There's no big ocean of divide in working with children and adult piano students. In fact, today I found common threads running through two lessons: one with a local beginner, age, 8–the other, a seasoned adult.
Liz, 8, completed her fifth week of instruction, with my imbued emphasis on how to produce a singing tone. From day one, I've nurtured a relaxed funnel of energy down her arms, through supple wrists, and gently curved hands. This same fundamental lesson framing applies to Sam, a much older student who resides in London, takes lessons Online, and is practicing "Fur Elise." (He's about three years into his studies.)
The following lesson samples were nicely paired with common goals of creating beauty. Sam's challenge today was woven into his D Major Scale in 10ths. He worked on ORGANIZING it–discovering symmetries between the hands in mirror images, while maintaining a natural flow of energy down his arms, wrists, and hands. Curling fingers under in a block practicing segment impeded its smooth octave by octave course, and grabbing notes would cause the same interruption of well-breathed out sequences. The remedy proved to be thoughtful repetitions, that gradually eliminated these impediments.
For Liz, whose lesson I re-capped in a summary video, I illustrated the very concepts that were woven into Sam's lesson, but in a different context.
The child is studying short pieces in Frances Clark's Primer, Time to Begin, but she's also given composing assignments that tap into her creativity with an embedded alliance to the singing tone. The earliest exposure to the piano is probably the most critical in furthering the development of attentive listening; a physical/emotional connection to the instrument, and a cognitive framing that reinforces the practicing phase. (Not to overlook the imagination and its profound influence upon musical expression.)
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SAM: Playing the D Major Scale in 10ths
A Summary of Liz's 5th lesson–correction from "4th" mentioned in the video (in part)
Liz's previous lesson segments have been recorded in progress:
https://arioso7.wordpress.com/2016/02/18/an-8-year-old-begins-piano-lessons/
https://arioso7.wordpress.com/2016/03/03/liz-age-8-composes-a-piece-at-her-third-piano-lesson/
Original Content: An adult and child share common goals in playing piano artistically
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