The preparatory group accepts all children, without preliminary testing, from age 2 to 5 years old. The number of children in a group can vary: at least two children, maximum 12.
The lesson lasts half an hour once a week. We are convinced that this is enough for fast progress. The lessons are held without parents, but every two or three months we hold an open lesson in front of the audience so that parents can watch their children's progress.
We have a full, open lesson with two 4 year old girls at the end of the first year. Those interested can view it on the extended page at the end of this tutorial. This lesson illustrates the foundation of the entire technique.
Warm-up
We do this exercise in almost every lesson. Sometimes it is worth starting a lesson with it, sometimes running it in the middle (if the teacher feels that the children are tired of sitting).
The objective of this exercise is: First, the children must move. But most importantly, the exercises are thought out in such a way as to test and develop the coordination necessary for playing the piano. These movements help children feel their shoulders, elbows, hands, arms, and fingers.
In the first private lesson, we start with the posture warm-up.
Pitch
Basically, the concept of pitch is related to the concept of registers. As a result of our exercises, young children begin to associate words such as "high-low" not only with the sky and earth, with the ceiling-floor, but with high and low sounds as well.
The registers become clear to them, thanks to vivid and familiar images.
Degrees-Scale
Major-Minor
Music can be joyful and sad, light and dark, hard and soft.
Tonic
Intervals
An INTERVAL is the intonation between two sounds.
Intervals can be major, minor, and perfect. The major ones have a major sound, the minor ones have a minor sound. Perfect - neither major nor minor, and, therefore, they can be part of either major or minor.
G.I. Shatkovsky proposed a system for how one can remember how each interval sounds easily and quickly. In contrast to the traditional system, where each interval has to be memorized, corresponding to the beginning of some familiar song, Shatkovsky showed, by using the same simple lyrics (for example, "Hey you! Who are you? I do not have a clue."), how the intonation changes depending on the interval.
Now see how, as a result of this method, young children quickly and, most importantly, precisely recognize any interval.
In the first individual lessons, we play through all of the intervals.
The Third
The third is the ... third interval. The third can be major or minor. Major Third - sounds major, Μinor Third - sounds minor.
Question-Answer
This theme is discussed in depth in the "open lesson" (see it in the "expanded" page)
Here is a fragment from another lesson.
There is a single question, but the answers can vary.
Learning the song "about the beetle". The teacher sings:
"Bug, bug, buzz my way, tell me where you are today."
And everyone answers, separately:
"I'm a bug, buzz away, in the BOX I sit all day."
".................................. on the STICK I sit all day."
".................................. in the HAND I sit all day."
And many other answers.
Phrases based on the question-answer type are found in many musical works. In individual lessons, when analyzing a new piece, we work carefully on this.
Examples:
- A theme from Sonata No.19 - Beethoven
- Second subject in Sonata No.8 - Beethoven
Nudnik (a bore)
We are working on the rhythm in the prep group according to the Hungarian system of "solmization." (We sing the halves - TA-A; quarters - TA; eighths - TI-TI; sixteenths - TIRI-TIRI.)
There are many useful rhythm exercises in the Hungarian system. We use them, of course.
"Nudnik" is a rhythmic game when children clap and keep an ostinato rhythm, and the teacher plays different rhythms at the same time.
In many works, composers use the repetition of one rhythmic figure for the entire duration of a melody. This is not such a trivial task for a performer.
Our game of "nudnik" can further facilitate the task of coping with this challenge.
It is believed that young children cannot sit in one place - and this is true.
Therefore, we often switch tasks (but in the tempo of the lesson). In addition, kids cannot concentrate, and our material is serious, professional (many people think that it is too difficult).
And so that the students are constantly engaged for the entire half-hour, we try to make the tasks and the pace of the lesson NOT DIFFICULT.
Look at the expressions on our little ones' faces, they are passionate, interested and having fun.