not sure what to do there.

Here is him playing Hot Cross Buns:

juliguli wrote:

I do try to play pieces but my own piano skills aren't great. I press s and let him listen, but I cannot play most of the ones that are for listening.

You don't have to play the pieces from beginning to the end using 2 hands. Couple of bars with 1 hand would be enough.

well, he was picking at the stickers so I took them off. He does still have the guide and seems to be doing ok with it.

Great! If he is comfortable, it is fine!